The Entertainment Old Fulltext

barfly:

    (BAR-FLY slumps half-
    asleep on table.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Struggles to remember
  
barfly:

    mental checklist.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Drunkenly fumbles in
  
barfly:

    pockets, remembers.
  
barfly:

    Places right hand
    on chin.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Places left hand
  
barfly:

    on leg. Leans
    precariously into
  
barfly:

    table. Closes eyes.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Opens eyes,
  
barfly:

    scans table
    for landmarks.
  
barfly:

    Remembers, spits.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Glances down
  
barfly:

    at newspaper. Tries
    to be interested.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Sighs, shuffles,
  
barfly:

    surrenders.)

evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Where's Junebug?
  
evelyn:

    Where's the
    entertainment?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I said,
  
harry:

    "If she's this late."
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    She always shows up.
  
evelyn:

    I've got nothing
    better to do.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You gonna settle
  
harry:

    up first?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Don't be a fool!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Watch it.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I'll buy you a drink.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    How about a ...
  
harry:

    water, Evelyn,
    and maybe ...
  
harry:

    call it a night?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    What time is it?
  
evelyn:

    I love this song ...
    it's relaxing.
  
evelyn:

    Like the sun ...
    by the pool ...
  
evelyn:

    on a beach full
    of gators ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    God dammit, Evelyn!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Harry, your language.
  
pearl:

    What would Bess think?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Good Christian woman.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    God dammit, who cares
  
harry:

    if I did or didn't go
    to New Orleans!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    She didn't mean
  
pearl:

    anything by it ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Maybe I just sat here
  
harry:

    alone in the dark.
  
harry:

    Would you like that?
    Evelyn?
  
harry:

    That what you
    want to hear?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Watching nature
  
evelyn:

    programs in the dark.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Just me and the deer
  
harry:

    and the gators and
  
harry:

    the god-damned
    dinosaurs!
  
harry:

    It was Harry's ark,
    Evelyn! Two-by-two,
  
harry:

    out of the flood and
    into the poorhouse!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    She's just drunk.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    All on my dime!
  
harry:

    Well there's gonna
    be a reckoning.
  
harry:

    All of you.
  
harry:

    Just stick around
    and you'll see.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    What are you talking
  
rosa:

    about, Harry?
  
rosa:

    What reckoning?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I want to hear
  
evelyn:

    another love song.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Where's Junebug?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I hope she never
  
harry:

    shows up.
  
harry:

    I can't pay her,
    the money's run out!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    What's that?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    It's gone,
  
harry:

    the money's all gone!
  
harry:

    I let you sponges
    soak up so many
  
harry:

    free drinks now
    I can't even stock
  
harry:

    the whiskey without
    striking a deal.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    No more whiskey?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Harry ...
  
pearl:

    what kind of deal?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    It doesn't matter.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    You can't blame us.
  
lawrence:

    Harry, we're just
    a little short
  
lawrence:

    from time to time.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Sure.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Just leave, Pearl.
  
harry:

    Just trust me.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:] (Worried)
    OK.
  
pearl:

    I'm leaving.
  
pearl:

    Are you sure ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I'm sure.
  
harry:

    You don't
    deserve this.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    All I want is
  
evelyn:

    a love song!
  
evelyn:

    And a whiskey.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You'll have plenty
  
harry:

    of time for whiskey.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I just want ...
  
evelyn:

    to be left alone ...
  
evelyn:

    that man is like
    a straitjacket.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I know, Evelyn.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    If only he'd ...
  
evelyn:

    meet some tall,
    young thing
  
evelyn:

    on the road ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I know.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Eleven years ...
  
rosa:

    behind a
    supermarket till ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Keep your chin up,
  
lawrence:

    Rosa. Eventually ...
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Maybe ...
  
rosa:

    "maybe eventually."
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Now, I ...
  
harry:

    you all should
    clear out.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Where would we go?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Just let us wait.
  
rosa:

    Let us wait
    for Junebug.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    We're good for it.
  
lawrence:

    We just want
    to have a few drinks,
  
lawrence:

    see the entertainment,
    then we'll go home.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You don't understand.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Sure.
  
rosa:

    We know
    you're struggling.
  
rosa:

    We're all struggling,
  
rosa:

    Harry. You said you
    have a deal, right?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    God dammit!
  
harry:

    You don't
    understand me!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Harry, your language.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    What's to understand?
  
lawrence:

    We'll settle our
    debt soon.
  
lawrence:

    Rosa's in line for
    this promotion!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    All they want is debt!
  
harry:

    They feed on it!
  
harry:

    They put it in
    the whiskey!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:] (Sobering up)
    What?
  
evelyn:

    What the hell
    are you saying?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    He'll be here soon.
  
harry:

    The boy from
    Hard Times.
  
harry:

    There'll be
    a reckoning.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Harry, our debt's not
  
lawrence:

    to the distillery ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    It is now.
  
harry:

    I traded it.
  
harry:

    I sold it.
  
harry:

    I'm sorry.
  
harry:

    I'm so sorry ...
  
