Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A Tale of January - an excerpt

The following is a scene from a one act play.



Scene opens in a coffee shop with ANGELI filling a candy bowl and JAMIE carving a pumpkin in the empty Starbucks. The couple have been living in the coffee shop for several months after ANGELI told JAMIE of her plans to break up with him upon leaving the shop. JAMIE is wearing the red jacket from Rebel Without a Cause, dressed as James Dean. ANGELI is dressed up as an old Hollywood starlet.

JAMIE
I don’t get why they can’t just call them small, regular and large. What is it, tall, grande, venti. Tall….

ANGELI
…It’s the most desperate holiday. It’s the beginning of the end and everyone gets one last chance to rush around and completely reinvent themselves before it gets dark and cold and everyone hibernates for the winter. People become Sailors, Policemen, Presidents, Batman, and Spongebob all in a desperate attempt to be something different, anything different. Only it’s all a lie.

JAMIE
Baby, just try to have some fun, and maybe you will. Check this out, who am I? (JAMIE pulls out a cigarette and does his best Dean pose leaning against the wall. ANGELI sighs) Take out your camera. Take a picture.



(ANGELI takes out a very nice manual digital camera and tries to find a good angle. She tries several different ones, and isn’t finding a good shot.)

ANGELI
The pose isn’t working. Try a different one.
(He tries a few different poses, getting more frustrated with each one. She tries different angles and takes a bunch of pictures. They look together at the pictures on the back of the camera.)

You’re just not photogenic. I dunno, I can’t seem to…

JAMIE
(very affected by the comment)
I know, I know.

ANGELI
God, its not really a big deal.

JAMIE
You don’t get it, do you?

ANGELI
Don’t get what? It’s a picture. So what if you blink, or have a weird expression? It’s a picture don’t worry so…

JAMIE
Do you get what it means to be not photogenic?

ANGELI
It means you look bad in pictures. God you always make such a big deal over the littlest things.

JAMIE
No. It means every snapshot of your life has something wrong in it. You’re smiling too much like an idiot, or your eyes are closed, or you just look ridiculous. I’m ridiculous. You look in the picture and you’re a little too fat or goofy or you’re drowning in a sea of peaches like it’s some surreal portrait cautionary tale. Why’d you take all those pictures of me at work. I hate them, and I know you do to. Not any more. We’re not stopping until I can look at a picture and... (Jamie gets angry and starts ordering her around.) Take that camera and make me look good. No make me look fucking great. Make Dean turn in his grave because I did it better. Stand there.

(ANGELI moves over to the spot where JAMIE pointed. JAMIE poses strikes poses hard. ANGELI takes a bunch of shots and doesn’t look happy.)

ANGELI
I don’t know you just…

JAMIE
SHUT UP! Your gonna take that camera and make me beautiful. (ANGELI goes to take pictures. Jamie walks over to her and grabs her wrist.) Take a picture so damn good that it makes you want to fuck me when you see it.

ANGELI
Don’t say things like…

JAMIE
…Do it. (He grabs her and kiss her hard up against the wall. He lets go and walks over to the center of the room and poses hard almost biting back tears.) How about now? Or now? Do you want me yet? Just make me... Make me. Make me. (He falls down, sitting defeated and crumpled where he was standing. ANGELI keeps taking pictures.)

END SCENE

1 comment:

  1. Oh the memories. By the way, you play a great Vietnamese West Oaklander

    ReplyDelete