Act 4, Scene 1: Apartment of Freddy Silbowitz
Principal
features of the apartment are that it is over done, gaudily decorated in bad
taste. Flashy posters on walls, big
screen plasma TV, glass top coffee table w/ several game controllers on table,
beer bottles on floor and under sofa, Half-empty whiskey bottle upright next to
chair, scattered newspapers. Anything
that looks expensive but doesn’t match décor – such as it is – is fine.
Sideboard holds
crystal bowl with several gold chains and similar.
Freddy is young,
flashy dresser with little taste. Dyed
hair, beard optional, favors long coats (leather or dark colors), lots of
bling-bling, big diamond ring, ring in nose or other piercings if possible.
(lights rise on main set to show Freddy stretched out on couch, booted feet toward audience, appears asleep, dark coat hung across back of chair)
(lights rise to dim on stage right, burglar shadowy figure leaning on balcony rail, looking impatient as glances at watch. Burglar is dressed in dark camo, gloves, black tennis, dark watch cap or ski mask)
Burglar: (speaking to no-one) “Looks like he’s going to sleep the night away. Thought he’d be out by now. Come back later? Tomorrow? … Hell, waited this long, give him a few. He can’t sleep forever. … Or maybe he can?”
(pause)
Burglar: (to audience) “This one’s a real creep but he buys lots of bling-bling … and that’s a saleable commodity, right? Hate to be caught with trash like that … or trash like him … but it’s a quick turnover, easy to fence, hell to trace … not that he’s likely to report anything … or be able to describe anything if he did. So, easy score, just have to be patient.” (turns toward window, ducking head to see better) “Come on, lazy boy – time you were up and crawling the gutters.”
(phone rings inside)
(phone rings again before Freddy stirs, fumbling for cell phone, pushing himself up on one elbow)
Freddy: (slurred, sleepily) “Ya bro, wa’s goin? … Ya, ya, whacha hurry? … Kay, man. Bout an hour … Bout an hour, ah said. Y’ can damned well wait.” (closes phone angrily, remains half upright for a moment)
(Freddy swings feet to floor, fumbles on coffee table for paper packet, empties powder on glass, uses razorblade to mince, form powder in lines, fumbles for straw, places straw in nostril, inhales a line, snorts, repeated with other nostril, shakes himself but now appears more awake)
Freddy: “Damned crackheads!”
(pushes himself upright off of sofa, crosses downstage to door way, a bit unsteadily, exits. Sound of running water. Freddy reappears smoothing hair back, hair appears damp. Looks around a bit uncertainly, spots coat, picks it up checking pockets, finds nothing. Dumps coat back on chair, goes back through door used a moment before, returns carrying handful of small ziplock bags, some containing white powders, some crystal (rock candy), some with blue pills (M&Ms); stuffs these into coat pockets, crosses to sideboard and selects gold necklace from bowl, dons necklace, looks around again, produces revolver from drawer in sideboard, tucks into waist at back, dons coat, looks around again, nods.)
