Act 1, Scene 1: Night time, apartment of John Bell and Terri Romdi
As lights rise, John and Terri are just
entering, semi-formal dress, obviously returning from party and slightly tipsy.
Business with hanging up overcoat and fur wrap, punching keypad by door
for alarm, locking door with safety bar. John
has gray streak at temples, Terri is younger but professional and well polished.
John: “I’m bushed. Scotch?”
Terri: (unsnapping elaborate necklace) “Haven’t you had enough for one night?”
John: “Maybe so …” (wrapping arms around wife’s waist) “… but not enough of you.”
Burglar: (off stage, seated on outside window frame, addressing audience) “About time they got in. If I’d known they were going to be this late, I’d have gone to Sardi’s (or name of popular local restaurant) for dinner first.” (shrugs) “C’est la guerre.” (turns as if peeking inside)
Terri: “Here, put this away.” (slips out of arms and hands necklace to John who dangles it casually, then, a bit petulantly) “Way you were carrying on with Sue and Veronica, I’m surprised you didn’t invite them home.”
John: (turning back and walking toward picture hiding wall safe, speaks softly but annoyed, brusk voice) “Maybe I should have … maybe you’d have enjoyed that!”
Terri: (back turned to both audience and John, also speaking softly) “Maybe I would have.” (turns toward John, speaks in a more pleasant voice) “How ‘bout some coffee? Sumatran?” (exits through doorway to off-stage kitchen)
John: “Yeah, sure … but decaf, okay?” (opens safe, stands looking at necklace sparkle for a moment, then tosses it inside almost casually. Closes safe, rehangs picture, turns, collapses into armchair, raises voice to carry.) “Look, you know they’re both important. Sue’s got a lot of influence with Michael and Veronica” (slight whining note) “… well, she could make or break us on this deal.”
Terri: (off stage, sounds of coffee
being made) “I just wish it were finished.
If I have to dance with
John: (picks up newspaper, leafing though it, responds casually) “I thought you said he was a good dancer.”
Terri: (still off stage) “He is, sure … but he’s also grabby. He thinks a dance – any dance – is a prelude to seduction. Public seduction.”
John: (almost absently) “Well, we’re almost there.” (long pause, then, in carrying voice) “Maybe when we’ve got things set, I could punch him a good one.”
Terri: (reappearing with two coffee’s on a tray) “Now that would be nice. Just be sure it’s when I can see it.”
John: (lays paper down, takes coffee with one hand, pats Terri’s hand with the other) “I will.” (sighs) “I definitely will.”
Terri: (seated with own cup of coffee smiles happily before sipping, long pause, then) “Come to bed, honey. I’m exhausted and I have to be at the bank in the morning.”
John: “If things work out right …”
Terri: (matter of fact but patient, she’s said this before) “I’m not leaving the bank. I’ll be VP for Business Loans and Accounts when Terrell steps down and that will be within the year.”
John: (sets coffee cup down on table) “Well, think about it.” (he’s said this before as well, exits to off-stage bedroom)
Terri: (still holding coffee cup as if forgotten, walks front stage, left of center, baby spot highs head only, facing slightly left, speaks addressing nobody) “I have, buster, believe me. No way I’m going to give up a perfectly good career.”
Burglar: (offstage, softly as if to self but audible to audience) “So? Go to bed, why don’t you? You’re not the only one with things to take care of. You’ve got your career … I’ve got mine to think about.”
