ST. MARYJANE
The Marijuana Musical
BOOK OF MORMONS meets HAIR–a musical love story, murder/mystery and celebration of the marijuana plant in two acts.
Book & Lyrics by Peet Nourjian
Music by Bob Mainelli
Peter Nourjian 401-864-4898 [email protected] www.clearheadfilms.com
The Players are:
JASON, forty, sense of humor, outdoorsy
PAMELA, his wife, forty, strongly religious, practical
REVEREND BAKER, fifties, charismatic, righteous, sneaky
PUTTY, thirty-something, pot grower working for Jason, quirky,
GARCIA, forty, another grower, hippie, layback
RASTA, forty, dreadlocks, hip-hop dialogue, pot dealer
MRS. SHAPIRO, fit ninety-year old, yoga outfit
KEVORK , thirty-something, middle- eastern, pensive
BUCK BUCHANAN, fifty, large, loud, cowboy boots
NARDO, private detective, old school, works for Baker
DETECTIVE LAMBERT, plainclothes, investigates a death
THE JUDGE, old, humorless,
CHORUS 2.
ACT ONE
1. The stage is dark before stage left is lit on a pulpit where REVEREND BAKER, an arrogant evangelical preacher, stands. Surrounding him is a gospel choir in matching robes. PAMELA is the lead singer, blond and appealing.
REVEREND BAKER (SINGING) Praise the Lord
In Bethlehem there was a light That wise men followed through the night It led them to a bed of straw The sight of Him filled them with awe.
CHOIR (SINGING) Hallelujah… Hallelujah… Halle-e-e-e-lu-u-u-u-jah.
Stage left goes dark and quiet. Stage right is lit by a grow light shining brightly over several pots of bud-laden marijuana plants. Trimming the crop is JASON, forties, wearing blue jeans and a tee shirt.
JASON (SINGING) Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Jew The hell religion puts us through To murder in the name of God Is more than just a little odd.
Stage right dark and silent. REVEREND BAKER stage left lit again.
REVEREND BAKER (SINGING) Today wise men who see the light Ignore drug dealers who invite Them to explore the cosmic mind And leave religious faith behind 3.
In Satan’s garden where they dwell Behind the very gates of hell Grow poison plants that numb the soul And make them question God’s control
CHORUS (SINGING) Hallelujah… Hallelujah… Halle-e-e-e-lu-u-u-u-jah.
Stage left dark and silent. JASON stage right is lit along with his CHOIR of two male workers about his age. PUTTY has blond braided hair and wears a Hawaiian shirt. GARCIA has a full beard, headband and sunglasses.
JASON (SINGING) St. Maryjane
One religion commits no crime And you can worship anytime No statues just some sticky weed Rolling paper’s all you need
CHORUS St. Maryjane, St. Maryjane You are the sunshine and the rain That grows the flowers in my brain St. Maryjane, St. Maryjane
JASON Instead of prayer you take a toke The answers show up in the smoke It fills our heads with peace and love Not fantasies from up above
CHORUS St. Maryjane, St. Maryjane You are the sunshine and the rain That grows the flowers in my brain St. Maryjane, St. Maryjane 4.
JASON They claim communion wine is blood Commune with nature, burn a bud St. Maryjane, you are superb Baptize the world with your sweet herb
CHORUS St. Maryjane, St. Maryjane You are the sunshine and the rain That grows the flowers in my brain St. Maryjane, St. Maryjane.
Full stage lit.
CHURCH CHOIR Hallelujah.
JASON’S CHORUS Marijuana.
CHURCH CHOIR Hallelujah.
JASON’S CHORUS Marijuana.
Stage goes dark.
2. Full stage lit revealing a modern kitchen. PAMELA is preparing dinner. An off-stage door opens and closes before JASON enters with flowers and a bottle of wine.
PAMELA You remembered. I can’t remember, did you remember last year?
He puts the bottle down and playfully holds the roses under his chin as he kisses her.
JASON You forgot last year, remember? Instead of a bottle of wine and an anniversary dinner you dragged me to some evangelical songfest. 5.
PAMELA The Sacred Eucharist celebration, that’s right. It went late and we ended up eating after midnight at that pizza joint on Second Avenue. Flying Tomato, I think. That holy service was such a beautifully inspiring event. It’s coming up again and I know you said you’d never…
JASON Pl-e-e-ease, Pamela. Let’s not spoil this anniversary. When we first talked about getting married we agreed there were things we didn’t see eye to eye on. It was only natural to have some give and take.
She puts the flowers in a vase while he uncorks the wine and pours two glasses.
PAMELA Just think, a few years ago you were playing your music on the back of a flatbed truck parked in Greenwich Village. Of course your music was the rock & roll standards that every stoner scratched out on a guitar. You dreamed of a recording contract. A dream that never came true.
JASON That same few years ago you were singing to a full house night after night. The subway songbird they used to call you. The A train platform was your stage. Ever wonder how many commuters missed their trains because of you? I’ll bet you could still get a music producer...
PAMELA I signed with the biggest music mogul of all, Jason. God’s repertoire touches the hearts and souls of people around the world. Singing in the choir fills me with a joy and satisfaction that even Carnegie Hall could never match. Maybe if you’d come to church and listen once in a while.
JASON pours the wine into two glasses.
JASON When we said “I do” we both agreed to make a fresh start away from the city. We pooled our savings and here we are. Still got my truck but now i t’s a landscape business that’s gotten so busy I don’t have time to sit in a church pew. 6.
PAMELA You did keep your word. Our new life is a wish come true. A lawn, a flower garden, a home where a family can thrive and grow. But something that hasn’t changed is how you ridicule my beliefs. I patiently endure the insults and sarcasm aimed at something you know is sacred and dear to me. Our marriage was a contract agreed to and signed before the eyes of God.
JASON A contract is between two sides. Your side has God for a lawyer. Georgetown Law, cum laude, no doubt. While those of us with a more scientific take on creation are left to fend for ourselves.
PAMELA Some of the smartest scientists throughout history were strongly religious, you know. Galileo, Isaac Newton, Einstein. They regarded the Bible as a valued resource in their libraries.
JASON A lot of those dead intellects also believed that the earth was flat until real science caught up and proved them wrong. Let’s not argue. You’ll always be my subway songbird, even imprisoned in a stained glass cage.
He raises his glass for a toast, but she leaves him hanging.
PAMELA I’m grateful for the concessions you made, Jason. You swore off drugs and gave up the late night head bangers you used to pal around with. You even smell better. But you were always my biggest fan and now you never hear me sing. You’re not even aware t hat Reverend Baker promoted me to lead the choir.
JASON That’s terrific, babe. I’m very proud of you and I know I should be there listening to you as often as possible but I’ve got a payroll to meet and customers who’ve got a dozen other landscape guys to choose from. Owning a business is full time, including Sunday. (pause) Boy, something smells good. 7.
PAMELA Your favorite, Shepherd’s Pie. Or as you like to call it ‘Lord Is My Shepherd’s Pie’.
He puts an arm around her and she taps her wine glass into his for a toast.
JASON Remember our honeymoon, Pam? That flophouse in the worst section of Paris. The single bed we shared. The song we made up and never finished.
PAMELA (SINGING) Honeymoon in Paris
Our honeymoon in Paris, France Across the river Seine we danced A fiddle playing songs of love Barges below, the moon above
JASON (SINGING) My foot work went from bad to worst Complaining I was dry with thirst We found a café off the Champs Our table lit by antique lamps
They engage in a whimsical Apache Dance.
PAMELA “To us!” our glasses rim to rim While church bells chimed a sacred hymn We made our way to Notre Dame Inside we felt a peaceful calm
JASON The faithful waited for their turn To say a prayer as candles burn I leaned in close and bowed my head But blew out half the flames instead…
PAMELA Jason!!! 8.
Stage goes dark
3. Full stage lit revealing the brick walls and glass ceiling of a tall greenhouse. Scaffolding rises through a jungle of pot plants in full bloom. Slow spinning fans and angled grow lights hang off the scaffolding along with two workers, GARCIA and PUTTY, who are pruning and trimming.
GARCIA At least you are a legal citizen. When you got no papers like me, the city is where my people hide. Out here in the suburbs, no taco trucks, no Latin beat up and down the avenue, no Cuban chicks flashing their pretty white teeth. The only amigos I ever see are pulling a trailer loaded with lawn mowers and leaf blowers.
