After a long long long pause (which is apropos if you read the play), I am posting a great play by George Soete called Wonderful You!
This play reminds me of both the amazing world of vaudeville and how it still informs our sense of performed comedy, and also of Waiting For Godot and the brilliant tragicomic work Samuel Beckett. The best thing about thing about this type of work is how open it is for actors to play and how fun it is to perform - and then to see.
If you end up wanting to perform it or have any comments or questions for George, please email me at erinkellyb@hotmail.com and I will pass it on.
Here is a little bit about George:
George Soete lives in San Diego. He has been involved in the theater as an actor, director, playwright and producer for many years. From 2004 to 2007, he was Associate Director, then Artistic Director of the San Diego Actors Festival. His play Wonderful You won a place in the Southern SlamFest a few years ago. It was also a juried prize-winner in the San Diego Actors Festival in 2007
And please, submit plays! Tell your friends! I love being introduced to new playwrights and plays - and George who lives across the U.S. found the blog and decided to submit - and now I have had the delight of both reading and sharing his work you.
I hope you enjoy it, as I did.
Wonderful You!
(Two men meet on the street.)
ALSOP
Hey there! Look at you!
BLALOCK
How are you? How are you?
ALSOP
Wonderful! You look wonderful!
BLALOCK
You’re the wonderful one! Look at you!
ALSOP
You’ve made so much progress!
BLALOCK
And you!
ALSOP
But especially you. You’ve really turned it around.
BLALOCK
Was it difficult?
ALSOP
What?
BLALOCK
Was your. . .uh. . .renaissance. . .uh. . .?
ALSOP
Oh, that. That pales into insignificance. . . .
BLALOCK
Surely not.
ALSOP
But you. . .! What bravery! What shrewdness! What. . .balls!
(Pause.)
BLALOCK
You’ve lost weight. Nice.
ALSOP
You’re being kind. You, however. You have a new. . .what? Something different. Very striking. What have you done?
BLALOCK
Nothing, really.
ALSOP
No. What is it. . .you’ve done?
BLALOCK
Oh.
ALSOP
Something.
BLALOCK
Really nothing.
ALSOP
You’re teasing. What is it?
BLALOCK
(Shrugs. Pause.)
ALSOP
Last time. . . .You were going to buy a new automobile.
BLALOCK
You have an excellent memory.
ALSOP
You’re too kind. . . . Did you?
BLALOCK
(Regards him blankly.)
ALSOP
Buy a new automobile?
BLALOCK
Well, you know. . .
ALSOP
Ah! Right!
(Pause.)
BLALOCK
Are you still adventurous?
ALSOP
Adventurous?
BLALOCK
Plucky. Daring. Ready for anything. That was you.
ALSOP
Guess! You were always good at guessing.
BLALOCK
Yes. Ummmmm. . . . You’re still adventurous!
ALSOP
(Triumphantly.)
You see!
BLALOCK
Yes.
(Pause.)
ALSOP
Do you need any money?
BLALOCK
What for?
ALSOP
Anything. A new automobile. Surely you need a new automobile.
BLALOCK
You think so? A new automobile?
ALSOP
You’ll need a great deal of money for that.
BLALOCK
You’ve always been a whiz at math. So analytical.
ALSOP
And you. You know exactly what you want. So. . .certain of things.
BLALOCK
How so?
ALSOP
The new automobile.
BLALOCK
Ah!
(Pause.)
ALSOP
That tree over there.
(Brief pause.)
BLALOCK
A tree. Yes.
ALSOP
Trunk.
BLALOCK
Yes.
ALSOP
Limbs, branches.
BLALOCK
Twigs, leaves.
ALSOP
Birds.
BLALOCK
Hmmmmm. Twittering. Hopping..
ALSOP
Bees.
BLALOCK
Bees?
ALSOP
Probably.
BLALOCK
Birds and bees. Go together.
ALSOP
What?
BLALOCK
The birds. The bees.