harry:

sign: {SCENE: Late night. The same tavern.}

sign: {Ensemble, apprehensive}

jukebox: {Act III Sound cues:}

jukebox: {Sound 13: Distant highway.}

jukebox: {Sound 14: Jukebox love song.}

jukebox: {Sound 15: Disconcerting hum.}

evelyn:

    [EVELYN:] (Drunk)
    I love this song.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:] (Sober)
    I've never heard it.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    It's a love song.
  
evelyn:

    It's a valentine.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Sure.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Ever been in love?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Nope.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Me neither.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Well, there's Ted ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Son of a bitch!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Evelyn ...
  
pearl:

    You love Ted, right?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    He's a son of a bitch,
  
evelyn:

    out on the road,
  
evelyn:

    selling hammers and
    hammering shop girls.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    You know he isn't.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Well I wish he would!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    You don't mean that.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Sure.
  
evelyn:

    I don't mean that ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    He's a son of a bitch,
  
evelyn:

    but you have to stick
    by your family.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Sometimes ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    If it kills you.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Do you? Why?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You just have to.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Why?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I love this song.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    What if they're ...
  
pearl:

    better off without us?
  
pearl:

    My folks could get
    better with money.
  
pearl:

    Ted could ...
  
pearl:

    I don't know.
    Meet someone new?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    He wouldn't.
  
evelyn:

    He's a good man.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Would you?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    (Groans.)
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    All I want is to be
  
pearl:

    free of parasites.
  
pearl:

    Keep my own money,
    pay my own debts.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Don't be a fool.
  
evelyn:

    Buy me a drink.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    What do you want?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I want ... to ...
  
evelyn:

    run a hardware store
    with my dear husband.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Evelyn ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I want a whiskey.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    That's all you want?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    And a love song.

production:

    {Writer's notes:}
  
production:

    {Many in the audience
    consider leaving.}
  
production:

    {If anyone leaves,
    let them leave.}
  
production:

    {The theatre
    is not a prison.}
  
production:

    {If anyone coughs,
    cough also.}
  
production:

    {The theatre is not
    a sickbed.}
  
production:

    {We minister to
    the audience.}
  
production:

    {We revere the pains
    of the audience.}
  
production:

    {- Lem Doolittle}

audience:

    {"ENTERTAINMENT"
    BORES AT TIMES}
  
audience:

    {The conclusion of
    "The Entertainment"}
  
audience:

    {is obscure modernism
    posing as tragedy.}
  
audience:

    {We can only presume
    that this is another}
  
audience:

    {of this company's}
  
audience:

    {experimental
    interventions}
  
audience:

    {into the original
    script, as it betrays}
  
audience:

    {the human drama
    so carefully erected}
  
audience:

    {over the prior
    three scenes.}
  
audience:

    {Lula Chamberlain's
    set is unpretentious}
  
audience:

    {and realistic,
    with a handful}
  
audience:

    {of confident
    lighting cues.}
  
audience:

    {The dialog has an
    easy facility for}
  
audience:

    {bar-room banter,}
  
audience:

    {but a disconcerting
    habit of settling}
  
audience:

    {into familiar grooves.}
  
audience:

    {An uneven but
    decent production.}
  
audience:

    {Nathan Masters,
    Lexington Herald}

rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    She could have said.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Sure.
  
lawrence:

    Pearl, you could have
    said something!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I shouldn't have to
  
pearl:

    say anything, dad.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Letting us just sit
  
rosa:

    and soak up a debt.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    We're celebrating.
  
lawrence:

    Pearl, it's supposed
    to be a celebration!
  
lawrence:

    Don't you know
    the news?!
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Larry, drop it ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    So celebrate!
  
pearl:

    I'm not stopping you.
  
pearl:

    But I'm not
    paying for it.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Your mother's going
  
lawrence:

    to be a manager!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    So put a manager's
  
pearl:

    salary on that tab!
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    It's not ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Sure, they said she's
  
lawrence:

    "management material!"
  
lawrence:

    What kind of material
    are you, Pearl?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Maybe.
  
rosa:

    He said he ...
    he said maybe.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I'm made of sweat
  
pearl:

    and blood and beer.
  
pearl:

    Just like you
    raised me.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    That's a damn strange
  
lawrence:

    thing to say!
  
lawrence:

    Sure, my hands are
    cut up, but ...
  
lawrence:

    you're a loan clerk
  
lawrence:

    and your mother
    is a manager
  
lawrence:

    at a supermarket!
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Damn it, Lawrence.
  
rosa:

    It's not settled.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Not settled?
  
lawrence:

    O'Neill just handed
    you a promotion,
  
lawrence:

    why can't
    you celebrate?
  
lawrence:

    Rosa, what did
    he say to you?
  
lawrence:

    Remember what he
    said to you?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    He said ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Didn't he?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    He said ...
  
rosa:

    "maybe eventually."
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:] (Stunned)
    "Maybe eventually."
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    "Maybe eventually
  
rosa:

    management material.
    Keep your chin up."
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    "Maybe eventually."
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Sooner or later ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    "Keep your chin up."
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    How's that, dad?
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Enough.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    You can still settle.
  
pearl:

    It'll just
    take longer.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    I should look again.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Just sit with me,
  
rosa:

    Larry.
  
rosa:

    Let's just wait
    for the music.
  
rosa:

    Get away from
    the awfulness.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Sure.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    We can celebrate.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Sure.
  
lawrence:

    The Slade women
    are moving up.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Eventually ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    If she's this late,
  
harry:

    she's not coming.

barfly:

    ([BAR-FLY] sits alone
  
barfly:

    at a table with two
    glasses, one empty.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Examines empty glass,
  
barfly:

    examines full glass.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Looks at ashtray.
  
barfly:

    Blows gently with
    pursed lips. Observes
  
barfly:

    ash configuration.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Coughs, wipes nose
  
barfly:

    with sleeve.
  
barfly:

    At length,
    inspects sleeve.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Remembers something
  
barfly:

    trivial about the
  
barfly:

    prior evening, looks
    up suddenly.
  
barfly:

    Looks left, right.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Skims newspaper
  
barfly:

    article about
    cross-country travel
  
barfly:

    by hot air balloon.
  
barfly:

    Visualizes hot air
    balloon launch.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Forgets.)

sign:

    {SCENE Late morning.}
  
sign:

    {A roadside tavern
    in central Kentucky.}
  
sign:

    {The tavern is called
    'The Lower Depths.'}
  
sign:

    {Its clientele is
    working-class.}
  
sign:

    {It is open morning
    through late night.}
  
sign:

    {The walls are
    wood paneling.}
  
sign:

    {The floor is
    linoleum tile.}
  
sign:

    {'The Lower Depths'
    is rarely busy.}
  
sign:

    {But it is
    never empty.}
  

harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Too G.D. hot!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    It's cool in here.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Yep.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Like Babylon outside.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    G.D., you're right.
  
harry:

    Well, cool in here.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    It's an oasis.
  
evelyn:

    I wonder how Ted's
    holding up.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    A.C.!
  
harry:

    Down there,
    they all have it.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Sure, you're right.
  
evelyn:

    I've never been
    to Texas.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Oh, sure.
  
harry:

    They all have AC.
    Too cold almost.
  
harry:

    In July, even.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    He's got a hotel.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Yeah, hotel life.
  
harry:

    That's living!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Maybe too much!
  
evelyn:

    I mean what's to
    stop him, really ...
  
evelyn:

    Meet some tall thing
    at the hotel bar ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw.
  
harry:

    Ted's a good man.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Naw, I know.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    He wouldn't ...
  
harry:

    run around.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You're right.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    How about a beer?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    No beer today.
  
harry:

    Hard Times whiskey.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    That all you've got?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    It's a good whiskey.
  
harry:

    Local.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Yeah.
  
evelyn:

    You take deliveries
    from them?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You ever see ...
  
evelyn:

    one of them?
  
evelyn:

    The boys from
    Hard Times?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    What?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I heard they're
  
evelyn:

    ... strange.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    They work hard.
  
harry:

    They make a
    good whiskey.
  
harry:

    Who are we to judge?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Sure. Who are we?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    No one of consequence
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    What's all this ...
  
evelyn:

    bread for?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sandwiches.
  
harry:

    Raines law.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Ha.
  
evelyn:

    The old ones went bad
    while you were
  
evelyn:

    on vacation?
    You have a good time
  
evelyn:

    while the sandwiches
    rotted?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Oh, you know me.
  
harry:

    Couldn't shut it off.
  
harry:

    Seven days on a beach
    and all I could think
  
harry:

    about was work.
  
harry:

    You know,
    the new kitchen.
  
harry:

    Maybe hire a hostess.
    You know?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    A hostess!
  
evelyn:

    At the Lower Depths!
    Ha! Crazy.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw.
  
harry:

    It's not so crazy ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I was in a bar ...
  
harry:

    down there in ...
    uh, New Orleans.
  
harry:

    They had a hostess.
    Some dive!
  
harry:

    She seats you,
    and uh ... I dunno.
  
harry:

    Points out
    the specials.
  
harry:

    Could have specials
    every night in here.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Drink specials!
  
evelyn:

    You make cocktails?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw!
  
harry:

    Food specials!
    Monday night, chicken
  
harry:

    ... I dunno,
    grilled chicken?
  
harry:

    Caesar salad?
  
harry:

    Class it up.
    You know?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Bess woulda liked it.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Here's to Bess.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Yeah, yeah.
  
harry:

    Let me grab a ...
    Here's to Bess.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Good Christian woman.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Good Christian woman.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    How about that sot in
  
evelyn:

    the corner?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Not bothering nobody.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Been here long?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    As soon as I opened.
  
harry:

    Got started a bit
    earlier, I suspect.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    On a bender, huh?
  
evelyn:

    Sleeping in a ditch
    or something.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You don't think ...
  
evelyn:

    maybe Ted ... ?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw.
  
harry:

    Ted's a good man.
    Honest. Well-liked.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    He's liked, but ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    He's well-liked.
  
harry:

    Sales is a good fit.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Selling hammers.
  
evelyn:

    Can you believe it.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Somebody has to.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:] (Sardonic)
    The hammers ...
  
evelyn:

    they don't sell
    themselves.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:] (Sardonic)
    Hear, hear.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    It's just hard ...
  
evelyn:

    Ted on the road.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    It's tough all over.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    What to do all day?
  
evelyn:

    Come here, I guess!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure!
  
harry:

    That's what I do!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Cheap drinks ...
  
evelyn:

    conversation.
  
evelyn:

    And the entertainment!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    What's tonight?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Oh, tonight it's ...
  
harry:

    Oh, Junebug.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I'll stay for that.
  
evelyn:

    I need some music.
    Get my mind off Ted.
  
evelyn:

    Something romantic,
    you know?
  
evelyn:

    A love song from when
    the world was young.
  
evelyn:

    What time?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Around eight, maybe.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Well, set em up slow.
  
evelyn:

    Or I'll sleep right
    through it!

ceiling: {Lighting: four 400- watt 6" fresnels.}

ceiling: {Lights mounted on battens.}

ceiling: {Lights angled for general illumination.}

ceiling: {Lights are soft, low intensity.}

ceiling: {Two downstage lights greater intensity.}

ceiling: {Half-ellipse glow on wall behind bar.}

production:

    {Director's notes:}
  
production:

    {Lem Doolittle's
    original script for}
  
production:

    {"A Reckoning" has
    almost no explicit}
  
production:

    {stage directions.}
  
production:

    {From the author's
    essays and letters,}
  
production:

    {we know Doolittle
    thought of the writer}
  
production:

    {as an equal partner
    with the actors.}
  
production:

    {The actors should
    have equal authority}
  
production:

    {to write-by-acting
    into what Doolittle}
  
production:

    {called the
    "living script."}
  
production:

    {Given the lack of
    stage directions,}
  
production:

    {and our own interest
    as a company in}
  
production:

    {foregrounding the
    physicality of theatre}
  
production:

    {we made the bold
    decision to borrow}
  
production:

    {the stage directions}
  
production:

    {from his
    rarely-performed}
  
production:

    {pantomime "A Bar-fly"}
  
production:

    {and fold them into
    the action of}
  
production:

    {"A Reckoning."}
  
production:

    {We've always thought
    of these two pieces}
  
production:

    {as related, so it's
    been a very natural}
  
production:

    {gesture to perform
    them simultaneously}
  
production:

    {and on the same stage.}
  
production:

    {- James B. Carrington}

audience:

    {STUDENT PRODUCTION
    IS AUDACIOUS}
  
audience:

    {"We have the right to
    lie," said dramatist}
  
audience:

    {Antonin Artaud,}
  
audience:

    {"but not about the
    heart of the matter."}
  
audience:

    {Obscure playwright
    Lem Doolittle seems}
  
audience:

    {to have made
    a project of this}
  
audience:

    {distinction in his
    play "A Reckoning."}
  
audience:

    {Originally written
    shortly before his}
  
audience:

    {mysterious
    disappearance}
  
audience:

    {several decades ago,
    and published}
  
audience:

    {"posthumously,"}
  
audience:

    {the play is a favorite
    among companies}
  
audience:

    {wishing to show their
    knowledge of local}
  
audience:

    {cultural history.}
  
audience:

    {How unexpected, then,
    to encounter a}
  
audience:

    {production that}
  
audience:

    {treats the script
    so irreverently!}
  
audience:

    {This student company
    has gone so far}
  
audience:

    {as to change the
    title of the play,}
  
audience:

    {and even add a
    new character:}
  
audience:

    {a silent, uncredited
    actor who pantomimes}
  
audience:

    {drunkenness with all
    the grace of a dog}
  
audience:

    {trying to escape from
    under a duvet.}
  
audience:

    {Still, this staging
    of "The Entertainment"}
  
audience:

    {stays true to the
    heart of Doolittle's}
  
audience:

    {work. Perhaps that's}
  
audience:

    {all these students
    owe him.}
  
audience:

    {Lily Thurston,
    Adair County News}

jukebox: {Act I Sound cues:}

jukebox: {Sound 1: Distant highway.}

jukebox: {Sound 2: Drone #1}

jukebox: {Sound 3: Glasses clinking}

jukebox: {Sound 4: Car passing by.}

barfly:

    ([BAR-FLY] slumps
    alone at table.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Remembers.
  
barfly:

    Scowls at memory
    of unkind word.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Remembers.
  
barfly:

    Considers retorts to
    perceived slights.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Remembers arguments,
  
barfly:

    forgets specifics.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY]
    (Scans forecast.
  
barfly:

    Tries to remember
    day of week.
  
barfly:

    Considers past or
    future thunderstorm.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Scratches absently
  
barfly:

    at table.
  
barfly:

    Silently repeats
    prayer to stupor.)

sign: {SCENE: Evening. The same tavern.}

sign: {New patrons: ROSA and LAWRENCE,}

sign: {seated at a table,}

sign: {old, tired.}

jukebox: {Act III Sound cues:}

jukebox: {Sound 11: Distant highway.}

jukebox: {Sound 12: Drone #3}

production:

    {Dramaturg's notes:}
  
production:

    {To set the play in
    present day, 1973,}
  
production:

    {we needed to adjust
    the price of gas}
  
production:

    {as discussed by}
  
production:

    {Pearl, Evelyn,
    and Harry.}
  
production:

    {We also made some
    adjustments to the}
  
production:

    {description of
    Pearl's work.}
  
production:

    {We left in a line
    about Raines Law,}
  
production:

    {which would have
    been archaic}
  
production:

    {in Doolittle's
    time anyway.}
  
production:

    {I guess the biggest
    change we made,}
  
production:

    {besides mashing}
  
production:

    {the two Doolittle
    plays into one,}
  
production:

    {was to the title.}
  
production:

    {I thought we should
    rename it}
  
production:

    {"A Reckoning and
    a Bar-fly"}
  
production:

    {to mix the two titles
    and really be clear}
  
production:

    {about where it
    came from.}
  
production:

    {But Carrington liked
    the bleak irony of}
  
production:

    {"The Entertainment."}
  
production:

    {- Joseph Wheattree}

audience:

    {STIFFLY WRITTEN,
    BUT WELL ACTED}
  
audience:

    {There aren't many}
  
audience:

    {characters in
    "The Entertainment,"}
  
audience:

    {now playing at}
  
audience:

    {Buffalo Street
    Student Theatre,}
  
audience:

    {but director
    James B. Carrington}
  
audience:

    {has been able to give
    them all enough}
  
audience:

    {dimension to make
    them interesting.}
  
audience:

    {Edgar Foy's
    performance as}
  
audience:

    {dejected bartender
    Harry is convincing,}
  
audience:

    {but this is not a
    role into which an}
  
audience:

    {actor can project
    much power.}
  
audience:

    {The audience pities}
  
audience:

    {him, without ever
    really knowing why.}
  
audience:

    {Indeed, despite the}
  
audience:

    {cast's well-rounded
    portrayals,}
  
audience:

    {sparks only
    fly once or twice.}
  
audience:

    {Zoe Hook,
    Louisville Times}

rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    "Management material"
  
rosa:

    that's what he said.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Is that so?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Eleven years behind
  
rosa:

    a supermarket till,
  
rosa:

    you're damn right.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Damn right.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    I have commitment
  
rosa:

    and reliability.
  
rosa:

    That's what he said.
    "Management material."
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    I bet they raise you
  
lawrence:

    to three dollars.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    I bet four!
  
rosa:

    The responsibility!
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    (Whistles)
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    You see Pearl today?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    She was working all
  
rosa:

    day, I think.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Usually doesn't
  
lawrence:

    work mornings.
  
lawrence:

    The Slade women are
    all getting promoted!
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    I think they just put
  
rosa:

    her on another shift.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    What's the morning
  
lawrence:

    shift like
    at a pawn shop
  
lawrence:

    do you think?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:] (Sardonic)
    Black coffee
  
rosa:

    and desperation.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Let's celebrate.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Harry!
  
lawrence:

    Another round!
  
lawrence:

    We're celebrating
    two promotions
  
lawrence:

    in the family!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Talk to Pearl today?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    She worked all day.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    She was here earlier
  
harry:

    looking for you two.
    She'll be back;
  
harry:

    why don't you just
    pace yourselves
  
harry:

    'til you talk to her.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    We're celebrating!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Pace yourselves
  
harry:

    or pay your bill.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Why are you so stuck
  
rosa:

    on a bill
    all of a sudden?
  
rosa:

    Are you sunstruck?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Sure, you know it's
  
evelyn:

    twice as bright when
  
evelyn:

    you got the ocean
    and the pool both
  
evelyn:

    reflecting at you!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Evelyn ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    You catch sight
  
lawrence:

    of any alligators?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure, it was gators
  
harry:

    everywhere. A swamp.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:] (Quietly)
    ... big, sandy swamp,
  
evelyn:

    with a pool
    and a hostess ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    What's that?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Set 'em up, Harry.
  
evelyn:

    Junebug'll be here
    any minute
  
evelyn:

    and we want to
    be receptive.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Alright,
  
harry:

    but I keep track.
  
harry:

    There'll be
    a reckoning ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:] (Sardonic)
    You folks hear?
  
evelyn:

    About the reckoning?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    First I've heard.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    What's up, Harry?
  
lawrence:

    Short on your bills?
  
lawrence:

    Let the books
    get away from you?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    That's an ignorant
  
harry:

    thing to say!
  
harry:

    Been doing my books
    for ten years,
  
harry:

    keeping this place
    alive all on my own
  
harry:

    ever since Bess!
  
harry:

    I oughta just let you
    run that tab up
  
harry:

    until you
  
harry:

    drink yourselves
    underground ...
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Now, he didn't mean
  
rosa:

    nothing by it, Harry.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Yeah, Harry,
  
lawrence:

    you know I'm
    only joking.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure, I know.
  
harry:

    I know you're joking.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Alright,
  
evelyn:

    let's drink ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    I better slow down.
  
lawrence:

    Hard Times whiskey
    comes on strong ...
  
lawrence:

    Don't want to end
    up like that
  
lawrence:

    boiled owl in
    the corner.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    I can't tell anymore.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    I hear they have some
  
lawrence:

    secret ingredients.
  
lawrence:

    Or a secret process,
    or something.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Something in the wood
  
rosa:

    they age it in.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Yeah, something
  
lawrence:

    strange in that wood.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Drink up, Larry.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Don't call me Larry.
  
lawrence:

    It sounds like
    an old man.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Alright, silver fox.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Now, you ...
  
lawrence:

    I'll let it slide.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Another?
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Well, I don't get
  
rosa:

    paid until Friday,
  
rosa:

    and I haven't
    seen Pearl all day.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    She can pick it up
  
lawrence:

    when she comes back.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Don't count on it ...
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    What the hell kind of
  
rosa:

    thing to say is that?
    Our own daughter.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Generosities have ...
  
harry:

    ... limits ...
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    I don't know what she
  
lawrence:

    said, but the Slades
    are good for it.
  
lawrence:

    This family takes
    care of our own!
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Sure, we'll get it
  
rosa:

    straightened out when
    she comes back.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    Better get here soon,
  
lawrence:

    or she'll miss
    the entertainment!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Shouldn't Junebug
  
evelyn:

    be here now, Harry?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Yep.
  
harry:

    That's what you get
    working with artists.
  
harry:

    Good entertainment,
    but it's always late.
  
harry:

    This is pretty
    late, though.
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    We'll stick around.
  
lawrence:

    [LAWRENCE:]
    We're celebrating!
  
rosa:

    [ROSA:]
    Sure ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Yeah, not expecting
  
evelyn:

    a late-night,
    sentimental call
  
evelyn:

    ... and if he does,
    let it ring!
  
evelyn:

    The philanderer ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Last drink, Evelyn?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    One more, Harry.
  
evelyn:

    I just want to
    hear some music.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Well, she'd better
  
harry:

    show up soon ...

barfly:

    (BAR-FLY sits alone
    at a table with two
  
barfly:

    glasses, one empty.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Straightens shirt.
  
barfly:

    Checks pocket
    for currency.
  
barfly:

    Empty-handed.
  
barfly:

    Begins to calculate.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Makes mental note
  
barfly:

    of room's exits.
  
barfly:

    Considers possibility
    of escape.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Inspects exit.
  
barfly:

    Estimates paces
    to exit.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Considers social
  
barfly:

    effects of
    sudden exit.
  
barfly:

    Weighs options.
  
barfly:

    Fumbles in pocket.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Pretends to read.
  
barfly:

    Encounters troubling
    headline. Bites lip.
  
barfly:

    Pretends to inspect
    newspaper photograph.
  
barfly:

    Recognizes neighbor,
    pictured left.
  
barfly:

    Averts eyes.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Makes mental
  
barfly:

    checklist for
    planned exit.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Adjusts position,
  
barfly:

    prepares to bolt.)
  
barfly:

    [BAR-FLY:]
    (Remembers half-full
  
barfly:

    drink. Pauses, sighs,
  
barfly:

    relaxes shoulders.)

sign: {SCENE: Afternoon. The same tavern.}

sign: {The same people.}

sign: {Fresh drinks.}

evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Put it back on that
  
evelyn:

    weird dinosaur show,
    will you?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw, those history
  
harry:

    programs don't make
    any sense.
  
harry:

    I prefer the
    nature programs.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    They think they can
  
evelyn:

    just say anything
    on TV.
  
evelyn:

    I don't believe
    there to be
  
evelyn:

    a damn word in
    the bible
  
evelyn:

    about dinosaurs
    on the ark.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Been a long time
  
harry:

    since Sunday school
    for me ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Do you go to
  
evelyn:

    church though?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw, not since Bess.
  
harry:

    It was her
    church, really.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Good Christian woman.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Good Christian woman.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Well I'm curious to
  
evelyn:

    see where they're
    going with it.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    They've got you now!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I just think they're
  
evelyn:

    gonna run out of rope
    before long.
  
evelyn:

    Dinosaurs on the ark!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I prefer the
  
harry:

    nature programs.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Yeah.
  
evelyn:

    So your vacation
    was good?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Seven days poolside.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I thought you said
  
evelyn:

    it was a beach.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Oh, uh ... sure.
  
harry:

    No, it was a pool.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Was it a pool?
  
evelyn:

    Or a beach?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Uh. Maybe
  
harry:

    I don't remember.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Weird.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You think I'm
  
harry:

    making this up?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Oh, no, I ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Hi Harry.
  
pearl:

    Are the old
    folks here?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Just me and Evelyn,
  
harry:

    all morning.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Hi Evelyn.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    And that sot
  
harry:

    in the corner.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You're early, Pearl.
  
evelyn:

    Your parents usually
    don't roll in until
  
evelyn:

    the evening.
    Five or six.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Everything alright?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Oh, sure. Thanks.
  
pearl:

    We just have some
    stuff to talk about.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Well, post up here
  
evelyn:

    and let's watch this
    weird dinosaur show.
  
evelyn:

    I'll stand
    you a drink.
  
evelyn:

    All Harry's pouring
  
evelyn:

    today is
    Hard Times whiskey.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    That all you got?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    They make a
  
harry:

    good whiskey.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Sure. But ...
  
pearl:

    you know,
    the rumors ...
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Rumors are rumors.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Put it on my
  
evelyn:

    tab, Harry.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You driving, Pearl?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Oh God, no —
  
pearl:

    you know they
    want almost
  
pearl:

    forty cents a gallon?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    (Whistles)
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I had the
  
pearl:

    early shift,
  
pearl:

    so I just
    walked over.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    In this heat!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You still working
  
harry:

    over there at, uh ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    "Ace Jewelry & Loan."
  