PUTTY Legal? That’s an ambiguous word. I’m a legal citizen but it’s suppose to be illegal the way people look at a gay man, up and down and sideways. Mexico, please. I might as well have been from another planet. If Jason hadn’t pulled me out of a bottle of vodka and stuck a joint in my mouth, I would have never found the peace of mind, the courage, the pride of who I was and who I am.
JASON enters.
GARCIA Good morning, boss.
PUTTY Hey, Jason. How’d that anniversary with the wife go? A little hung-over, are we?
JASON Morning, guys. As a matter of fact, I am a tad blurry-eyed. Drinking for us is all about reminiscing. The early days are always safe territory. It’s when we’re in the present that the incense gets thick and the holy water starts boiling. 9.
GARCIA In my country poor people got nothing but the church. They put the few pesos they earn in the poor box instead of making a better life on earth. They think god has a heavenly reward for them later.
PUTTY Religion is all based on fear. Turn your back on the lord and sure as hell bad luck and cancer is just around the corner.
JASON You got that right. The fear of god is the fist-pounding message from every pulpit in every land. Except from this pulpit (standing on a box) ) where mother nature offers an alternative message.
GARCIA takes a fat joint from the ashtray, lights it and hands it to JASON who inhales, then exhales a cloud.
JASON (CONT’D) A message of confidence and courage delivered without words, a soundless echo through mind and body.
JASON pours himself a cup of coffee. PUTTY’S phone rings and he answers.
JASON (CONT’D) Sweet taste. Dry. A little like the Blue Khyber Wheat.
GARCIA That’s because we cloned some of the Khyber Cashew with Cactus Heather. The combination is pungent but with a feathery after-taste. Like eating cotton candy while steering a motorcycle with your feet.
PUTTY (HANGING UP) That was an old boyfriend I went to art school with. He bought into a dance club and wants to sell goody bags to the clientele. Can we pack a hundred quarter ounces, with a surprise inside? 10.
JASON A surprise?
PUTTY He wants to put a condom in each bag of herb to promote healthy habits. I think that pharmacy on Crest Avenue is pretty well stocked. Not that I’ve had the need for any rubber lately.
JASON Sounds like a compassionate customer. It’s your call. You’ll be handling the order and the delivery. While you’re at the drug store pick me up another bottle of mouthwash and after shave. Pam likes how I smell.
GARCIA I can’t believe your old lady don’t know you still smoking weed. You get home every night smelling like lavender and Listerine she’s got to think something’s fishy.
PUTTY I remember when we didn’t care what we smelled like. Summer In the city, driving the truck through the East Village, music loud, reefer clouds drifting over head. We shut down 11th Street, remember that night?
GARCIA I also remember the city air was polluted, noisy streets, crack dealers pissing in our doorway. But it was inspirational, too. I’m glad we’re away from all that stink but out here in the civilized world something’s missing.
JASON I’ll tell you what’s missing–our music. We only had three or four plants back then, and now we’re a small industry. No time for anything but lighting and watering and fertilizing and drying and cutting and trimming and selling and hiding it all from the law. Love and peace is what marijuana is all about. We were organic, keeping it green.
JASON (SINGING) Vegilantes
I heard it at the garden gate Carrots, turnips, all irate (MORE) 11. JASON (SINGING) (CONT'D) Lettuce, sprouts and onions too Angry vegetables in a stew
“We’ve got an image to protect So how come when a car gets wrecked The headline screams the victim’s fate: “HE’S IN A VEGETATIVE STATE”
CHORUS (SINGING) Vegilantes, guardians of the green Vegilantes, tough but never mean When there’s trouble in the garden We’re so glad we got ‘em The first ones on the scene Vegilantes, vegilantes, vegilantes
JASON Now veggies aren’t a brilliant bunch Less intellect, more taste and crunch But they hurt from this cruel campaign Comparing greens to scrambled brains
As Vegilantes we won’t quit Until we put an end to it And headlines shout the victim’s fate: “HE’S IN A CARNIVOROUS STATE”
CHORUS Vegilantes, guardians of the green Vegilantes, tough but never mean When there’s trouble in the garden We’re so glad we got ‘ em The first ones on the scene Vegilantes, vegilantes, vegilantes.
A cell phone rings. JASON answers.
JASON Landscape Professionals. – Hey, Sonny. What do you need? –That strain is a delicate little bitch to keep healthy. It takes more time and care to get right but when it is right it’s double the intensity, no lie. So it might be a five percent premium. - Cool, I’ll get it weighed up. Call me when you’re close. 12.
Stage goes dark.
4. Stage is lit revealing a church interior as the CHOIR in robes prepares to sing, with PAMELA out front. REVEREND BAKER watches from the side.
PAMELA (SINGING) A Star for Every Prayer
A star for every prayer that’s said Is what I learned on Mama’s knee But where in that big starry sky Is the answer meant for me?
I wait until the moon is gone When every star is twinkling bright And then I search from east to west ‘Til I find one that feels just right I cup my hands around my eyes To block out every other star Then concentrate with all my might On what my deepest wishes are
CHOIR (SINGING) A star for every prayer that’s said Is what I learned on Mama’s knee But where in that big starry sky Is the answer meant for me?
PAMELA As morning sunshine warms my face And daylight opens up my eyes I think about that special star Imagining its big surprise
But I’m still where I always was The room, the bed where we just slept My troubled life is still the same Its sparkling promise was not kept. 13.
The chorus breaks up. REVEREND BAKER approaches, taking PAMELA by the arm for a quiet talk.
REVEREND BAKER That was angelic, Pamela. Your voice is filled with the heavenly airiness that only a true and devout child of God is capable of.
PAMELA You’re so very kind, reverend. I do feel the Lord’s presence inside of me when the words start leaving my lips. There’s a rush of air through my vocal chords and my throat as sweet as a taste of honey. I only wish my heart… I’m sorry, never mind.
REVEREND BAKER No, please. I’m here for you, my dear.
PAMELA I wish my devotion to God could be complete, full-time. The joy and elevation I experience singing and praying here is an amazing high. When I listen to your words I feel closer and closer to the Lord. But when I return home I have to leave that all behind, be come somebody else.
REVEREND BAKER Your husband doesn’t share your exuberance. From what I gather he’s not found his faith quite yet.
PAMELA Yet? I’m not holding my breath. He’s very much an individual, not somebody who recognizes the miracle of belief. He once told me that if God wanted us to believe in him he should have created us with smaller brains. Another time back in the city, he ran out of marijuana rolling papers and used a page from my Bible.
REVEREND BAKER How did you get involved with him, if you don’t mind me asking? You’re a beautiful, talented young woman and there are so many good men in this world who read and heed the Bible. You needn’t look further than this congregation. 14.
PAMELA We were young, students in college. I wrote poetry, he played guitar. Life was simple back then. We got married and he slept late Sunday mornings. I didn’t. Not a big deal until my faith took deeper root and he refused to even talk about it with me. I hoped moving out of the city, away from his kind of life, would make a difference. He promised to leave that all behind so we could start a family.
REVEREND BAKER A family? With no spiritual foundation how can you expect to raise a family when one member is so flawed?
PAMELA We always talked about kids, a girl and a boy, God willing. And of course I want our children to believe as strongly as I do. But you’re right. His refusal to worship with me seriously threatens our family. It’s what I pray for every night. An answer from above that tells me how to change Jason’s mind, how to change our future.
REVEREND BAKER squeezes PAMELA’S arm as he leans over and kisses her cheek.
REVEREND BAKER I hear your prayers too, Pamela. God and I are partners, remember. Feel free to seek my guidance and comfort during your husband’s spiritual delinquency. Sometimes love is a game the devil plays on us, especially if one partner is vulnerable and void of the enlightenment. Sometimes it’s better to quit the game than to play by the devil’s rules.
REVEREND BAKER leaves PAMELA alone. A spotlight lingers on her as she slowly bends and circles
PAMELA (SINGING) A star for every prayer that’s said Is what I learned on Mama’s knee But where in that big starry sky Is the answer meant for me?
Stage goes dark. 15.
5. Stage lights up revealing shelving and hardware brands. As JASON inspects garden hoses he’s approached by a RASTAFARIAN dude with dreadlocks and a Snoop Dogg look, singing his conversation with a reggae rap.
RASTAFARIAN (JAMAICAN RAP) I suppose the water flows Through the garden hose So the red rose grows Or could be the rose Smells like skunk to the nose What do you suppose?
JASON Skunk, huh? I might have run over some road kill with my truck. A little stink on my boot.
RASTAFARIAN For sure, my white uncle You hit the dead skunkle But the truck part is wrong Your hit was a bong Know the words to my song?