(Terri leaves coffee cup on table, exits following John, fade to black)
(light from offstage right comes up slowly, medium dim, shines through window onto interior set as burglar steps out of shadows. Interior lights rise to medium/dim as burglar enters carefully through window, light though windows slightly stronger to provide shadows)
Burglar: (softly, to himself) “About time!” (reaches back through window to pick up valise and tube with strap, carries both to center of room, sets them down carefully)
(crosses to front door, leans slightly forward to examine keypad, uses small pocket torch to highlight (supplement with baby spot), says nothing)
(crosses to bedroom door, listens as faint sounds of snoring offstage become audible to audience, pauses, nods to self, sounds fade and cease as burglar moves away from door)
(baby spot follows pocket torch as burglar examines coffee table, pauses for a moment on discarded newspaper as burglar picks paper up carefully from floor and lays it on chair (burglar is wearing dark cotton gloves), slowly sweeps rest of room as burglar walks around. Burglar moves casually, not tiptoe nor heavy footed but comfortable and business-like although with care.)
(burglar lifts small (western) statue from bookshelf, examines with pen light, nods, satisfied, crosses and places in valise after wrapping with towel, returns to bookshelf)
(plays light across titles, pulls down
three books in succession, opens each to examine title, examines spines, finally
puts one title back, carries remaining two to valise and stows carefully)
Burglar: (speaking to no-one) “Nice
Poe. And a nice Dumas, too.”
(returns to bookcase, runs light across spines, briefly checks one or two but finds nothing else of interest)
(crosses to picture hiding safe, takes picture down, carries to empty chair near valise, produces knife from pocket, back to audience, appears to be cutting picture from frame (note: use velcro patches on corners of picture to hold canvas, provide soft ripping sound as burglar cuts), takes picture and rolls carefully before sliding roll into tube, lays tube next to valise)
(Stage right, lights slowly fade to black, before black-clad figures appear at stage right, cover outside of window with blank panel, replace cityscape with blank wall, place console TV against covered window with easy chair facing.)
Burglar: (speaking to no-one) “Nice, that’ll please Munch.”
(returns to exposed safe, shines light on safe (again, follow with baby spot) works on dial or keypad briefly, then opens safe door)
(light plays on contents for a moment, sparkle from necklace so casually tossed inside)
(burglar extracts necklace, playing light on it while holding it up for careful examination, pauses then snorts softly before draping necklace across door of safe)
(reaches inside and produces half-dozen fat manila envelopes, sorts through them, looking inside each, then replaces four in safe, slips two in side pocket, returns light to necklace hanging on door, short pause, shakes head)
(returns to valise, adds two envelopes, picks up valise and tube, then crosses to front door, ignores keypad but removes safety bar and leans against door jam, opens door and exits as lights fade to black)
(On main stage,
a black-clad figure replaces cups and saucers with set previous broken and
repaired with wheat-paste glue.)
Act 1, Scene 3: Morning, apartment of John Bell and Terri Romdi
(Segue to Scene 3. Lights come up on stage right as burglar enters – sans camo – and sits, picking up remote control but doing nothing with it – brief pause – burglar yawns and stretches, puts down remote, picks up paperback book, reads.)
(Main stage, lights come up full to reveal open safe, necklace still hanging on door, coffee cups from night before still on coffee table, carefully refolded newspaper on one chair.)
Terri: (enters from bedroom, wearing bathroom, looking half-asleep. Walks toward coffee table, grimaces at coffee cups, picks them up, turns, see open safe, coffee cups rattle on saucers.) “John! JOHN!” (Drops coffee cups, first one, then the second.)
(Stage right, burglar points remote at TV and presses button, then sits watching. Screen is out of view of audience, no sound.)
John: (off stage and sleepy) “What? What is it?”
Terri: (strident) “Just get out here. Now!”
John: (appears from bedroom, wearing pajama bottoms, barefooted.) “I heard something break. What’s wrong?”
Terri: (medium soft) “I broke a cup. Get some shoes, you’ll cut yourself.” (short pause, then sharply and loudly) “That’s what’s wrong!” (points at safe, arm shaking.)
(John starts toward safe, cursing under his breath, then appears to step on something, stops, limps back toward bedroom, cursing louder at this point.)
(Terri reaches for newspaper on chair, then crouches, back to audience, gathering pieces of cups and saucers on to paper … then, still crouching, begins to sob softly.)