Freddy: “Okeee, time to roll. Time to rake in some geld. Time is money, honey.” (laughs to self and crosses to door and exits, flipping switch, lights go very dim, sound of several locks clicking shut)
Act 4, Scene 2: same location, a few minutes later
(sound of window breaking, dim lights from outside – stage right – cast shadows as burglar fumbles with window catch, raises window, steps inside using penlight – baby spot follows penlight (or vice versa) … has dark backpack … burglar crosses to check door, then makes circuit of room, listening at each door, then opening and checking inside)
Burglar: (crossing to coffee table with pen light) “Now that don’t look like powdered sugar from doughnuts. Sampling your own wares, eh?” (shakes head sadly but doesn’t touch table)
(lights rise slightly during examination but remain dim)
(burglar crosses downstage to sideboard, pauses, shrugs out of backpack, opens zipper, then scoops bling-bling out of bowl into pack, leaves pack on sideboard)
Burglar: (shaking head) “Well, that feeds the bulldog but there’s got to be better than this.” (crosses downstage to door, steps through, sounds of refrigerator opening, closing, cabinets opening, stuff being shifted)
Burglar: (off stage) “Bingo” (more sounds of stuff being shifted) “Damn! I hope this is real flour.” (sounds of cabinet drawers opening, closing again)
(burglar reappears in living room with ziplock bag containing money, beating at the bag to knock flour loose as he enters, lights through stage right window have gone dark as black clad figures reset stage for burglar’s apartment)
Burglar: “This stuff’s a bitch to launder.” (pauses briefly, then looks up at audience, holding bag up for them to see) “No, I mean really launder! You know, soap, water, color-safe bleach, rinse, dry … and then you have to iron it. Only way though; ninety to nothing that it’s got coke on it and a lot of banks are checking things like that these days. Still, wot’t’ell, looks like fifty to seventy K so I guess it’s worth a little trouble.” (drops ziplock into pack, then crosses to door where Freddy fetched the envelopes earlier, enters, sounds of drawers sliding, metallic clang as of a cabinet being shaken … moment of silence … burglar reappears, empty handed but returning a small case to his pocket)
Burglar: “No way I’m touching what’s in there. Stupid’s stupid!” (pauses, standing very still for a moment) “Damn! Damn it all to hell! Of course!”
(turns abruptly, reentering room just left, reappears a moment later carrying a blocky, plastic-wrapped package crossed with duct tape, package is presumed cocaine)
Burglar: “About two kilos – should be more than enough.” (adds package to backpack) “And more than enough left. Don’t expect he’s going to complain about being short. So, not a bad evening. Just one thing … but let’s get out of here first.” (crosses to front door, sound of locks opening, door swings ajar letting in light from hallway, sound of locks being snapped shut (with door open), then burglar steps back into shadows)
Burglar: “There, that should do it.” (grabs backpack and steps through window into darkness… sounds from offstage dark of metal ladder)
Burglar: (voice from off-stage) “Hello? Police? … No, yes, I don’t know. But there’s someone screaming. … I don’t want to get involved. … No, it’s 460 Saunders. Fourth floor, 4A, I think … No, goodbye.” (pause) “Thank god for disposable phones … and cheap at the price.” (sound of a dumpster lid opening, dropping closed again)
(fade to black on main set, black-clad figures move one chair over by window, close and lock door, two other figures assume places, one on chair by window, the other facing the door but upstage center)
Act 4, Scene 3: same location, much later
(lights rise on stage right, burglar in easy chair facing TV but reading a book)
(sound of locks opening, one figure rises from chair by window to stand by door, other rises from couch, turning to face door, door opens, light from hallway dimly illuminates two policemen as Freddy enters, fumbling for light switch, lights up full)
(burglar looks up from book at TV screen)
Policeman 1: “Freeze, Police!”
(Freddy jerks, begins fumbling for gun in rear waistband, hampered by long coat, nearest policeman (by door) grabs Freddy, slamming him into the wall – note: be sure wall can stand impact – second policeman has gun drawn, covering Freddy.)
Freddy: “This is trespass, you son-of-a-bitch. I’ll have your badge for this.”
Policeman 2: “Dream on, punk. In twenty, thirty years, you can tell us about it.”
(fade to black on main stage, sound of something soft-heavy hitting hard-solid surface, sounds of struggle)
Burglar: (satisfied) “Okay!” (lays book down, turns head to audience, stretches) “Don’t guess I can claim a reward; guess I’ll just settle for a good deed done. Good karma anyway. I mean, that guy’s a real thief – not property so much – he steals people’s lives, their health, their … Well, you know what I mean.” (rises and stretches again)
Burglar: (continuing, crossing arms and facing audience) “Hey, we all draw the line somewhere … and, before you get too uppity, think about this: there are probably a lot of you who … well, let’s just say that there are a lot of crimes … but not all of them are covered by laws.”
(fade to black both sets, curtains remain open)
During interval,
figures in black dress both sets.