JASON looks around to see if anybody’s listening. He walks to a corner, the RASTAFARIAN follows.
JASON Have we met before? Downtown? East Village?
RASTAFARIAN You don’t know me, but I know you A pal of mine who knows you too Suggested you and me befriending Talk about some herbal blending A magic strain so mind bending With a large financial ending.
JASON What’s your pal’s name? 16.
RASTAFARIAN Half-blind Riley what he goes by Brother wears a patch on one eye Knows you from the neighborhood Said your product is primo good.
JASON The only one-eyed Riley I knew went to jail. He’s been there for a couple of years. Dealing smack. Is that where you know him from? I don’t get involved with…
RASTAFARIAN You and me both, my herbal chum Ga-ga-ganja’s day has come I got science to boost your crop Be sending stoners over the top.
JASON Let me just say, you got the wrong guy. But I do have a friend of a friend who they say grows the best smoke in the northeast, maybe beyond. He’s pretty new around here so I know he wants to meet new people. Let me talk to him, but he’ll want to know yo u’re serious.
The RASTAFARIAN pulls out a roll of bills and starts laying out hundreds in JASON’S hand.
Stage goes dark.
6. The stage is lit for REVEREND BAKER in a flowing white robe as he addresses his congregation.
REVEREND BAKER Yes, we praise our Lord and we worship everything about him. But that grants us no special favors. There’s no loyalty contract that guarantees happiness and good fortune simply for believing. No, my faithful followers, we mere mortals must make our own way in this turbulent and perplexing world. What we can expect from a grateful God is guidance in our quest to spread His word to an increasingly skeptical population. Many of the non-believers are incapable of rational decisions because their minds are foggy and confused from the illicit drugs they are hooked on. (MORE) 17. REVEREND BAKER (CONT'D) If you don’t know what marijuana smells like then I implore you to visit a local police station and sniff a sample. And then when you do come across the stuff, burn it down. Strike a match for the Holy Father, dear people, and burn it down. Ignite that pagan bonfire so that its narcotic poison never passes through the brain of another innocent victim. Praise the Lord.
CHOIR (SINGING) God wants to hear the crackling sound Of pot plants burning to the ground Release that poison to the air And free the minds caught in its snare.
REVEREND BAKER shakes hands with his flock as they exit the church. Last in line is a short, balding man in a rumpled suit.
NARDO My name’s Nardo, Father. I got a call from somebody saying you needed detective work, the private kind.
REVEREND BAKER I saw you lurking at the back during my sermon. You heard how passionate I am about the epidemic spreading through our society. More and more people giving in to the seductive power of drugs. They turn their back on the scriptures and now they are lost souls with no beacon of hope or salvation.
NARDO You got the people’s welfare in your heart, reverend. God’s lucky to have you working for him.
REVEREND BAKER My congregation is growing smaller, Mr. Nardo. The more they self-indulge themselves with mind altering substances the less they seek out the wisdom and comfort of my ministry.
NARDO You want me to talk to some of them non-believers? Rough ‘em up a little?
REVEREND BAKER I want you to follow someone for me, the husband of one of my angels here in the choir. (MORE) 18. REVEREND BAKER (CONT'D) He has the worst kind of influence on Pamela, suffocating her happiness. I don’t want to lose her voice, her smile, her…. Find out what her husband Jason is up to, if it’s anything illegal.
NARDO You think he has a police record? I got friends in law enforcement who can probably…
REVEREND BAKER I’m not interested in who your friends are, Mr. Nardo. I do not want the police involved, understand? Once you find out what he’s up to, let me know. The Lord and I will take it from there.
NARDO If this person is related to someone who works at the church you might want to think about an intervention.
REVEREND BAKER Yes, yes. We’ll pursue all the paths to recovery. Just keep this investigation between you and me. Here’s the address.
Stage goes dark.
7. The stage lights come up revealing each of the grow team at different scaffolding heights tending to the plants. To the side is an oven smoking.
JASON Something’s burning and it doesn’t smell like weed. Is Martha Stewart in the house?
PUTTY I’ve got Blue Widow cookies in the oven, but it’s the damn chocolate chips on top. They reach meltdown before the dough cooks.
JASON Do not rush the edibles, people. Eating pot isn’t like smoking it. The flavor has to satisfy the taste buds as well as the mind. Slow cooking is key. Customers are going to remember a dry, burned-out brownie way longer than an on-time delivery. 19.
GARCIA You know, boss. If we had high-tech delivery, say drones, we’d have more time to pamper the product, deliver to a wider area, cut the risk of a cop sniffing a stinky package.
PUTTY Drones are a bad idea. Another case of mindless innovation, like driverless cars. You know how many innocent victims get whacked when Washington aims a deadly drone at a target? Technology is making everything easier, including death.
JASON lights a bong, takes a hit and passes it to GARCIA and PUTTY. He then sings, accompanied by the other two, as a flashing drone-like spotlight flies above darting down at them.
JASON (SINGING) The Drone
If Cupid flies through certain zones He’d best watch out for killer drones The message they send isn’t love But rather death from high above
CHORUS (SINGING) Shadows stalk us on the ground High above there’s not a sound We try to spend some time alone But can’t escape the nosey drone
JASON (SINGING) A military strategy On which so many disagree To clear the air when Cupid flies There has to be a compromise
Suppose the air force redesigns Drones that fire Valentines Instead of blasting body parts Each bomb releases bright red hearts 20.
And perfume from the South of France Roses, chocolates, silk underpants Add marijuana to that list To disarm any terrorists.
CHORUS Shadows stalk us on the ground High above there’s not a sound We try to spend some time alone But can’t escape the nosey drone.
Stage goes dark.
8. JASON enters their living room.
JASON Hey, Pam. I’m home. Are you?
There’s no answer. JASON quickly moves a table in front of the bookshelf, and sets a chair on top of the table. He climbs up, takes a small wooden box out of his backpack and carefully balances himself as he reaches high. At the very top shelf, he places the box out of sight. Just then PAMELA walks in carrying grocery bags. JASON loses his balance and tumbles to the floor in front of her.
PAMELA Jason! What are you…?
JASON Head over heels, Pam. I’m a human metaphor willing to fracture my butt just to prove my love.
She walks around him and moves the furniture back.
PAMELA You used that same line once before in New York. You were painting the ceiling of our studio apartment, balancing on a chair and the bookcase. I warned you to “Look before you leap” and you said… 21.
JASON “The adage ‘Look before you leap’ Was no doubt written by some creep Whose feet had never left the ground ‘Cause if they had he would have found
That when you leap before you look The thrill outweighs the risk you took By never knowing where you’ll land You’ll grow in ways you never planned.”
JASON picks himself up and starts a sexy, acrobatic dance with her.
JASON (CONT’D) Remember what dancing without music always meant, back in the city? That secret code between you and me, no matter what time of day it was, we always tumbled onto the couch.
PAMELA You always knew the right thing to say. I guess that’s why we worked so well back then. The words were good, the love was great. I didn’t question anything. Now I do. (fingering her crucifix) The cross is something so innocent and precious.
JASON Until it’s burned into the lawn of a Black family.
She ends the dance, and puts groceries away.
JASON (CONT’D) The only difference back then was the pill. You were on it and no mater how passionate our dance was, no mater how sizzling hot our sex was, no mater how high our love soared, one thing was always missing: The promise of our first child nine months later.
PAMELA I know how much a family means to you, Jason. But sometimes…
JASON I know, I know. And I think it’s fine for you to be so spiritual. But can’t you just believe on your own? (MORE) 22. JASON (CONT'D) Once belief gets organized into a congregation, a church, an ideology, that’s when things go wrong. The anointed start interpreting those voices from above. They decide what’s good and what’s evil, they tell women they don’t have choices, they convince followers that the power of prayer will bring miracles. But with all that power god can’t find the time to end cancer or global warming or war?
PAMELA Well, at least you’re serious in your convictions, even though they’re wrong. Our conversations about my belief are usually opportunities for ridicule and making jokes. Sounds like maybe you’ve thought about it. That’s a start, Jason.
JASON I am a believer, Pam. I believe with all my heart in you and me.
She begins to reply but he doesn’t let her finish. His mouth is quickly on hers, picking her up in his arms and making a few choreographed spins around the apartment before carrying her upstairs.
