With the selection of a new Pope, it seemed timely that my next work for the Scene-a-Week blog would be from LITTLE MARY. I have long felt that overpopulation is one of the gravest and most elemental problems facing mankind. I have also long been fascinated by the concept of faith and how often it is used as a tool by those seeking personal glory, power and profit. I wanted to approach these topics with something very theatrical and perhaps a bit sensational. LITTLE MARY was first produced as an Equity showcase in NYC at the Sanford Meisner Theatre. It had a marvelous cast (including my good friends Monica Raymund, Ron Orbach and Nelson Avidon) as well as a great director, Jessica Kubzansky, and was produced by my wife, Diana, and Patricia Jones, with the financial backing of another friend and fan. We had two reviews: an online review in which the critic seemed to recognize everything I was attempting to do with the script (thought-provoking, challenging) and loved it. The second from the New York Times (alas, the only one that matters) which dismissed it as a flawed and failed attempt by a talented playwright. And so it goes. LITTLE MARY, about a 15-year-old Mexican-American girl who claims to be carrying the seven unborn children of God.
Little Mary
Scene
One
TIVOLI in street clothes.
TIVOLI
The Earth is a place of abundance. How
that warms my heart and raises my spirit.
What joy there is in children. What profound
contentment there is in the love and support
of a grand, large family.
(pause)
But I have prayed on it and prayed on it,
and I can’t embrace that any more.
(pause)
If
the ills of the world were an anthill, overpopulation would be its queen.
Global warming, depletion of resources,
starvation—I
can trace them back to one source.
Too
many of us, consuming too much.
(pause)
The population on Earth is growing by
2%
per year. Doesn’t sound too bad.
But if there were only 100 of us and we had
saved up enough food, water and gasoline to last
us for 900,000 years. If our little population
grew by just 2% per year, we would exhaust our
supply
and be starving not in hundreds of thousands of
years,
but in a very brief 500. Absurd. But mankind is
reaching
a point of mathematical absurdity.
Behind Tivoli, Gian enters
quietly with MOTHER LULIT (LOO-LEET), an African nun wearing a habit. Gian
wears a black cassock with scarlet button and trim and his scarlet water-silked
zucchetto. He observes and listens closely to Tivoli.
On the other hand,
if we reduced the current birth rate by just 10%,
we could sustain creation long into the future.
Our great great-grandchildren will look back
on our times as a Golden Age. Will they curse
us for our greed and selfishness, or praise us for
the depth of compassion and forethought that I know
is within us? That is up to
all of us here today.
(beat)
Now… Where does God fit in?
GIAN
That’s
what I wondered.
Now, Tivoli sees Gian for
the first time.
TIVOLI
Papa!
GIAN
(in Italian)
Salve!
Pietro!
Hello, Peter!
TIVOLI
Papa!
Tivoli moves to Gian,
kneels to kiss his ring. Gian instead hugs him.
TIVOLI
Benvenuto
a California.
Welcome to California.
GIAN
Grazie.
Thank you.
TIVOLI
Come
era vostra lo zolo?
Bisogna
essere esausto.
How was your flight? You
must
be exhausted.
GIAN
At my age, I am always exhausted.
TIVOLI
(laughs)
No!
You look wonderful!
GIAN
As
do you, my son. God has been merciful.
TIVOLI
(laughs,
then, lightly reprimanding)
Lulit!
You should have announced
His
Eminence properly.
GIAN
Mother
Lulit told me you were at the pulpit speaking to an
empty church. I wished to surprise you, Pietro.
TIVOLI
“Peter”
these days. If you don’t mind.
GIAN
Peter....
What do you feel, Mother Lulit, about our
friend’s
outcry against new life?
LULIT
(beat)
I
agree with much of it, Your Eminence.
GIAN
Much?
TIVOLI
Except
where Africa is concerned.
Then
my reforms are racist.
LULIT
I
said “insensitive”.
TIVOLI
No,
you changed it to insensitive[s1].
LULIT
The
fertility rate must be high because
the
mortality rate is high.
TIVOLI
Which
equates to more and more people living
shorter
and shorter lives.
LULIT
You
cannot make a general rule--
TIVOLI
Imposed
fertility limits must be
universal,
all countries, rich or poor,
otherwise
they are racist.
GIAN
(smiles)
You
sound like a politician, Peter.
(then)
Doesn’t
that concern you?
TIVOLI
(pause)
I
can’t believe His Holiness allowed
you
to leave the Vatican to see me.
(Gian
smiles slightly/makes no answer)
Wait
til you see what we’ve accomplished
here.
GIAN
I saw the wind mills.
TIVOLI
Wind turbines. Once they’re finished, we’ll be
completely self sufficient.
LULIT
We were basically a homeless shelter
Now, an environmentally sound community
serving over 300 families.
GIAN
Through
the Grace of God and the largess of our church.
(beat)
You
should be very proud, Mother Lulit. Both of you.
LULIT
Thank you, your Eminence.
As Tivoli starts to lead
Gian out.
TIVOLI
Everyone is so excited about you coming, Papa.
My
congregation at the cathedral in Los Angeles,
the
people here at the mission--... one girl in particular.
GIAN
Good!
Lights fade out.
Scene
Two
Chapel of St. Mary, a
small chapel connected to the mission. There is an arch shaped window opening.
The chapel has a few faded dusty benches. Her father, JOSE, 40’s, Latino, in
the clothes of a farm worker, paces. The Girl, 15, Latino, is a radiant beauty.
As Tivoli, Lulit and Gian
enter. Tivoli sees the GIRL and his face lights up.
