31 Plays in 31 Days - Day 1 - Romeo and Juliet 2

                                   ROMEO AND JULIET 2

                                   SCENE 1 - LIMBO

                    PUCK stands center stage facing the audience. The
                    stage is bare.

          PUCK (TO AUDIENCE)
               Everyone knows the story of Romeo and Juliet. The star
               crossed couple who's feuding families forced them to
               kill themselves so they can truly be happy together.
               But here's what happened to them, after their untimely
               death. I'm Puck. The Merry Wanderer of the Night. Night
               of the Living Dead that is. But Romeo and Juliet are
               not zombies. At the moment, they are in limbo, and I'm
               now responsible for making sure they move on to the
               next phase of their after life.

                    ROMEO and JULIET enter.

          ROMEO
               Where are we?

          JULIET
               Are we in heaven?

          PUCK
               Oh you are so cute. Both of you.

          JULIET
               What is this place?

          PUCK
               This is a special place for special people, like you
               two. Your act of death has caused both of your families
               to spread a message of peace, instead of hate.

          JULIET
               Our families?

          ROMEO
               That is amazing.

          PUCK
               As a reward, you both get to live another life,
               together, and hopefully for longer.

          ROMEO
               This is all so fascinating.

          PUCK
               you can go anywhere, be anyone.

          JULIET
               Oh Romeo.

          ROMEO
               My Juliet.

          PUCK
               Oh yes. Just look through this book and let me know
               what tickles your fancy. I'll be right over there. It
               looks like the entire population of Denmark has just
               arrived.

                    PUCK exits as ROMEO and JULIET embrace each other.

                                   SCENE 2 - ARCHIE'S ROOM

                    ARCHIE is fixing up his very fashionable room.
                    PUCK enters from the inside of ARCHIE's closet
                    space. ARCHIE is the reincarnation of ROMEO.

       

          PUCK
               Well look at the life you live now.

          ARCHIE (SLOWLY RECOGNIZING)
               It's you.

          PUCK
               Puck, the merry wanderer of the night.

          ARCHIE
               Hi. So what's the deal here?

          PUCK
               It's 1999. You are Archie. A college graduate. You have
               your degree in design.

          ARCHIE
               Such a new world, but I don't feel lost in what you're
               saying. I can see my childhood in this world. See what
               I have learned. I see my mother in this world. She is
               gone. I see my father. He is distant.

          PUCK
               Yes, you will slowly come to understand this world the
               more you walk around it. And you maintain your memories
               of your past life as Romeo too.

          ARCHIE
               Why is that? Is it part of the reward.

          PUCK
               No. I forgot to erase your memories. Juliet's too.

          ARCHIE
               You forgot?

          PUCK
               It happens more often than you think. I think I did the
               same thing to Shirley Maclaine. Do you know who Shirley
               Maclaine is?

          ARCHIE
               I didn't until you mentioned her name. Now I know her
               from several movies.

          PUCK
               It's going to happen a lot. You'll get used to it. You
               won't even notice it after awhile. It's fun isn't it?
               This new life?

          ARCHIE
               Where's Juliet.

          PUCK
               She should be next door. She's been your neighbor for
               years.

          ARCHIE
               She has. I remember. She's different too.

          PUCK
               Oh, you have no idea Romeo oh Romeo.

                                   SCENE 3 - THE FRONT YARD

                    Two houses, alike in dignity, are side by side.
                    ARCHIE exits the house on stage right and looks
                    around. BRUCE enters very slowly.

          BRUCE
               Hello Romeo.

          ARCHIE
               Juliet?

          BRUCE
               No. Now it's Bruce.

          ARCHIE
               You're a man.

          BRUCE
               Yes.

          PUCK
               Bruce is a 24 year old college drop out who spends most
               of his time nowadays playing video games.

          ARCHIE
               Is this one of your jokes? She chose to be a man?

          PUCK
               Actually she didn't. She wanted to see the world. She
               wanted to be strong. She wanted to be with you.

          BRUCE
               The body doesn't matter at all Archie. We are together
               Archie, don't you see that?

          ARCHIE
               We are, we really are. And I'm not letting go of you.