ALSOP
What. . .bees?
BLALOCK
Exactly.
(Pause.)
BLALOCK
You have a sack.
ALSOP
And you a backpack.
BLALOCK
It must be something important.
ALSOP
Yes?
BLALOCK
In your sack.
ALSOP
(He peers into his sack. Holds it out to Blalock, who also peers into it intently.)
BLALOCK
(He offers his backpack. Alsop examines it inside and out.)
BOTH
Empty.
(Pause.)
ALSOP
You’re still living in the same place?
BLALOCK
Alas!
ALSOP
No improvement there?
BLALOCK
Well.... and you?
ALSOP
Same.
BLALOCK
God! Plus ca change!
ALSOP
Beg your pardon?
BLALOCK
The more you change, the more you remain the same.
ALSOP
You said it.
BLALOCK
Actually, the French said it.
ALSOP
Said what?
BLALOCK
It’s not important.
(Pause.)
ALSOP
None of it is, really.
BLALOCK
How’s that?
ALSOP
Important.
BLALOCK
You’re getting philosophical.
ALSOP
It’s just that. . . .
BLALOCK
Yes?
ALSOP
So many disappointments.
BLALOCK
So many failures.
ALSOP
Everything diminishes.
BLALOCK
Gets smaller.
ALSOP
Becomes. . .unimportant.
(Long pause.)
BLALOCK
Of no import.
(Pause.)
Worthless.
(Pause.)
ALSOP
Well, not entirely. Not necessarily.
BLALOCK
No?
ALSOP
Something can be unimportant but not completely worthless.
BLALOCK
Partially worthless?
ALSOP
So lacking in worth as to be unimportant.
BLALOCK
But not completely worthless.
(Pause.)
ALSOP
God! You are becoming philosophical.
(Pause.)
BLALOCK
Tell me about your goals.
ALSOP
Your objectives
BLALOCK
Your aims.
ALSOP
Your dreams.
(They look at -- stare at -- each other intently. Almost a contest. They break. Pause.)
You know. . . .
BLALOCK
Yes?
ALSOP
Did you find it easier when there weren’t so many choices?
BLALOCK
So many options?
ALSOP
Don’t do that.
BLALOCK
What?
ALSOP
That irritating synonym thing. Choices. Options. Goals. Objectives. Aims. Dreams. Don’t do that.
BLALOCK
Don’t dream? Goodness.
ALSOP
You may dream, of course. Just don’t do that. . . .
BLALOCK
Cinnamon thing?
ALSOP
Forget it.
BLALOCK
It’s unimportant?
(Longish pause.)
ALSOP
Don’t do that either. That pause thing. It gets on people’s nerves after a while.
BLALOCK
Your nerves?
ALSOP
Who else is here?
BLALOCK
Right.
(Pause.)
You’re right.
(Pause.)
BLALOCK
It was always you. Wonderful you. “It had to be you. It had to be you.” So boring.
ALSOP
For you?
BLALOCK
Beg. . . .
ALSOP
Boring for you?
BLALOCK
Certainly not.
ALSOP
For others?
BLALOCK
Certainly not.
ALSOP
For who?
BLALOCK
Whom.
ALSOP
Right.
(Pause.)
It’s been a pleasure! Wonderful!
BLALOCK
For whom-m-m?
ALSOP
Well. . .for you. . .for one. . . .
BLALOCK
And for you. Wonderful You.
ALSOP
Wonderful You! You’ve made so much progress!
BLALOCK
And you!
ALSOP
Don’t do that! That loop thing. Don’t do that loop thing.
BLALOCK
What loop thing?
ALSOP
That da capo thing. Where you go back to the beginning and start all over.
BLALOCK
You started it.
ALSOP
Yes.
(Pause. They hug spontaneously.)
BLALOCK
You stay in touch.
ALSOP
You too.
BLALOCK
Be well!
ALSOP
Well. . . .
(They take each other’s bags and leave.)
END
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