pearl:

    Joe Hardin, proudly
    trading shortcuts for
  
pearl:

    dignity six days
    a week since 1962.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    At least they have
  
evelyn:

    the piety to
    shut down on Sunday.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    With Joe it's more
  
pearl:

    likely a hangover.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:] (Sardonic)
    Can't it be both?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Well, I know you see
  
evelyn:

    more trade than I do.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Must be slow over at
  
pearl:

    the hardware store.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Slow isn't the word.
  
evelyn:

    And now Ted is out
  
evelyn:

    shilling for
    Quality Hammers
  
evelyn:

    to make up income.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:] (Mocking)
    "Have you considered
  
evelyn:

    Quality Hammers on
    your shelf?
  
evelyn:

    We made the switch
  
evelyn:

    recently and business
    has tripled!
  
evelyn:

    Well of course,
    I'd love to have
  
evelyn:

    dinner with your
    lovely daughters —"
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Evelyn ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Hey, a man gets
  
evelyn:

    lonely out
    on the road!
  
evelyn:

    I know how it is!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Naw ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Harry, you've been
  
pearl:

    traveling, right?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure, yeah,
  
harry:

    down in New Orleans.
    Just taking a break.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    A vacation.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Looking around
  
harry:

    for ... ideas.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Tell her about the
  
evelyn:

    pool or the beach!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Evelyn ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Sounds nice!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    And the hostess!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I may just
  
harry:

    cut you off!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    (Looks dejected.)
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    (Clears his throat.)
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    ... so, the pool?
  
pearl:

    Or the beach?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Yeah, Harry,
  
evelyn:

    which was it?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Well, it was a week
  
harry:

    of relaxation
    and now I'm back.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    You still look
  
pearl:

    ... stressed,
  
pearl:

    if you don't
    mind me saying ...
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Ha, he just looks
  
evelyn:

    like that.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    ... sure, that's ...
  
harry:

    just how I look.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I've never known you
  
pearl:

    to leave town, Harry.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I've never known you
  
evelyn:

    to leave this bar!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Oh ... no, I get out.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    You still drive that
  
pearl:

    old truck?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I dunno.
  
harry:

    I think they towed
    it eventually.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    The hell you say!
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    That must have been
  
evelyn:

    years ago, Harry!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    How do you get
  
pearl:

    around now?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I, uh ...
  
harry:

    I take the bus.
    Or I walk.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You walk to
  
evelyn:

    New Orleans?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Watch it, Evelyn.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    (Looks dejected).
  
evelyn:

    I didn't mean nothing
    by it, Harry.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Harry ... did you
  
pearl:

    really go to
    New Orleans?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Now, just where do
  
harry:

    you two get off?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Sorry, forget it.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Sure, she didn't
  
evelyn:

    mean nothing by it.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    We'll lay off you and
  
evelyn:

    get back to drinking.
  
evelyn:

    Got to be ready for
    the entertainment!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Oh, who's on tonight?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Tonight it's Junebug.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Works for me.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Round eight, I think.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I'll stick around.
  
pearl:

    I could use some
    sad music.
  
pearl:

    I came here to
    break some hearts.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    What's that?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    To dash dreams.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    What are you
  
harry:

    talking about?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Got to talk to
  
pearl:

    my parents about
    their bar tab.
  
pearl:

    I won't be paying
    for them any more.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    ... hang on, now ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    No, it's time to
  
pearl:

    cut the old folks
    loose and head west.
  
pearl:

    I can't keep
    enabling them.
  
pearl:

    You know?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    A debt's a debt, now.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Harry, I'm sorry,
  
pearl:

    I know you've got
    a vested interest
  
pearl:

    and I don't want to
    make a victim of you.
  
pearl:

    They'll come up
    with it somehow.
  
pearl:

    I'm sure.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    No, it's not that ...
  
harry:

    the thing about debts
    is you never know
  
harry:

    when they'll ...
  
harry:

    be reckoned
    and called in.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    What's that mean?
  
harry:

    [HARRY:] (Awkward)
    I'm not saying
  
harry:

    anything, but ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I know debt, Harry.
  
pearl:

    I see it all day.
  
pearl:

    It's all around me,
  
pearl:

    like a thick,
    gray fog.
  
pearl:

    It's in the air
    I breathe.
  
pearl:

    At the pawn shop,
  
pearl:

    they have a new
    financial technology.
  
pearl:

    I'm the ambassador —
    did you know that?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    A new technology.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    It's a new kind
  
pearl:

    of debt, Evelyn.
  
pearl:

    And it's a mess.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    What do you mean,
  
harry:

    "a new kind of debt?"
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    You know what we do
  
pearl:

    at the pawn shop?
  
pearl:

    "Secured loans."
  
pearl:

    We don't buy
    used goods, we take
  
pearl:

    personal property
  
pearl:

    as collateral
    on a loan.
  
pearl:

    Then if you don't pay
    your loan,
  
pearl:

    we sell your stuff.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Sure, I get that.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    It works for people
  
pearl:

    who couldn't get
    loans otherwise.
  