Stage goes dark
9. Full stage lit at the greenhouse. JASON listens to a news report on the radio while PUTTY and GARCIA are busy nearby.
RADIO REPORT …with legislature in more and more states addressing legalization mandates. When medical marijuana was proven to treat many pain-related conditions the door was opened and proponents of recreational pot snuck right in. We’ll have to judge the impact of an even more stoned America in years to come. In other news…
JASON clicks the radio off.
JASON Did any of those media Einstein’s ever consider what medical weed is doing to the patient’s head? (MORE) 23. JASON (CONT'D) Sure, the tennis elbow doesn’t hurt as much, but there’s other beneficial side effects that legislators dismiss as ‘recreational’. Stoners are less aggressive, more reasonable, safer drivers than all those drunks steering in the wrong direction. And we experience more meaningful sex, like what happened at my house last night.
PUTTY Meaningful sex. I’d settle for totally meaningless sex, mister. Sure the air’s clean out here in the suburbs, but sometimes the body needs things a little dirty.
GARCIA You got that right. When you grow and smoke primo weed all day you better have somebody around who’s going to spread their legs and invite you in. Once in a while I like to be in somebody else’s hands, instead of my own.
JASON I’m sorry, guys. I didn’t mean to rub it in. It’s just that I think last night I became a father. It’s early, early in the fatherhood process but I have a strong belief that the seed was planted.
They congratulate him, passing the bong around.
PUTTY I thought I was ready for a family once. He was a beautiful guy who posed for us in art school. We moved in together, talked about adopting. And then things began to change, namely his gender. He wasn’t sure if he was happy being a man anymore. He got beat up a few times.
GARCIA I hear about transgender people on the news. Some places have a law, make them go to a toilet they don’t want to be in. In Mexico, every toilet is one you don’t want to be in. That’s because most of them is a stinky out-house, only room for one at a time, and nobody cares if you sit down or standup.
JASON Some countries don’t even bother with bathroom rules. They just throw LGBT’s off a roof and then bow their heads in prayer. (MORE) 24. JASON (CONT'D) Those are the actions of people who, a s Stevie Wonder sang, believe in things they don’t understand. Superstition.
PUTTY ( MONOLOGUE OVER MUSIC ) NoPoopForYou…!
Let’s face it when you’ve got to go The only thing you want to know “A bathroom, is there one nearby?” A human right they can’t deny
Yet there are those who have control Over who gets to use the bowl And the judgment that they render Is determined by our gender
Used to be signs on the door Designating who it was for One sign read She, the other He But now that number’s up to three
“Those damn transgenders are to blame!” Some angry politicians claim “Women be women, men be men Make America great again!”
Europeans know how to pee Single toilets marked WC One at-a-time equality Whatever future genders may be.
JASON Hey, before I forget. I met a Jamaican dude yesterday. Swears he’s got a way to make good smoke into great smoke. Take a hit off this and tell me what you think.
They pass the joint around a couple of times and wait for a reaction. The lights grow dimmer as one by one they begin dancing in a slow trance around the stage. 25.
A sparkling lighting effect dominates the scene until each drops to the floor.
PUTTY What! Just! Happened?
Stage goes dark.
10. A spotlight on the wall clock reads 10:30. The stage lights up on PAMELA seated at the kitchen table, candles lit. She finishes her meal alone and takes her dishes to the sink. She looks out the window and then steps on a footstool to a top shelf, reaching in back for something hidden. It’s a pack of cigarettes.
PAMELA (SINGING) Pamela’s Lament
He could have called, he’s working late Should I stay up and warm his plate? He’ll never learn if I forgive Is this the life I want to live?
She lights a cigarette, takes a drag and exhales.
PAMELA (CONT'D) He doesn’t act like we’re a pair A man and wife, they need to share Not leave each other in the dark Our precious love has lost its spark
The door opens and JASON shuffles in. He’s shocked.
JASON A cigarette? You’re smoking a cigarette. You promised. What about our kids, our family? 26.
PAMELA You promised, too. Love, honor and obey. Wasn’t that the deal? We said ‘I do’, you kissed the bride.
JASON I’m sorry, Pam. There was an accident at the job. I inhaled some toxic fumes. It put me and the guys out for a while. Don’t make me feel any worse, please.
She walks closer to him, sniffing.
PAMELA Smells like those toxic fumes were rolled up in a joint. You told me you’d quit the drugs. You lied, Jason. Nothing’s changed. You’re still that same kid I fell in love with, but I’m not that same naive girlfriend. You’re breaking my heart, Jason. I believed in you. Now…
JASON Please put that cigarette out. I’ve already got a wicked headache. I can’t understand how you’d jeopardize the health of our children …
PAMELA I wouldn’t worry about our kids if I were you. I didn’t tell you but I’ve bee n back on birth control for a while. Our spiritual differences mean nothing to you, but to me they’re a big red flag. And now that dream we shared, the brand new start, a different lifestyle. What a big, ugly joke.
JASON Can’ t we go upstairs and talk about…
PAMELA Yes, upstairs. That’s where I’m headed. You can recover from the toxic fumes down here on the couch.
PAMELA exits up the stairway, while JASON sits on the couch and takes off his shoes.
JASON (SINGING) Melancholy Me
Thought I could live a double life (MORE) 27. JASON (SINGING) (CONT'D) One half for me, half for my wife I love her but I love my work Could I have been a bigger jerk?
PAMELA (SINGING OFF STAGE) I knew that he would never change His character is so free-range Splitting love’s a crazy plan Half for the Lord, half for the man
JASON If she’d just smoke some herb with me I know her animosity Would vanish right before my eyes And clear her head for compromise
PAMELA If he’d let God into his heart Then we could make a brand new start The fog of pot would lift away For blue skies and a brand new day.
PAMELA & JASON I guess there’s nothing more to say.
Stage darkens.
11. Stage is lit as the sun is up at the greenhouse. GARCIA is pruning buds, while PUTTY draws on his sketchpad. A cell phone rings, GARCIA answers.
GARCIA Garcia, here. –Hey, good morning and good timing. We just put your order together. I’ll let you in.
(hangs up) Buck Buchanan is here.
PUTTY That’s just great. I wish you’d schedule him for later in the day. He pops in this early and you know he has to immediately smoke something, and he isn’t happy getting stoned alone. I end up sky-high at 7 AM and drowsy by noon. 28.
GARCIA Got to keep the customers happy. Isn’t that what Jason keeps telling us?
GARCIA exits and returns with BUCK BUCHANAN, a beefy guy in a western shirt and cowboy boots.
BUCK Ah-h-h. Love the smells here in the rainforest, boys. It’s like walking through the door to a Costa Rican bordello. But those bright lights are way too sunny for these late night eyes. (puts on sun glasses) Whatta you got rolled? Need something strong to get the taste of breakfast off my tongue.
GARCIA There’s always something in the ashtray for you, Mr. Buchan an. (lighting up)
BUCK BUCHANAN Where’s the boss this morning? Bad etiquette starting the day without a quorum. (accepts the joint and inhales) Oh, yeah. Good bye bacon and eggs. (exhales) Hello smoke and mirrors. (he passes it to PUTTY)
PUTTY I’ve got to warn you, Buck I rarely smoke this early. (he inhales) And always by myself. When I have my first puff I get way too high and way too honest. I babble about things straight men should never hear.
The three of them sit quietly in the stoned moment. PUTTY finishes drawing a quick cartoon of BUCK , then breaks the silence with a song and dance. 29.
Under a spotlight he’s joined by a female dancer who stands behind and mimics his every move.
PUTTY (SINGING) (CONT’D) Both of Me
The doctor who delivered me Announced a healthy baby boy A precious child for Mom and Dad To fill their lives with lasting joy
Those early years were happy days A brand new world as life begins And then I felt a change inside Like I’d become a set of twins
PUTTY dances a few fanciful steps.
PUTTY (CONT’D) She wasn’t always there at first The other twin inside of me As I grew up she showed up more Soon it became both me and she
My parents never said a thing About the new way that I walked Streaks in my hair, eye mascara My pink blue jeans, the way I talked
Again, PUTTY dances.
PUTTY (CONT’D) Then one day both twins disappeared And left me as I am today Set free from all things he and she Relieved at finally being gay.
JASON enters carrying a suitcase just as BUCK is ready to leave. 30.
JASON I hope you collected a cover charge, Putty. Entertainment is extra.
BUCK BUCHANAN You know what I like about you, Jason, and I’ve dealt with a bunch of pot farmers in my life. You aren’t paranoid. Most of the other growers are a nervous wreck, talking to themselves, carrying a gun. And I don’t blame them, human scarecrows watching over a field of go-to-jail agriculture. But you’re cucumber cool, even here on the smelliest half-acre in the state.