(John reappears in trousers and shoes, no shirt, still cursing as he crosses to the safe, jerking the necklace off the door and peering inside.)
John: (still looking at safe and gripping necklace in left hand, growling) “Have you called the f’ing police?”
(Terri doesn’t answer, just shakes head.)
John: “Damn it! Damn it all to hell!” (exits to bedroom, still carrying necklace)
(Terri rises with newspaper and exits to kitchen. Reappears a moment later, with a cordless phone to her ear, remains near kitchen door, leaning tiredly against door jamb for support)
Terri: “Yes … yes, I want to report a robbery … No, nobody’s here. I mean, John is but no burglar … at least I think not … no, I haven’t checked … no, I don’t know…”
(John reenters, cell phone to ear, stalks down center, facing audience but not looking at them, pauses)
Terri: (continuing) “… the
address is 1230 Buell,
John: (loudly, drowning out Terri in background) “George? Damn it, George, I’ve been robbed … Yes, I said robbed … how the hell would I know? Last night I guess.” (produces necklace from pocket, looks at it, returns to pocket) “Yeah, last night … look, just get over here, okay? … No, Terri’s calling them now … No, I don’t know what’s missing. … Okay.” (Snaps phone shut, pulls out necklace, glares at it, crumples it in fist and walks jerkily into bedroom.)
Terri: (continuing) “… because the damned safe’s open, what do you think? … Yes, we have a burglar alarm …” (looks across at door, sees safety bar leaning against wall) “John!” (loudly, covering phone with hand)
John: (reappearing in doorway) “What!”
Terri: (still covering phone) “The door! Look at it!”
Main stage fades to black, right stage remains lit with burglar intent on TV, smiling slightly, shaking his/her head briefly
Burglar: (turns head to address audience) “Hey, I closed their window like a good guest, right? … What? Did they expect me to leave that way too? Besides I even locked the door when I went out – wouldn’t want someone breaking in on them. Especially with that alarm system el cheapo put it. … Hey, I don’t mind a little extra bother. It’s the least I could do to repay them.” (smiles wryly)
Stage right
fades to black – short interval.
Both main and
stage right lights resume. John is now fully clothed but hasn’t combed hair.
Terri isn’t visible. Burglar
is watching TV again.
John: (standing in front of book case, back to audience, cell phone to ear) “They took the Poe and the Dumas. Damn it! And my Remington’s gone.” (turns to face stage left, front) “And the Degas … yes, right out of the frame … That’s right, the safe’s open … mostly some bearer bonds and certificates … because I need liquidity – you know the position I’m in. I need to be able to move fast … Uh, oh, yeah, the Tiffany…” (reaches into pocket but doesn’t produce the necklace) “…yeah, that’s gone too … no, the rest of it’s at the bank … because we were at a party last night, remember? You were there, weren’t you?” (looks up as bell rings, then continues) “Okay, someone’s at the door … Yes, probably. We’ll talk about it later, when you get here!” (closes cell phone, then crosses to door and presses intercom button) “Yes?”
Voice over intercom: “Mr. Bell? This is the police. You called about a burglary?”
John: (crossly) “It’s Ball,
not
John: (voice from offstage) “Here, hide this somewhere. Somewhere safe.”
Terri: (inaudible answer)
John: (angrily) “Why? Because it was stolen, that’s why! Just do it, the police are here!”
Burglar: (stage right, still seated in lounge chair with remote in hand, turns head to address audience): “What you bet he says seventy-five or a hundred thou? For a handful of zircons worth a hundred bucks? And soft-brushed silver plate passing as platinum?” (snorts) “And they call me a crook!” (looks away from audience and up, clasping hands behind head, musing) “Humph, wonder if the insurance company would like to buy them back? Wouldn’t that be a hoot?” (pause) “Naw…” (shakes head) “…going back for it would be too risky…”
(fade to black both sets, curtains remain open)
During interval, figures in black dress both sets