Gary by Taylor Mac

Author:Taylor Mac
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
Published: 2021-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

SCENE 5

GARY

THAT’S IT. WE’RE GONNA STAGE A COUP!

JANICE

Lower your voice!

GARY

The first is gonna be last.

JANICE

You’re gonna get me hanged.

GARY

No you’re gonna be the leader.

JANICE

Don’t be saying that, even joking.

GARY

I’m not joking. I mean the coup’s a joke but I’m not joking about it, ya know what I mean?

JANICE

No.

GARY

We’re gonna make a spectacle that is its own kind of coup.

JANICE

We ain’t got coup enough?

GARY

Not a violent coup. An artistic one. A sort of theatrical revenge on the Andronicus revenge. A comedy revenge to end all revenge. Well not just a comedy. A sorta folly. No a spectacle. Or a comedy folly that is a spectacle. Sorta a machination. That’s full of laughter. But more than laughs. But with the laughs. Well sorta a thinking man’s laughter. But could be a knee-slapper. So is a … or inspires a … or—

JANICE

Pick one and commit!

GARY

I don’t know, but I know it’s gotta have all the history in it. All the conflicts. Like you said, put all the murder and mayhem in one place so they can see what’s what. What they’ve been. What they could be. Which means we gotta squeeze all the sequels of revenge in. We gotta theatricalize the sequels after the sequel after the sequels. And all the orgies of hyperbole, the grabbing of privacy and privates, takeovers, tantrums, endless campaigns, pillaged elections, apocalyptic-weather-spewing-forth-shark-attack-family-feuds! Yes Janice, shark attacks. There must be wars in stars, and geriatric stars at war. Heroes must battle heroes, winged rodents must clash with cleft chins, there must be an explosion of an explosion, a massacre of a massacre, an ensemble of an ensemble, to such a ridiculous degree ya can’t see anything but its ridiculousness. And Janice, when the court sees it, they’ll be a little taken aback at first. There’ll be a moment of silence, don’t kid yourself. But then, in the distance, one soul will feel a bubbling finding its way to their hands. “What am I doing?” they’ll wonder. “Why am I clapping?” And they’ll realize. They’re clapping for hope. And soon it spreads. Not just one court member but two. Then more. Row after row, gaining speed, soon all the court, the clapping turns to cheering, then standing on their feet, on chairs, reaching ever higher to touch the ingenuity that could be theirs as well. If two maids could turn the hopelessness of a massacre into a coup of beauty, they too can imagine a better world. New ways of government will spring forth, new mechanisms of distribution. They’ll strip their baubles, they’ll be running naked through the banquet room, laying themselves prostrate to servants, making love to enemies and outsiders, bleeding their hearts, flooding through the streets, until the entire world is saved by …

(Gary pulls a pigeon out of his bag and throws it into the air. It disappears.)

WONDER!

JANICE

(A discovery, to herself) I’m dealing with a mental.

GARY

Well if a person hanging out in this ain’t, something’s wrong. But no more. We’re bringing an end to tragedy.

JANICE

Ya think ya

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