JASON I’d be paranoid if I thought I was doing anything wrong. But I’m just playing middleman between the sun and the soil. My payment is seeing the smile on faces like yours, Blair. Well, part of the payment.
JASON collects a roll of cash from BUCK and helps him carry his purchase toward the exit. He returns.
GARCIA What’s with the luggage? You taking a trip somewhere?
JASON Yeah, right here. Pam and I need a little fresh air between us. I’m camping out in the hemp for a few days. No big deal.
PUTTY You know what is a big deal? That bogus joint we passed around last night. I had my friend at the drug store put it under the microscope. There was some THC, alright. But blended with plenty of phentanol, that synthetic heroin garbage, like 30 or 40 times stronger.
GARCIA You said somebody laid that shit on you?
JASON The Rasta. Said he knew somebody I knew, a junkie sitting in jail. Should have guessed, I know, but he had a good rap. Bragged he could make our product more potent. Sounds like Gateway pot to me. 31.
GARCIA Me and a truck filled with illegals sneaked into America. We broken down in the desert, didn’t eat, no water for a week. Finally we reached Arizona. I was crazy sick, in bad pain. At a clinic they gave me some pills, the pain disappeared but I never got better. Pretty soon the Oxycontin ran out, I went to the street, mugging people to get money for the next needle. I could never stop because I couldn’t think. Until I smoked some marijuana. Weed got me thinking again
JASON (SINGING) Gateway Getaway
A gateway drug is what they claim But killing people ain’t our game Unlike heroin or cocaine Our weed relieves the stress and pain
CHORUS (SINGING) Gateway Drug A gateway drug the critics shout Gateway Drug With no idea what pot’s about Gateway Drug The ganja road is smooth and sweet Gateway Drug Opioids are a dead-end street
JASON Hard drugs trigger panic mode They put your brain on overload You sweat, you slur, you have one thought “Where’s the needle? I can’t get caught.”
CHORUS Gateway Drug A gateway drug the critics shout Gateway Drug With no idea what pot’s about Gateway Drug The ganja road is smooth and sweet Gateway Drug Opioids drugs are a dead-end street 32.
JASON Prescription drugs that doctors write Are sticks of chemo dynamite That numb the pain with just one dose But leave the body comatose
CHORUS Gateway Drug A gateway drug the critics shout Gateway Drug With no idea what pot’s about Gateway Drug The ganja road is smooth and sweet Gateway Drug No needle tracks around your feet Tenderized like a piece of meat.
Stage goes dark.
12. Stage is lit on a plush office where REVEREND BAKER sits at a large desk while PAMELA is resting on a red velvet couch.
PAMELA I don’t think choir practice went that well today. My voice was tired. I didn’t sleep at all last night. Jason slept on the couch and when I came downstairs he was gone.
She begins tearing-up. REVEREND BAKER goes to her side.
REVEREND BAKER Now, now You poor thing. How could he? Running out on you when your marriage is floundering. He’s blind to the heavenly Father and he’s equally blind to his own heavenly wife.
PAMELA I don’t know how heavenly I am, the way I’ve rejected him. Maybe I’m expecting too much. He’s a hard worker, I know. But he promised he wouldn’t get high and I caught him red handed.
REVEREND BAKER walks over to a cabinet and puts two wine glasses and a decanter on a tray. 33.
He places the tray on a table in front of the couch.
REVEREND BAKER You need to relax, my dear. This separation is a blessing from above, believe me. (pouring the wine) I want you to make a toast with me to personal freedom and spiritual dignity.
PAMELA But isn’t that holy wine, reverend? The communion blood of Christ?
REVEREND BAKER No, no. This is my private stock. Pacific Valley Pinot Noir. Screw top.
They clink glasses and sip. The reverend goes to his desk and takes out a pack of cigarettes. He opens a window and lights up.
REVEREND BAKER (CONT’D) You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?
PAMELA I smoked cigarettes when I was younger, when Jason and I first met. Now once in a while it relaxes me - nerves I guess. (he lights one for her) I listened to an ad earlier for one of those dating services, a Christian website. Maybe I should have relied on algorithms instead of my own intuition.
REVEREND BAKER I can’t believe he’s fooled you for so long. Jason sounds like the worst kind of hypocrite. But an online dating service? And those so called religious sites are the worst. We know there’s only one matchmaker who truly calls the shots when it comes to love. 34.
REVEREND BAKER (MONOLOGUE OVER MUSIC) Dating.com
Christian Mingles, Jewish Singles Hindu Harmony, Muslim Match Finding someone with your beliefs Seems okay, but there’s just one catch
Faith is key to all religions That sacred guidance from above Shouldn’t it be God who helps you Not Emails saying: ‘You’ve got love!’
So exit those exclusive sites Where you’re known by a questionnaire Reach out to the romance expert Who can only be reached by prayer.
PAMELA I knew you were musical, Reverend. A sense of humor, not so much
REVEREND BAKER I may be a man of the cloth, dear Pamela, but there’s skin and bone beneath this robe. My followers usually see me as a conduit to the Lord. Only on rare occasions do I step out of that glorious light and into more human shadows.
PAMELA finishes her glass of wine and stands.
PAMELA This wine is different from what Jason brought home for our anniversary. It feels like every part of me is tingling. Are you sure you didn’t mix it up with the holy wine?
REVEREND BAKER That may very well have happened, my angel face. 35.
He stands and takes a drag of his cigarette, then balances her face in his hand and exhales into her open mouth as she inhales.
PAMELA I haven’t done that since I was a teenager. You make me want to sing something.
REVEREND BAKER Ah, yes. But I’m already in love with your voice, Pamela. (pouring more wine) Do I inspire anything else inside of you?
Stage goes dark.
Spotlight on the RASTAFARIAN dialing his cell phone (SFX). It begins ringing on stage as the lights come up JASON switches on a small lamp next to his cot in the greenhouse and answers the call.
JASON (GROGGY) Hello.
RASTAFARIAN (RAP) Is this the who I’m speaking to Half-blind Gomez said he knew Took my money and my smoke Took my number but we ain’t spoke I’m chilling out here on your street We got business to complete.
JASON Yeah. You hit the right buttons, pal. But I’m afraid my friend doesn’t want to deal with you. He tried that smoke and doesn’t like the ingredients. How did you even find me?
RASTAFARIAN You can’t hide from the GPS Now a brother don’t have to guess Where to find your cannabis farm ‘Case I need to inflict some harm. 36.
There’s a loud pounding off-stage. JASON gets up and lets the RASTAFARIAN in.
JASON Hey. There’s no need to get pissed off. I wasn’t going to keep your dough. But there’s no way you’re going to turn my product into hard drugs, understand?
RASTAFARIAN When I spike it People like it America, land of the free Don’t disrespect our liberty Once the harvest leaves your door Don’t think about it anymore.
JASON You must realize the investment it takes to grow, in both time and money. People I deal with respect how I do business and who I don’t do business with. Narcotics, real or synthetic, is bad business, except for funeral homes. I believe in my strain, where it takes people, how it brings them back. The customers you’re after, well they never come back.
JASON takes cash out of a drawer and hands it to the RASTAFARIAN.
RASTAFARIAN You talk drugs like it’s religion That’s one fucked up decision Selling a buzz is what it is Don’t think so? Get outta the biz.
JASON You know I could listen to your speed-dial jive all night long but I’ve had a hard day. (at the door) You got your money…
RASTAFARIAN Mighty whitey tired of my act Maybe he needs a wake-up smack Don’t think yo u seen the last of me I’m that shadow behind every tree. 37.
He pushes JASON out of the way as he exits. Stage goes dark.
ACT TWO
1. Stage lit on the greenhouse in high production mode.
JASON How are those Sugar Sativa tea biscuits doing? Mrs. Shapiro from the nursing home is due any minute. And we did remember the cinnamon on top, right?
PUTTY Powdered sugar and cinnamon, as I recall. Hope somebody takes care of me with stoned pastries when I’m old and gray.
GARCIA You’re a heart-warming and generous dude, Jason, donating medicinal edibles to the elderly. Think an elevated THC level is turn ing seniors into sophomores?
JASON That’s part of my motivation. Get old people off erection pills and sleeping aids. Their lives are short enough. They should spend the last years as healthy and happy as possible. Plus, we get to pick the pockets of the pharmaceutical bandits. I just hope the nurses have some experience with my prescription.
