A Play by Chris C.
| CHARACTERS: |
Marley the Monkey- Age 16 years old but has been with the Circus for 10 Years. Harry the Grizzly Bear a.k.a. Grandpa- Age 50 years old but has been with the Circus for 45 years. Grandpa is Marley’s closest friend. Like a big brother
|
| SETTING: |
A Big Canvas Tent, filled with lots of different animals dressed up in all different kinds of clothing. It’s very colorful as a butterfly wing. Obstacles for the entertainers to perform on. Lots of seats for the audience. Lights hanging from the ceiling so bright it can blind you. Lots of noise from laughs and talking. You can smell the sweat from the hard working entertainers. Music bumping.
|
| TIME: |
Saturday Night. 8 Hours before the show.
|
| AT RISE: |
Grandpa and Marley are sitting next to each other in the locker room alongside other circus performers. They are getting ready for the show!
|
Marley (Biting his nails feeling nervous)
Aye yo Harry, you think they’re going to love me out there?
Grandpa (puts his hand on Marley’s shoulder)
Man everything is gon’ go smooth like the ringmasters shiny bald head.
Marley (half-hearted laugh)
Yeah, I hope so. But I really need yo’ back out there. I need you to be a hundred percent.
Grandpa
Marley you don’t even gotta worry about me. I’ma veteran at this. Ya dig lil man? I’ma be____
(Marley puts his hands up to cut him off)
Marley
Hold up Grandpa. What chu mean I ain’t gotta worry bout yo’ old hairy tail. You the reason why I gotta prove to the ringmaster that I’m worthy enough. And I only got 8 hours till the show starts. So you betta_______
(Grandpa cuts him off)
Grandpa
Wait up lil youngster. You need to calm____
(Marley cuts him off)
Marley (Mad)
Na, Na old man. I ain’t gonna do squat. You the one who need to get it together. Man you been showin’ no effort in the last couple of shows…Wassup wit chu dude? This the day where he make cuts. Don’t chu wanna be on the team man?
Grandpa
Look Marley, it’s nothing like that. It’s just_____
(Marley cuts him off again)
Marley
Shut up man, you always tryna have an excuse and I’m not____
(Grandpa cuts him off and puts his finger in his face)
Grandpa
Look you better stop cutting me off. I’m not havin’___
(Marley moves his finger out of his face)
Marley
Get yo’ fingers out my face yo!
Grandpa
You getting on my nerves with all that cutting me off stuff. So shut your pie hole and listen.
Marley
Man you shut up. I think you don’t want me to become the greatest. I think you messin’ up because you don’t want me to be on T.V. so that my mom can see me. The one I’ve never met yet.
Grandpa
No man, that’s not the reason. And I haven’t been slackin’ lately.
Marley
You haven’t? what about the time when you were suppose to catch me but chu missed my hands and caught my tail. That hurted like heck. I couldn’t even sit for a week man. You remember that?
Grandpa (Laughin’)
Oh yeah I remember that. My bad man.
Marley
Man that ain’t funny. So explain that.
Grandpa
I can’t man.
Marley
Why not? You hidin’ somethin’?
Grandpa
Na man. I’m not hidin’ nothin’ from you. (His eye twitches)
Marley (Points at Grandpa’s eye)
Yo, you lyin’. You always lie when your eye twitches. Man just say it man.
Grandpa
Well alright. The thang is I’m tryna retire.
Marley (Shocked)
Retire? Man you don’t need to retire right now. Retire later man, not now. Not when I got everything to lose. Look old man I know you still got some juice in ya’.
Grandpa
Marley, I’m just tired. I’m tired of wakin’ up every day lookin’ at these circus clowns. Man that ain’t me. I ain’t goin’ out as a clown. I wanna settle down. I’m too old, my bones don’t move like they use to. I’ve been doin’ this for more than 40 years. It’s time for m to stop.
Marley
But yo’ gramps why you gotta retire today? Why now? Why not later? I thought you loved me man. You suppose ta’ be like a brotha’ ta’ me.
Grandpa
Marley, I love you man. I took care of you after yo’ father died. But today gotta be the day. I gotta look bad out there today. I know that sound stupid. But that’s the only way.
Marley
The only way for what? For me not ta’ succeed to become famous, so I can be on T.V. and hope for my mom I’ve never met to see me, so that prolly she would come out here to be wit’ me. Man I’ve been waitin’ for this day ever since I was a young round. And you wanna go and ruin it for me. What kinda brother is you?
Grandpa
Man you know we close like both sides of the pillow.
Marley
Man stop lyin’ you old fart.
Grandpa
Man I ain’t lyin to you.
Marley
Then why? Why you gotta retire today. Tell me cuz we only got (looks at his wrist watch) two hours left until the show starts.
Grandpa
Alright. I need to look bad today so that the ringmaster can cut me from the circus and that way I can go free. Live the life I wanted to. Go out and finally explore the other side of the world. I need to do it today cuz’ there ain’t no other way out the circus other than getting cut.
Marley
But what about me? What about me you old hair ball.
Grandpa
Marley you betta’ stop callin’ me names you lil’ gorilla.
Marley
I ain’t no gorilla. I’ma monkey! OOOH-OOOH-AAAH-AAAH!
Grandpa
Don’t think I don’t know what you’re sayin’. I can speak monkey too!
Marley
OOOH-OOOH-AAAH-AAAH!
Grandpa
Keep callin’ me that you’re not gonna get banana’s for a month.
Marley (stays quiet)
Grandpa
That’s what I thought… Now look Marley, I hate to argue wit chu. I don’t like it. Just stop man.
Marley (Troubled)
But I can’t man. I need ta’ do what I gotta do for my mom ta’ find m. I wanna be wit her.
Grandpa (Empathetically)
Marley, I need ta’ tell you somethin’. .. Ain’t no other way to put it but your mom is dead.
Marley (Shocked and Sad)
What? How do you know? You don’t even know her.
Grandpa
I did know her. Me , her and your father was best friends. I didn’t want ta’ tell you cuz’ I didn’t want ta’ see you hurt man.
Marley
Damn Harry, I can’t believe you kept this from me all along. Had me doin’ this circus stuff for no reason.
Grandpa
I just didn’t want ta’ stop you from doin’ the thing you love ta’ do. But aye look, we only got 10 minutes until the show. How bout I do this act wit’ chu like you wanted me to.
Marley
On the real man. I never liked what I was doin’. I always hated it. I was just doin’ this so that my mom can recognize me for us to be together.
Grandpa
Marley, how come you never told me this.
Marley
I-o-know man but I don’t wanna do this last show no more. Let’s both screw up so we can get kicked off.
Grandpa
Yeah, let’s go out there and look our worst. And after this we can move to Africa so I can show you where you and your family are from.
Marley
Alright man. But I’m sorry for all them bad things I said earlier. I love you man.
Grandpa
I love you too man. Lets go do this show.
(They begin the show and did everything possible that the ringmaster would hate. After that they were set free)
End PLAY.