          BRUCE
               Our kind of love, it's not accepted still is it?

          PUCK
               Not at all. And not in this time.

          BRUCE
               Are we always going to have to fight?

          ARCHIE
               I'll fight a dozen lifetimes just to be with you.

          PUCK
               You guys are precious. I have to get going now. I still
               have the deaths of Denmark to deal with. Maybe I'll
               turn them into the cast of a TV sitcom.

                    WILLARD, ARCHIE's father, peaks out from the
                    window in his home on stage right. He looks at
                    ARCHIE and BRUCE. ARCHIE embraces BRUCE. The two
                    hold hands and walk offstage.

                                   SCENE 4 - ARCHIE'S DINING TABLE

                    A very dimly lit table setting. WILLARD and ARCHIE
                    sit at opposite sides of the table.

          WILLARD
               Son.

          ARCHIE
               Yeah dad?

          WILLARD
               I want to talk to you.

          ARCHIE
               Okay.

          WILLARD
               I saw you kissing that boy.

          ARCHIE
               Bruce?

          WILLARD
               Son I didn't know you were gay.

          ARCHIE
               Well now you know. What's the big deal?

          WILLARD
               The big deal is that we go to church every sunday, and
               now we can't do that with our heads held high.

          ARCHIE
               I'm sorry you feel you can't go to church because of
               the man I love.

          WILLARD
               Oh now it's love. You don't even know him.

          ARCHIE
               Oh I know him. I know every part of him. His wants. His
               dreams. His desires.

          WILLARD
               You sicken me.

          ARCHIE
               You sicken me. I'm in love and all you care about is
               yourself. You're not going to control me father. Not
               this time.

                    ARCHIE exits.

       

                                   SCENE 5 - BRUCE'S LIVING ROOM

                    A very light room. Two couches face each other as
                    a TV plays. BRUCE is watching TV. MONICA, his
                    mother, is reading a magazine.

          BRUCE
               Mom?

          MONICA
               Yup.

          BRUCE
               I'm in love with Archie next door.

                    MONICA puts her magazine down for a second.

          MONICA
               Excuse me?

          BRUCE
               I'm in love with him. I want to be with him.

          MONICA
               Archie? Next door?

          BRUCE
               Yes.

          MONICA
               Well, if he makes you happy.

                    MONICA goes back to her magazine.

          BRUCE
               You're not going to yell at me?

          MONICA
               Do you want me to yell at you.

          BRUCE
               But being gay isn't socially acceptable in this world.

          MONICA
               In this world? Are you playing those video games again?

          BRUCE
               Yes, and they're very fun, but what does that have to
               with Archie?

          MONICA
               Baby, I love you. Just be you. As long as you're not
               hurting anyone. Now, finish your dinner.

          BRUCE
               There is no dinner.

          MONICA
               What? Oh man. Let me order a pizza.

                    MONICA gets up to get the phone book.

          BRUCE
               Mom?

          MONICA
               Yes?

                    BRUCE gets up and hugs MONICA.

          BRUCE
               Thank you. For listening and accepting me.

          MONICA
               You are strange today. And I think your boyfriend is
               coming by.

          BRUCE
               Archie?

                    A knock on the door. BRUCE gets it. ARCHIE is
                    crying.

          ARCHIE
               Bruce, he was horrible to me, I don't know what to do.

          MONICA
               Archie? Are you okay?

          ARCHIE
               I told my dad about is.

          MONICA
               He didn't take it too well did he?

          ARCHIE
               No.

          MONICA (TO HERSELF)
               That bible thumper.

          ARCHIE
               I don't know what to do.

          MONICA
               Bruce will take you for a drink. I'll deal with him
               okay.

          BRUCE
               Are you sure mom.

          MONICA
               Get out of here okay.

          ARCHIE
               Thank you Monica.

          MONICA
               Honey don't you worry.

                    ARCHIE and BRUCE exit. MONICA starts to tidy up
                    the house. She turns off the TV. She picks goes
                    through the phone book.

          MONICA
               First, I'm going to get me a pizza.

                    She finds the pizza page and starts to on her
                    phone.