pearl:

    I guess.
  
pearl:

    Now Hardin has this
    new idea.
  
pearl:

    He calls it a
    "payday advance."
  
pearl:

    But it's just a
    short-term, unsecured
  
pearl:

    loan with a wicked
    interest rate.
  
pearl:

    There's no filtering.
  
pearl:

    Most who borrow
    can't keep up.
  
pearl:

    Then he has this
    big pile of debts
  
pearl:

    with big returns
    on paper,
  
pearl:

    and he can sell those
    debts to a bank.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Huh. Who's borrowing
  
harry:

    like that?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Who do you think?
  
pearl:

    When Joe put me in
    charge of it?
  
pearl:

    The only dark-skinned
    clerk in the
  
pearl:

    whole shop?
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You think so?
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I know it.
  
pearl:

    "Don't you see,
    I look just like you,
  
pearl:

    you can trust me."
  
pearl:

    but Joe knows they
    won't pay on time.
  
pearl:

    There's no money
    in lending, but
  
pearl:

    there's money
    in usury.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    That's in the bible!
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I won't be his shill.
  
pearl:

    I just have to save
    a bit more and then
  
pearl:

    I go to California.
    I'll be a real clerk.
  
pearl:

    At a credit union
    or something.
  
pearl:

    Something ethical.
  
pearl:

    I just have to get
    rid of these old
  
pearl:

    parasites first ...
  
pearl:

    "neither a borrower
    nor a lender be."
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    Well my tab is in
  
evelyn:

    good shape, I think.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    You're behind, too.
  
harry:

    Not as bad as
    the Slades, but ...
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Well, Harry, the only
  
pearl:

    thing I owe you is
    a handshake and this
  
pearl:

    whiskey you're about
    to pour me.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Let's say this one's
  
harry:

    on me, Pearl.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    Naw, I'm good for it.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    ... for today, let's
  
harry:

    just say it's on me.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    You're awfully strict
  
evelyn:

    about cash for a guy
  
evelyn:

    who just got back
    from a vacation!
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    Drink up, Evelyn.
  
harry:

    Maybe you'd better
    find some other chair
  
harry:

    to sink into, so your
    debts don't get
  
harry:

    reckoned out from
    under you.
  
pearl:

    [PEARL:]
    I'm out for a bit.
  
pearl:

    I'll be back later
    to disappoint
  
pearl:

    a couple of
    old deadbeats.
  
evelyn:

    [EVELYN:]
    I'll stay for
  
evelyn:

    the entertainment.
  
harry:

    [HARRY:]
    I won't throw you out.
  
harry:

    But just remember
    what I said.

jukebox: {Act II Sound cues:}

jukebox: {Sound 5: Distant highway.}

jukebox: {Sound 6: Nature program.}

jukebox: {Sound 7: Drone #2.}

jukebox: {Sound 8: Door opening.}

jukebox: {Sound 9: Door closing.}

jukebox: {Sound 10: Car passing by.}

production:

    {Set designer's notes:}
  
production:

    {Doolittle must have
    been an odd bird.}
  
production:

    {Many playwrights —}
  
production:

    {a Tennessee Williams
    or a Eugene O'Neill}
  
production:

    {— spend as much
    energy on precise}
  
production:

    {descriptions of the}
  
production:

    {play's set as they do
    on any of the dialog.}
  
production:

    {So my job is finding
    ways to be creative}
  
production:

    {within constraint.}
  
production:

    {But Doolittle only
    described settings}
  
production:

    {poetically.}
  
production:

    {To be honest, I think
    he'd have preferred}
  
production:

    {there wasn't a
    set at all!}
  
production:

    {Well, here I am,
    building one anyway.}
  
production:

    {Serves him right
    for disappearing}
  
production:

    {all those years ago,
    the enigmatic wino.}
  
production:

    {I don't mind a drunk,
    but I hate riddles.}
  
production:

    {- Lula Chamberlain}

audience:

    {WAKEFIELD STUNS
    IN "ENTERTAINMENT"}
  
audience:

    {The premiere at}
  
audience:

    {Buffalo Street
    Student Theatre}
  
audience:

    {was a curiosity.}
  
audience:

    {Two obscure plays
    by a local author}
  
audience:

    {were simultaneously
    presented, for the}
  
audience:

    {pleasure of a handful
    of baffled patrons.}
  
audience:

    {The result:}
  
audience:

    {an absorbing,
    if unfocused, drama}
  
audience:

    {about the ills of
    debt and dishonesty.}
  
audience:

    {Certainly, the
    highlight is}
  
audience:

    {Sarah Wakefield's
    performance.}
  
audience:

    {As Pearl Slade,}
  
audience:

    {the young woman who
    tries to rid herself}
  
audience:

    {of her parents' debts,}
  
audience:

    {she is a revelation.}
  
audience:

    {Sadly, her verve and
    imagination do little}
  
audience:

    {to salvage the tepid}
  
audience:

    {pantomime of
    the "bar-fly,"}
  
audience:

    {a character who
    perhaps could have}
  
audience:

    {done with a few
    lines after all.}
  
audience:

    {Levi Tolbert,
    Kentucky Post}