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(Sample - The Living Room and Death)

ACT II

 

Scene 2

 

 

SETTING: Surreal. And sometimes real is very surreal.

 

 

AT RISE: AZAZEL and Angel of Death are walking together.

 

Angel of Death

The old man vaguely reminded me of someone.

 

Azazel

The one who said he will not die?

 

Angel of Death

Yes.

(Pause. Thinking.)

Ah, that’s it. How could I forget? He looks very much like Rabbi Joshua ben Levi from what they call the third century. 

 

Azazel

Joshua was a fine man.

 

Angel of Death

Do you know what he did when I was sent to him?

(Laughs)

 

Azazel

I don’t.

 

Angel of Death

He said, “I am not going with you.”

(Laughs)

I have never seen such a stubborn man.

 

Azazel

Well, he was scared! What did you do then?

 

Angel of Death

He insisted that he wanted to go by himself. I had to give him my sword to assure him that I would not scare him. Then we walked together towards the other side. When we got there, he jumped to the other side. I think he knew the way. He must have been there before. He jumped there with my sword in his hand!

 

Azazel

Huh!

 

Angel of Death

He wouldn’t give me my sword back. He wanted to end my business on the earth. The Divine Voice emerged and said, “Give the sword back to my Angel as it is necessary to kill the created beings. Death is the way of the world.”

 

Azazel

(Nods)

Death is the way of life.

 

Angel of Death

Joshua ben Levi said he would only give me my sword back if I revealed my name.

(Pause)

I did, and he carved my name on his arm.

 

Azazel

(Surprised)

Joshua ben Levi knows your name?

 

Angel of Death

My name disappeared from his arm as soon as he gave me my sword back. It disappeared from his memory, too.

(Pause)

So, still, no one knows my name, Azazel.

(Pause)

You have a big heart to receive all their wrongdoing. I have told you this before and will tell you again and again. You have a big heart.

 

Azazel

Thank you. Someone has to be the recipient. I am nothing but a messenger, although a fallen one.  

(pause)

Where is Joshua buried?

 

Angle of Death

The site of his grave is not known.

 

Azazel

Even to you?

 

Angel of Death

He might not have one.

(Pause)

I have always wanted to be a different sort of angel. The angel of life or the angel of hope. Have you ever thought that you wanted to be a different angel? Not a fallen angel?

 

Azazel

There is no hope without a touch of death. Stay who you are, angel of death.

 

 (Both angels are silent, thinking.)

 

Angel of Death

I want men to choose life.

 

Azazel

It helps to remember that you, too, are but a messenger, my dear.

 

(They exit.)

 

 

 

(BLACKOUT)

 

 

(End of Scene)

 

 

Act III 

 

Scene One

 

SETTING: The same living room.

 

AT RISE: FIRST CHARACTER, SECOND Character, and UNCLE are on stage.

 

 

SECOND CHARACTER

(Holding a pen and paper, and reading from it.)

Maryann, not Mary. We can’t call her by her nickname in the obituary.

(Fixes the name on the paper.)

Passing? We need a better word here.

 

FIRST CHARACTER

Lose? Losing?

 

SECOND CHARACTER

Losing? Losing to what?

 

FIRST CHARACTER

Losing to…to the Angel of Death.

 

SECOND CHARACTER

Now, that’s too…too poetic for an obituary. It has to be more…formal.

 

UNCLE

That bastard. I would like to kill that freaking angel.

 

FIRST CHARACTER

Angels don’t die.

(Pauses while gazing into the middle distance)

 

Second Character

No, they don’t…The family of Maryann Rose de Beetson Nakato Juliani announces her passing, her losing, her losing to the, to the Angel of Death after a long battle, a long battle…
 

FIRST CHARACTER

With the Angel of Death…

SECOND CHARACTER

After a long battle with the Angel of Death. But we said Angel of Death twice already.

UNCLE

I am not kidding; I will find that freaking angel.

First Character

By the above-mentioned angel.

Second Character

After a long battle with the above-mentioned angel.

Mary will, (correcting) Maryann will be remembered by her…

UNCLE

After a long battle with the above-mentioned angel. If you see the above-mentioned angel, give us a call…

FIRST Character

That would be using the phrase the above-mentioned angel two times in a row.

UNCLE

If you see the freaking angel, give us a call…

Second Character

Mary (correcting)…Maryann will be remembered by her uncles, cousins, grandfather, uncles’ spouses, cousins’ girlfriends, as well as numerous other family members, classmates, friends…

(Pauses and adds in writing while reading.)

…people at the grocery store on the corner of the street…

First Character

And Mother?

Second Character

She never really existed for Maryann.

Uncle

Her mother didn’t even remember her when she was alive.

First Character

Teachers? Neighbors and the school principal? 

Second Character

Do you think the school principal will remember her? I mean there are hundreds of students at the school.

First Character

Yes, but they didn’t die!

Uncle

No need to mention neighbors. I hate those freaking bastards.

First Character

Wait, and grandfather should go before uncle.

Uncle

And take out the freaking neighbors.

Second Character

I thought the tree dispute with the neighbor was solved!

Uncle

Doesn’t matter. Take the neighbors out. I don’t want my name next to theirs.

 (Takes the obituary from the second character.)

The family of Maryann Rose de Beetson Nakato Juliani

announces her losing to the Angel of Death after a long battle with the above-mentioned angel…which I am going to freaking find and kill.

(Gives the paper back to second Character)

FIRST CHARACTER

Angels are immortal.  

 

SECOND CHARACTER

(Angry)

He has problems with the neighbors. He has problems with the angels. He wants to kill an angel!

(To Uncle)

Are you out of your mind?

 

UNCLE

 

(Angry)

I am not out of my mind. The freaking Angel of Death

(Bursts into tears)

took my family members—Mary and Mama. Mama!

 

First CHARACTER

(Sigh)

I wonder if that was the same angel. Do you know the actual name of the angel?

 

Uncle

I don’t.

 

FIRST CHARACTER

(With sorrow)

My grandma also died. She died when I was a little child.

 

SECOND CHARACTER

(Coldly)

Everybody dies.

 

UNCLE

But Papa said he will not die.

 

FIRST CHARACTER

He was joking.

 

UNCLE

No, he was dead serious.

(Pause)

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