GARCIA (SINGING) Marijuana / EMT
When dispensing medical weed Don’t overlooked the patient’s need To have some EMTs on hand Who’ve smoked some pot and understand
Just what it’s like to get so high You leave the ground and touch the sky Tornado in a reefer spin Your brain is yang, your mind is yin 38.
CHORUS (SINGING) Call Marijuana 911 I think I’m having too much fun Call Marijuana EMT Come get this ganja off of me
GARCIA The Marijuana EMTs Grab their Ray-Bans, grab the keys A Volkswagen bus painted black Dead-head sticker on the back
Surfboard stretcher, muffler’s blown Siren sounds like a saxophone They’ll reach the patient just as soon As they grab lunch, ‘cause dude it’s noon
CHORUS Call Marijuana 911 I think I’m having too much fun Call Marijuana EMT Come get this ganja off of me
JASON’S phone rings. He checks the caller, then goes to the door.
JASON She’s here.
MRS. SHAPIRO is elderly but doesn’t act her age. In hip black tights and a yoga top, she moves like a modern dancer.
MRS. SHAPIRO I wish I could bring my garden club in here. The ladies could learn a lot about how persistence and proper care translates into bushy, bountiful vegetation. Most of them forget to water, turning crocus into cactus and tulips into tumble weed.
JASON I could send a few pots back with you. Maybe if the ladies understood that a healthy garden would mean a healthy buzz down the road, they’d be more responsible. 39.
MRS. SHAPIRO No, no. That might work if we all enjoyed marijuana. But there are plenty of old farts who think rock & roll is sitting in a rocking chair with their hair in rollers. Usually the same ones who busy themselves fingering prayer beads. My pot pals and I visit museums, go to the beach, play croquet, dance the tango, drink a glass of wine, watch the late news on TV. Of course all that bad news makes it hard to get to sleep. That’s when your crop truly comes to the rescue.
PUTTY shares a joint and MRS. SHAPIRO stands perfectly still, before moving into a loose-limbed ballet.
MRS. SHAPIRO (SINGING) Nap Quest
My bedroom used to be the place Where I’d depart the human race A pillow tucked beneath my head Anticipating dreams ahead
But that’s the way it used to be Now sleep is just a memory Of how life was before the sight Of violence on the news each night
CHORUS (SINGING) A kiss goodnight from marijuana Takes me back to the girl I was Free from all the pain and sorrow I fall asleep to its sweet buzz
Gunshots panic a middle school Our migrant workers treated cruel Tension mounts for Blacks and police For Middle East there is no peace
Insomnia is on the rise Dark circles under tired eyes Like landmines on a Kabul road Our minds are ready to explode 40.
CHORUS (CONT’D) A kiss goodnight from marijuana Takes me back to the girl I was Free from all the pain and sorrow I fall asleep to its sweet buzz
Stage goes dark.
2. Full stage is dark except for NARDO on his cell phone under a street lamp.
NARDO Reverend Baker. It’s Nick Nardo, the private detective. I just want ed to let you know that the subject has been spotted going into an old factory on the west side of town. He was carrying a suitcase which may or may not be filled with contraband.
Stage goes dark.
3. Stage is lit on the greenhouse. The radio carries a newscast. JASON and GARCIA drink beer and eat cookies while PUTTY draws on his sketchpad. JASON’S phone text alerts.
JASON Kevork, the Arab guy, owns the hookah bar. He’s just pulling up. Is his order ready?
PUTTY Yeah. Should I switch off the news? It’s all about bombing in the middle-east. Might bum him out.
JASON Maybe. But no, leave it on. One thing I miss about the city is the foreigners at Starbucks, all caffeinated and opinionated. Maybe Kevork can help us sort out real news from the fake.
PUTTY goes off-stage and returns with KEVORK in a full beard and traditional cap. 41.
He greets everyone with a warm smile, bowing politely as a bong is passed to him. He inhales and listens to the news with them.
NEWS REPORTER …when a suicide bomber exploded his device in the hotel lobby. An early estimate of the dead is fourteen with many more injured. Extremist organizations have not come forward to take credit as yet but evidence at the scene leaves little doubt of those responsible. In Germany…
The radio is switched off.
KEVORK I wish I could get these madmen to sit down for five minutes with me. They must clear their minds of the hatred and violence long enough to find the feelings they had as children. Reason would return to their misguided brains. (exhaling) Love would return to their barren hearts. Smiles would return to their angry faces.
JASON You must miss your country, your friends. Do you go back to that insane part of the world?
KEVORK I miss some friends. I’m doing all I can to bring them here to America. I won’t go back and be forced to obey a corrupt government and murderous clerics. But it’s the young people, our only hope. When I meet those who will listen, I tell them:
KEVORK executes North African footwork to traditional drums and horn.
KEVORK ( MONOLOGUE OVER MUSIC ) Open Letter To Arab Youth
We all have voices in our head The echoes of things people said As we grow up we must decide Which words are true, which voices lied 42.
But sometimes voices that we hear Don’t get inside us through the ear Some are quick to name the source “That voice belongs to God, of course”
If you believe in what they say You’ll then be told that you must pray That heaven saves you from the hell Awaiting every infidel
They’ll say that you don’t have a choice You must obey the inner voice Because the message comes from God Commanding you to join jihad
We all have voices in our hearts A mother’s love is where it starts A father adds a sense of pride Close friends we cherish by our side
You live within an ancient land But modern is the new world brand Ancient is religious preachers Modern is the science teachers.
Full stage goes black.
4. A candlelight dinner on stage illuminates PAMELA and REVEREND BAKER.
REVEREND BAKER From now on I will insist on only candlelight whenever we dine together. It is an image that rivals the Madonna painted by any one of the Italian masters. May I borrow your phone for a moment?
He snaps several pictures, making her blush. 43.
PAMELA I never knew a man of the church with such a romantic flair, Reverend. You’re being so kind, but I know it’s only to take my mind off Jason.
REVEREND BAKER Not only do I want your mind off that self-centered atheist, I want it redirected in my direction and the abundance of spiritual love and care I can bring you. The Bible tells us that life is a partnership between a man, a woman and God. Who better to partner with, Pamela, than a personal disciple of the Lord?
He reaches across the table and holds her hand. She takes his hand in both of her hands.
PAMELA I believe in that holy partnership. Even without saying a word I can feel the trust and sincerity passing from your hands to mine. A sexual innocence that scares me. I’m still his wife and will remain faithful to our marriage vows.
REVEREND BAKER is visibly excited and anxious, pulling one of her hands up to his lips.
REVEREND BAKER We must never forget that God is our shepherd, manipulating our every move for the betterment of his flock. The black sheep you are betrothed to is not living up to his promise. Think of me as an earthly savior here to spare your heart the grief and pain and self-doubt of a failed marriage.
He stands and comes around to her side of the table. But she stands too and holds him off.
PAMELA Be patient with me, please. I need to know once and for all that Jason is unwilling, uncompromising, unrepentant. If we don’t then we’re as sinful as he is.
REVEREND BAKER hugs her, showing the audience the frustration in his face before exiting abruptly. 44.
Stage goes dark
5. Full stage lit. JASON lounges in a chair alone at the greenhouse smoking a pipe and singing soulfully.
JASON (SINGING) Marijuana Undertow
We knew it from the very start The sex appeal was heart to heart What we believed in played no part Once we were stung by Cupid’s dart
CHORUS (SINGING) I get so high but feel so low This marijuana undertow Is dragging me far out to sea I need her love to rescue me
JASON In time our love moved off the bed Our heart to heart went head to head The bitter truth from things we said Became the tears that we both shed
CHORUS I get so high but feel so low This marijuana undertow Is dragging me far out to sea I need her love to rescue me
He inhales then exhales a cloud of smoke. A church bell sounds.
Full stage goes dark.
6. Stage in a low light. (SFX) A dark silhouette crosses the stage and lifts a flaming bottle over his head, smashing it through the greenhouse skylight. 45.
Suddenly the stage is engulfed in a fast-burning gasoline fire that turns the dry jungle where JASON sleeps into an inferno.
The stage goes dark.
7. Mourners with black umbrellas slowly walk in a funeral procession down the theater aisles toward the stage. Stage is low lit as they congregate around a gravesite with a framed photo of JASON’S face on a wooden cross. PAMELA is prominent among the small crowd of mourners. GARCIA and PUTTY stand further back as REVEREND BAKER holds a Bible to his chest.
REVEREND BAKER A life too young is laid to rest Perhaps in death he’ll now be blessed By God who he refused to love Who sits in judgment high above.