          MONICA
               Hello, hi. Can you send over two supreme pizzas.

                    A knock on the door.

          MONICA
               Make that three supreme pizzas. Yes, it's Monica. Hi
               Lana. You know the drill.

                    MONICA answers the door.

          WILLARD
               Did you know my son is gay?

                    WILLARD lets himself in, and paces frantically.

          MONICA (SARCASTIC)
               Please come in.

          WILLARD
               Yours is too.

          MONICA
               I know.

          WILLARD
               They're together.

          MONICA
               Yeah I know. I gave them 10 bucks to go to a bar.

          WILLARD
               What?

          MONICA
               Relax. Knowing Bruce he probably took Archie to a tea
               house or something. He loves his anime.

          WILLARD
               It's wrong, it's against the bible.

          MONICA
               Look, I know the Japanese can be crazy sometimes, but
               there's no need to demonize them.

          WILLARD
               I'm talking about my son. My gay son.

          MONICA
               Willard, I don't like you, but I'm going to level with
               you. Get all that bible stuff out of your head, and
               just answer my question. How do "you" feel about...

          WILLARD
               Homosexuals?

          MONICA
               Your son.

          WILLARD
               My son. I love him.

          MONICA
               So why is who he loves an issue with you?

          WILLARD
               Because homosexuality is wrong.

          MONICA
               Why is it wrong?

          WILLARD
               Because the bible says...

          MONICA
               Wait wait wait wait wait. We're going to keep the bible
               out of this... for now.

          WILLARD
               I'm a man of the church.

          MONICA
               Tell me "you"... "personally" think that homosexuality
               it wrong.

          WILLARD
               I never really thought about it. The church tells me
               and I follow.

          MONICA
               If you're church is telling you to hate your son, then
               don't you think you're in the wrong church?

          WILLARD
               What do you know, you're not a woman of faith.

          MONICA
               How do you know? We've been neighbors for years and
               this is the most you've ever said to me. You don't know
               me. I was raised on good christian values and that does
               not include condemning anyone based on who they want to
               be with. Why don't you come with me to my church?

          WILLARD
               You go to church.

          MONICA
               Yes. Sometimes. When I feel like it. I feel like it.

          WILLARD
               So many new things today.

          MONICA
               It's a new world Willard. Open your mind.

          WILLARD
               Forget this. I have no son. You can have him.
             

                 

                                   SCENE 6 - TEA HOUSE

                    A very classy place. Asian themed. ARCHIE and
                    BRUCE sit at a booth alone.

          ARCHIE
               Suicide? Again?

          BRUCE
               You're right. Besides, I'm pretty sure that a second
               death wouldn't give us another second chance.

                    PUCK appears from under the table.

          PUCK
               That would be illogical.

          ARCHIE
               Puck.

                    PUCK joins the couple on a seat.

          PUCK
               This is your second chance. No third chances. You have
               to get this right if you two want to be together.

          BRUCE
               Then we're going to fight. We should've done this
               before.

          ARCHIE
               It was a different place. A different time.

          BRUCE
               Now we have a real chance. I love you and we will live
               together in this world.

                    MONICA enters with WILLARD. He looks reluctant.

          MONICA (TO WILLARD)
               Told you they'd be here.

                    MONICA and WILLARD approach BRUCE and ARCHIE.

          ARCHIE
               Father, you can't stand in our way. We love each other,
               and we're going to be together.
             

          MONICA
               Cool your jets Archie. Your dad wants to say something
               to you.

          WILLARD
               Look, this is really taking me for a loop, but if you
               really want to be with Bruce, then I'm not going to
               stand in the way of that.

          ARCHIE
               Really?

          WILLARD
               Yes. You're my son, and I love you.

          ARCHIE
               I love you too dad.

                    ARCHIE embraces WILLARD. WILLARD

                    takes his son's hand, and puts it in BRUCE's.

          BRUCE
               Times are changing Archie.

          ARCHIE
               Yes. They finally are.

                    ARCHIE and BRUCE kiss as WILLARD and MONICA look
                    on. PUCK stands in front of the couple as a priest
                    as if the last image the audience sees is a
                    wedding.

                                                              END