<nettime> THE RIGHTEOUS KEEP THE BRAINDEAD ALIVE

[Alan Sondheim <sondheim@panix.com>]

THE RIGHTEOUS KEEP THE BRAINDEAD ALIVE


Empty stage. In the center, a wooden chair and table. There is a glass and

pitcher of water. A desklamp provides the only light.

     (long pause)

     (Jennifer enters from stage left, sits down. she is wearing a red-

     brown dress and sandals. her hair is disheveled. she is about 40.)

Jennifer: When I was young, I sought recourse in the Senate. (pause)

They were indeed the best and brightest. The House was full of rabble.

The Senate was Wisdom. Even when I marched, there was the Senate. A

stability. I never heard of the Rapture, not until my twenties.

(pause) Now I pray for it. I want death and destruction to rain down

on the pure and righteous. I want the fanatics to leave, fly off God

knows where, it doesn't matter. Leave the earth to the rest of us.

(pause) Janine was only twenty-four when she came into my life. (pause)

(loudly) I want to bring death to the righteous. I want to kill the

good. I want to see them die slow deaths. Of AIDS of BULLETS of the

FURY of the evil. {pause) (normal voice) There were a number of them

in my life, Janine. Men and women, women and men. They were believers.

(pause) Janine would fuck me with a rosary around her neck it went

in and out my mouth I was fucked like a good Jewish girl. (pause). I

should have known. That it was the beginning. That there was no

escape. Evil in the guise of good. (pause) I pulled the trigger on the

President. I set fire to the Senate. I ignored the House; they were

beyond Salvation. They were Salvation. Can you blame me? (pause)

Janine, Janine. (pause) Look, this is inconceivable. That there is such

RELIGION in the land. Such evil. Janine, are you listening to me? I am

talking to everyone because I AM TALKING TO YOU. (pause) I will kill

you if I can. I will kill myself. (pause) Look, I am twenty-three. Look,

I am twenty-four. I am already old. I am ANOTHER TIME. I am NINETEEN-

SIXTY-EIGHT. I AM IN LOVE WITH EVIL. I HATE YOU FUCKING BASTARDS. STOP

LOOKING AT ME. THERE'S NO TRICK TO THIS. (pause) (louder, furious)

THERE'S NOTHING TO THIS. THE GOOD MUST BE ELIMINATED FROM THE FACE OF

THE EARTH. (pause) Look, I will try and EXPLAIN. If you are good you are

RIGHTEOUS. You already know the difference! You will TELL ME DIFFERENCE.

(louder) I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW YOUR DIFFERENCE. I HAVE NO INTEREST IN

YOUR DIFFERENCE. IN YOUR FUCKING DIFFERENCE. IN YOUR FUCKING DIFFERENCE.

(pause, drinks water) What the fuck is this? (looking at the glass) I

need something stronger. (louder) I WILL KILL THE FUCKING SENATE. I WILL

BURN THEM ALIVE. (pause) (normal) I met the President in the Agora. I

walked up to him. I had... a knife and a gun. Which did I use? (to the

audience) Which did I use? (pause) (louder) I used the KNIFE OF COURSE?

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY I USED THE KNIFE? I WANTED HIM TO SUFFER. I

WANTED HIM TO FEEL IT. I WANTED HIM TO FEEL IT. (pause) (louder) THIS

IS THE MAN WHO HAS PUT TWO MILLION OF HIS PEOPLE IN JAIL. THIS IS THE

FUCKING RIGHTEOUS MAN. THIS IS FUCKING CHRIST. THIS IS FUCKING YAHWEH.

THIS IS FUCKING ALLAH. THIS IS LEVIATHAN. THIS IS BEAST OF APOCALYPSE.

THIS IS GOG AND MAGOG. THIS IS THE CHARIOT OF GOD. THIS IS THE CHARIOT.

(pause) (normal) Dear Mister President you are CHARIOT CHARIOT. Dear

Mister President you are the WHEEL OF EYES. (louder) I WILL ROLL YOUR

WHEEL OF EYES ON SHARP STAKES. I WILL HASTEN THE END-TIME AND THE

RAPTURE AND THE FINAL DAYS. I WILL HASTEN YOUR DEATH MISTER PRESIDENT

BUT YOU WILL DIE A SLOW SLOW DEATH AND YOU WILL HAVE YOUR FLESH TORN

TO PIECES. (pause) (softer) When I'm done with him, I'll move to the

House, Janine. Yes I will, Janine. The House will be easy. The House

wants to die, Janine. (louder) (screaming) WHEN I'M DONE WITH THE HOUSE

I'LL MOVE TO THE SENATE. I'LL BURN THEM ALIVE. I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT.

I BURNED THEM ALIVE. FOR THEY ARE THE GOOD AND I, ... I, ... (pauses)

(drinks water) Really, WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS? (softest) They are trying

to kill me. (whisper, pulls at her dress) They are trying to kill me.

(pulls at her hair) (louder) They are trying to kill me because I AM NOT

ONE OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND I WILL NOT BE ONE OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND I WILL

NOT BE GOOD. I WILL NOT BE GOOD AND I WILL NOT BE YOUR GOOD LITTLE BOY

AND I WILL NOT BE YOUR GOOD LITTLE GIRL AND I WILL NOT BE YOUR SLAVE AND

I WILL NOT BE, I WILL NOT BE GOOD. (pause) (normal) Good is a lousy

fucking word. Janine, I will TERRORIZE THIS COUNTRY. I fill fly PLANES

OF GOOD PEOPLE into BUILDINGS OF GOOD PEOPLE. I will torture GOOD PEOPLE

forced to FUCK GOOD PEOPLE. I will BURN GOOD PEOPLE ALIVE. (pause)

(whisper) The Senate, Janine, is filled with good people. (to the audi-

ence) (louder) IS IT NOT? IS IT NOT? (pause) (loudest) DID I SAY I WILL

BURN THE SENATE ALIVE? (pause) (normal) The Wisdom of the Senate! The

fucking WISDOM of the Senate! (long pause) I am not CLEVER ENOUGH to do

this. I'm really not. (drinks water) (pause) Ah well.

     (Jennifer stands.)

Jennifer: I know only one thing. I am not good.

     (Janine-in-the-Audience stands and faces Jennifer. she is wearing

     jeans, medium-short hair, hippy blouse.)

Janine-in-the-Audience: You know one thing, Jennifer. You are not good.

(pause) No one should die of AIDS. No one should ride a plane into a

building.

Jennifer: (loud) I WILL RIDE ANY PLANE INTO ANY BUILDING. I WILL KILL

WITH AIDS WITH LEPROSY. I WILL KILL WITH SMALLPOX WITH POLIO. I WILL

KILL WITH PLAGUE. I WILL TEAR APART. I WILL TURN MY FINGERS INTO SOCKETS

OF EYES TURN MY TEETH INTO FACES INTO MOUTHS TURN MY GUN TURN MY KNIVES

TURN MY PLANE MY GERM ON THEM. I WILL TURN MY GERM ON THEM.

Janine-in-the-Audience: (screaming) GET OUT AUDIENCE. GET OUT FUCKING

AUDIENCE. GET OUT OF HERE OUT OF HERE OUT OF HERE.

     (the audience leaves)

Janine-in-the-Empty-House: (normal) At least no one will hear the rest

of this. I'm fucking exhausted.

Jennifer: What is this stuff they gave me to drink?

     (lights down)

     (the rest of the play inaudible)

     END


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