CHOIR(SINGING) Hallelujah… Hallelujah… You’ll get what’s coming to ya Don’t pray for mercy it’s too late As you approach that pearly gate Halle-e-e-e-lu-u-u-u-jah.
Stage goes dark.
8. Stage is lit on PAMELA sitting in her living room drinking a glass of wine, flipping through a photo album. She reaches for a cigarette but her pack is empty. Her doorbell rings and she goes to answer it. 46.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT I’m sorry to bother you at a time like this. My name is Lambert, Detective Lambert, with the sheriff’s department I’m trying to piece together facts regarding your husband’s deathI can come back if this is a bad time…
PAMELA (SHARING A LOOK AT THE ALBUM) No, no. Come in. I was just remembering. Here we are on Cape Cod, sleeping bags on the beach.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT Your husband was operating a medium-size pot operation. At this time there’s no indication that you were involved. But of course any light you can shed for our investigation…
PAMELA Believe me, I had no idea he was growing marijuana, detective. You can search the place. I don’t smoke pot. He promised me he stopped. He promised…
She breaks down and cries, finding comfort in his arms
DETECTIVE LAMBERT Go ahead. Get the tears out. That’s the only way to say good- bye to a loved one. Sadness is a chemical reaction just like everything else. Crying carries that chemical out of your system. Take a deep breath.
She takes a handkerchief from LAMBERT and composes herself.
PAMELA What I could really use is a cigarette.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT Sorry. My wife made me give it up. Going to be three years in March. I wonder if you met anyone he dealt with? Did he have any enemies that you know of? Some one capable of arson?
PAMELA You think the fire wasn’t an accident? Somebody set Jason on fire? I suppose there are some pretty dangerous and desperate people buying and selling drugs. Jason wasn’t either of those. (MORE) 47. PAMELA (CONT'D) He smoked pot, used to sing folk songs He should have grown up but he never did. Dangerous and desperate? No, not Jason.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT Again, I apologize for bothering you so soon after his death. Here’s my card. If anything comes to mind give me a call. I know you want the person responsible for your husband’s death brought to justice as quickly as possible.
PAMELA Yes, of course. Justice. I can’t believe anyone would want to kill him.
The detective leaves and she pours more wine. PAMELA picks through an ashtray and finds a cigarette butt. She lights it and gets one drag before squishing it out. She needs a smoke, opening every drawer and cabinet. Climbing on the counter to reach the highest shelf, feeling around blindly she discovers JASON’S small wooden box. Inside are non-filtered cigarettes, perfectly rolled. She wastes no time lighting one and taking a deep drag.
PAMELA (CONT’D) This isn’t tobacco. This is Jason’s. Poor Jason.
She has to sit down, gradually affected by the marijuana.
PAMELA (CONT’D) He was the only boy I loved. He was the only man I hated. I thought I hated him…
She takes another drag and leans back in her chair, eyes heavy, closing. JASON appears across the room under a purple light.
JASON That smell. You’re smoking pot. 48.
PAMELA’S eyes and mouth pop open, her hands grip the arms of the chair where she sits straight and rigid. She manages to get to her feet, breathing heavily, but immediately faints, collapsing back into the chair. JASON rushes over, trying to revive her.
JASON (CONT’D) Pamela. Sweet sweet Pamela.
PAMELA (regaining consciousness) Jason. My God, this dream, this nightmare is so real. The smoke put me to sleep. My God, Jason, you sound so real, you smell so real.
JASON(SEEING THE WOODEN BOX) You found that special strain, the Purple Ashvahan. I never got to try it. The seeds are supposed to be from an archeological dig, a burial tomb 3000 years old. Pretty heady, magic herb I’m told. What happened to me, Pam?
PAMELA You don’t know? The fire. Should I be talking to a dead man, Jason, even in a dream? I need to wake up.
JASON I died in a fire? That’s why my breathing’s so tight. The taste of smoke. I died in a fire. Was there a funeral? Did anybody show up? It must have been those goddamn lights. I told Garcia they were too hot, too close Was it the…
PAMELA Stop, Jason. You’re making me dizzy. I don’t feel good about seeing you. For all I know it’s the devil pretending to be you.
JASON I wonder if Garcia and Putty were there? I feel bad , making them move here with me and now they’r e out of a job.
PAMELA Was it one of them who started the fire? A detective came to see me. He said it was arson and did I know… 49.
JASON Arson! Somebody wanted me dead? The Rastafarian. Son of a bitch, I can’t believe he was capable of that. Must have gotten all crazy on smack. If he couldn’t have my plants nobody would.
PAMELA covers her ears with her hands and heads for the stairs.
PAMELA No more, Jason. This is wrong, wrong, wrong. There’s only one spirit, the Holy one. Your face is Jason’ s and your words… But I fear it’s Satan. (she starts up the stairs) I need to get into bed and go to sleep so I can wake up from this Goodnight, goodbye, whoever you are.
The stage goes dark.
10. Stage lit by a single bulb hanging over a table at police headquarters. Seated is the RASTAFARIAN in handcuffs being questioned by DETECTIVE LAMBERT.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT You just happen to be in that factory neighborhood at around midnight. Pure coincidence that an eye-witness saw you carrying a can of gasoline a few minutes before that marijuana forest fire.
RASTAFARIAN Your witness is a liar I was nowhere near that fire.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT We have a photograph of you at the scene of the fire the next day. That’s where our witness made a positive ID.
RASTAFARIAN This witness spends a lot of time Hanging near the scene of the crime Maybe he’s the one to chase Instead of beating up my race. 50.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT The witness is a well respected member of the clergy at a local congregation. The victim of the fire was the husband of a church member. He was there to help with some marital difficulties they were having. Race has nothing to do with this. The test we did on your blood indicates high levels of illegal substances. Your fingerprints are on file confirming two drug offenses in the last twenty-four months. Who do you think the court is going to believe?
Stage goes dark.
11. A church organ plays softly. The full stage lights on a row of empty church pews except for PAMELA sitting and praying in one. REVEREND BAKER discovers her and slides in beside her.
REVEREND BAKER Be strong, my dear? You look so tired and sad.
PAMELA I barely slept last night, or else I slept too well. It’s so confusing. Jason was in my dream. We spoke. It was terrifying. Have you ever heard of anything like that?
REVEREND BAKER Of course, Pamela. The shock of someone close to you suddenly gone can linger and manifest itself in so many ways. Dreams are of course the easiest place for the dead to sneak back into our lives. Let me get you some sleeping pills. They’ll take you deeper in your sleep, beyond the spirit world.
They both relax and smile. She looks up into his reassuring face.
REVEREND BAKER (CONT’D) What you need to do is get out of that house, that bedroom, away from all reminders of your former life. That invitation to the mountains is still open. We can start a new chapter in both our lives overlooking one of God’s most beautiful and fertile landscapes. I guarantee up there your dreams will be safe from all intruders. 51.
PAMELA I’m feeling better already. We have the concert Wednesday evening. If we drove out Thursday we could have a few days in the outdoors and get back for Sunday morning.
REVEREND BAKER Terrific. My heart is swelling. I’m going into my study now and rewrite the sermon for Sunday. I’m not sure what it will say but the words ‘love’ and ‘happiness’ and ‘beginnings’ are sure to pop up throughout.
He leans over for a kiss but PAMELA shifts and rests her face on his shoulder. The organ plays in a minor key.
The lights go out.
12. The stage is lit on a city skyline backdrop. In front is a park bench where PUTTY is sketching on a large drawing pad. GARCIA arrives and sits next to him with a newspaper.
GARCIA Nothing online. Nothing in the newspaper. They got headlines about a burglar caught in a chimney, a government study blames receding hairlines on global warming, police discover toy guns in a kindergarten raid. But a jungle of primo bud going up in flames and a beautiful, funny, generous dude dying way too soon is not newsworthy. What the…?
PUTTY My eyes are thirsty, Garcia. Jason’s got me all cried out. I drew a few sad, angry cartoons and realized that there was nothing I wanted to say. He left life in a smoldering blaze of weed Its cloud still hovering around the planet on its way to forever.
GARCIA I just read something about those artists in Paris. You can get whacked for drawing a cartoon of God. Who even knows what God looks like? Is he in good shape, a pudgy dude, bad teeth? 52.
PUTTY I feel for those poor artists, too. But the cartoons need to lighten up in Europe. When religion inspires men to chop off heads it’s reasonable to assume publishing a picture of their prophet is going to get a similar reaction. To be a great artist today, not only do you need to learn to draw, and need to learn what to draw.