TIVOLI
There
she is!
The Girl, CHRISTINA, turns
and sees them. She runs to Tivoli and hugs him. Jose makes a move toward them, perhaps to break them up,
then looks to Gian and in deference, holds still. Gian takes in all of this.
TIVOLI
Christina,
this is Cardinal Gian.
Christina takes Gian's
hand-- another surprise to him.
CHRISTINA
Your
Eminence!
TIVOLI
She
couldn’t wait to meet you.
GIAN
Hello, Christina.
TIVOLI
This
is her father, Jose.
Jose tries to flatten down
the hair on top of his head, looking a bit anxious. He kneels at Gian’s feet,
averting his eyes.
JOSE
(in
English)
Your
Eminence. Hola . Thank you...
(Gian
motions him to rise)
Er...
er... Mio... My...
(turns
to his daughter)
Christina?
Christina translates.
JOSE
(cont’d)
Nos
da honor. Es la voluntad the Dios que
usted
ha venido a California.
CHRISTINA
“You
honor us. It is God’s will you have come to California.”
GIAN
(in Spanish)
Gracias
Jose. Es un lugar bello. Bastante different a Italia.
Thank you, Jose. It is a beautiful place.
Quite different from Italy.
JOSE
Su
Eminencia, Habla usted espanol?
You speak Spanish, your Eminence?
GIAN
A
little.
TIVOLI
El
cardenal Gian habla nueve lenguas.
Cardinal Gian speaks nine languages.
JOSE
Nueve?
Fenomenal!
Nine?
Wow!
LULIT
We
have been tutoring Christina since she was a child.
TIVOLI
She is our light. Our future. She preaches with me
to our youth group.
GIAN
What do you like to preach about, my child?
She looks to Tivoli, he
nods to go ahead.
CHRISTINA
About
self denial and self self-sacrifice. I even took the vow.
GIAN
What
vow have you taken?
Christina suddenly looks
anxious and bows her head.
LULIT
(with
a disapproving look at Tivoli)
She
has taken the vow of celibacy, Your Eminence.
Gian also looks at Tivoli.
TIVOLI
Quite
independently. To lead by example.
GIAN
Be fruitful and multiply, Christina. That is God’s
command.
TIVOLI
That
was His command 2000 years ago.
GIAN
We’ll discuss it, Bishop Tivoli.
Christina makes a sudden
move toward Tivoli.
CHRISTINA
Something
wonderful’s happened, Peter.
Jose moves between
Christina and Tivoli and moves her toward Gian.
JOSE
Su Eminencia, Cristina era mi tesoro.
Jose nudges her to
translate.
CHRISTINA
I
was his treasure.
JOSE
El
tesoro de todos mis hijos.
CHRISTINA
The treasure of all his children.
TIVOLI
Jose
has five.
GIAN
Cinco
hijos? Maravilloso!
Five children? Wonderful!
JOSE
(proudly)
Si!
Cinco.
GIAN
I
look forward to meeting their mother.
TIVOLI
Mothers.
JOSE
Su
Eminencia--
(dropping to one knee at Gian’s feet, bows his
head)
Su Eminencia , tengo miedo que manden a
mi
familia fuera del pais.
Your
Eminence, I am frightened they will make my
family
leave this country.
GIAN
(to Christina)
Why
would they want to throw you out of the country?
CHRISTINA
If
they find out about me.
Christina opens the blanket,
pressing one hand lightly on her very slightly distended stomach.
CHRISTINA
I’m
pregnant.
TIVOLI
No….
Oh, Christina.
LULIT
Child, how did this happen?
Tivoli looks at Jose.
TIVOLI
It’s all right, Christina.
Who
did this? One of the boys?
CHRISTINA
No.
I didn’t break my vow, I promise.
TIVOLI
I’m
not angry. Just please tell us the truth.
CHRISTINA
About
two months ago, I was sleeping alone
here in the Chapel of St. Mary.
GIAN
Sleeping?
LULIT
She
has been in the habit of leaving
her home at night.
Lulit shares a concerned
look with Tivoli.
GIAN
Why?
CHRISTINA
(looks
at statue)
I
have good dreams here.
TIVOLI
You’re
saying you were… asleep when it happened?
CHRISTINA
I
don’t know. I think so.
GIAN
Are
you not--? Were you not
pure,
my child?
CHRISTINA
I
am, your Eminence. My hymen’s still intact.
(covers
her mouth, bows her head)
Forgive
me. That’s what the doctor said
today.
TIVOLI
Why did
you keep this from me?
CHRISTINA
I wasn’t sure. Until today, I thought it was a
dream.
TIVOLI
There was no sign of… no blood?
CHRISTINA
No...
No anything. No-- uhm....
(she
makes a frowny face)
TIVOLI
And
you are certain that
you’re
with child, Christina?
CHRISTINA
Children.
Seven.
LULIT
Seven?
CHRISTINA
They
were in the pictures at the doctor’s.
GIAN
Seven.
CHRISTINA
(to Gian)
Bishop
Tivoli has taught me all about you.
How
you found him abandoned as a baby
in
Tivoli Fountain and saved him.
All
the great things you’ve done for the needy.
I
think you must be closer to God than any
man
on Earth.
GIAN
Is
there something you need to confess to me, Christina?
CHRISTINA
(pause)
I
think He spoke to me.
GIAN
Who?
CHRISTINA
God.
(beat)
The
babies I carry are His.
GIAN
(pause)
That would indeed be a great miracle, Christina.
Light change.
[s1]More
like a husband and wife in discussion
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