PUTTY stands with his drawing pad, the spotlight on him singing, joined by dancers with drawing pads. During the chorus gunshots sound, sirens wail.
PUTTY (SINGING) Poison Pens
Doodles on a cocktail coaster Moustache on a George Bush poster Cartoons were how my pals and me Unwound at night in NYC
We dreamed of getting paid to draw A fading dream each time we saw True artists fill a square with ink That made you smile and made you think
CHORUS (SINGING) Gunshots on a Paris street Sirens play a voodoo beat Victims bleeding from the heart They kill the artist but not the art
What a strange and heinous time Cartoon and murder share my rhyme Tragic and senseless all agree But something has occurred to me
The artists in our magazines Seek out the humor in our genes The quirks, the traits, our basic flaws Are simple truths that give us pause 53.
CHORUS (CONT’D) Gunshots on a Paris street Sirens play a voodoo beat Victims bleeding from the heart They kill the artist but not the art
Others draw with a sharper pen Ridiculing women and men In cartoons judging them absurd For following their Prophet’s word It’s time to drop the poison pens And vow all hateful drawing ends Let’s make our squares inclusive space That reunites the human race.
PUTTY How about you? What’s life after Jason going to be like ? There’s got to be something besides gardening that you’re passionate about.
GARCIA (LIGHTING A JOINT) Yeah, I got a passion. I’m passionate ab out change. That’s what marijuana means for me. Every day I get a new dose of change when I light up. I’m feeling down and out about Jason, but getting high turns my sadness around. I’m happy I knew the brother. I never know who the pot is going to turn me into, but I’m always grateful to be someone different.
GARCIA (SINGING) Smoke Until You’re Someone New
I used to be a boring dude The things I said were always rude Making friends was not an option Mom threatened me with adoption
I dreamed of being someone new And then one day that dream came true The opposite of what I was Came with my first reefer buzz
CHORUS Smoke until you’re someone new Let marijuana transform you (MORE) 54. CHORUS (CONT'D) From watching life and all you miss To giving life a big wet kiss
GARCIA The parties that I always missed Because I wasn’t on the list Are glad when I decide to crash So they can share my stoner stash
I guess a lot of folks agree And want a fresh start just like me They’re weary of the same old stuff A brand new life with just one puff
CHORUS Smoke until you’re someone new Let marijuana transform you From watching life and all you miss To giving life a big wet kiss.
Full stage darkens.
13. Stage lit as REVEREND BAKER preaches to his congregation.
REVEREND BAKER I have a conversation with our Lord every evening. We all say our prayers of course, but my talk is often more back and forth than prayer. God lets me know how he feels about certain things happening down here on earth. Last night was a particularly grave conversation. It dealt with marriage. He reminded me that marriage is the foundation of a strong religious life and has been since the Garden of Eden. There’s no changing the rules of man and wife simply to suit the whimsy of modern tastes. Homosexuals are some of society’s most creative and inventive members, but when it comes to the Bible, we must be steadfast in our traditional values and discourage the same sex community from hijacking our sacred vows of matrimony. When any gender can tie the knot, then the knot that ties you to your loved one loosens and unravels, becoming less and less meaningful, until we’re all divorced from God almighty.
CHOIR (SINGS) The wedding bells will ring with joy To celebrate each girl and boy (MORE) 55. CHOIR (SINGS) (CONT'D) Who vow to honor and obey God’s wisdom on their wedding day.
Stage goes dark.
14. Stage lit as PAMELA enters her apartment, hesitating. She puts down a bag of groceries.
PAMELA Hello. Anybody here?
She puts things away, then pours a glass of wine and sits in the living room. She opens a pack of cigarettes and lights one. She waits.
PAMELA (CONT’D) Jason? Can you hear me?
She picks up the album again, old pictures of them together. Some make her laugh, some make her sad.
PAMELA (CONT’D) Why do I think about you? Why did I dream about you, damn it? You lied to my face, your secret life Marijuana might as well have been an affair with another woman. You cheated on me, Jason.
PAMELA spots the wooden box. She squishes her cigarette in an ashtray and takes out one of the rolled joints from the box. Sitting down, she has a sip of wine and smells the joint. She picks up a lighter, flicks it then puts it down again. She continues through the old photos, glancing at the ashtray She finally picks up the joint and lights it.
JASON That’s an awful shot of me. 56.
JASON looks over her shoulder under the purple light. PAMELA jumps out of her chair and stares at him nervously as he slowly circles.
PAMELA It’s the pot, isn’t it? You weren’t here when I smoked a cigarette. Why, Jason? I saw you burned and scared, lying in the casket. How did you come back?
JASON I only know how to grow marijuana, Pam. I don’t pretend to know how it affects our thinking, but I’m grateful that it allows us to visit for a while. Did they find the Rastafarian? I hope he ends up in the same cell as his one- eyed pal.
PAMELA reaches out and touches JASON’S arm. He takes hold of her hand but she pulls away.
JASON (CONT’D) I’m real, Pam. Not a dream. Not an Old Testament fable about a man living inside a whale or walking on water.
PAMELA Now I’m sure it’s you. Being a ghost hasn’t changed your attitude I would have thought death might humble you, all ow you to see the heavenly light.
JASON And I hoped that seeing me, hearing me, touching me would be evidence enough that god is not in charge. Praying didn’t bring us back together, Pamela. Marijuana did.
PAMELA My divine devotion is so harmless, Jason. Why were you so stubborn in letting it come between us?
JASON Ask a gay man why the church considers his love for another man sodomy, a crime against nature. Ask a former altar boy scarred for life by the priest who raped him, how the shame and hatred ruined his life. The bible documents your savior performing miracles, curing the blind, defying death. (MORE) 57. JASON (CONT'D) But go to YouTube today and watch thousands of the most amazing, miraculous things that humans accomplish, and among them not one verifiable religious miracle.
A knock on the door. They look at each other, unsure what to do. Another knock. JASON disappears into a closet as PAMELA answers the door.
REVEREND BAKER I know I should have called but I picked up a pizza and thought you might be hungry. You look disturbed, Pamela. Is it the dreams again? Has he come back to haunt you, poor thing?
PAMELA I took one of the pills you gave me to relax. It made me very tired. I’m sorry. You were so kind to bring over the pizza.
REVEREND BAKER takes her in his arms. PAMELA looks over his shoulder and sees JASON come out of the closet, circling the room.
REVEREND BAKER (MASSAGING HER) You’re a bundle of nerves. Let me work your shoulders with my fingers. The neck is where all the tension collects.
JASON is standing a foot away from them, but he’s invisible to BAKER. Meanwhile PAMELA doesn’t know what to think as the reverend’s hands get more and more aggressive.
PAMELA Reverend Baker. Do you think now is the time…
REVEREND BAKER Yes, Pamela. I do think now is the time. You put me off because you w ere married. Now you aren’t. What’s the problem, my dear? You and I both feel the attraction, the desire flowing between our bodies. 58.
She struggles to get away but he holds on tight, moving his hands over her breasts while JASON watches.
PAMELA Stop, please. I never thought you’d be like this.
REVEREND BAKER Like this? You lead me on and on after I’ve been so generous with you. There are other voices in the choir, you know. But who did I choose to lead? Now let’s stop this teenager stuff and start acting like adults. Consenting adults.
PAMELA No. Please leave. Jason, help!
JASON picks up a flower pot and dumps water over BAKER’S head. The reverend is stunned, freaking out.
REVEREND BAKER What? How did you do that? You just said Jason. That’s your husband. I saw him lying in the casket. Are you a witch or just a stubborn bitch? (as he’s leaving) Maybe our Lord will send you to the same hell your husband’s burning in.
BAKER leaves in a hurry. PAMELA collapses in a chair crying. JASON picks her up in his arms and carries her upstairs.
The stage goes dark.
15. Stage is lit on an older white JUDGE banging his gavel, seated high on the bench. Next to him is REVEREND BAKER on the witness stand. Across the stage is the RASTAFARIAN between two uniformed cops. 59.
JUDGE We can dispense with the swearing in, bailiff. I’m certain Reverend Baker has his hand on the Bible most every day. (they smile at each other) It is my understanding, sir, that you witnessed the factory fire at South Street on the night of March 3rd (Baker nods) And are prepared to identify the suspect you believe was responsible for setting it.
REVEREND BAKER Your honor, it is my mission as a disciple of our Lord, to help save those lost souls in our community. I wish I could help this reckless boy apologize to the victim’s family and start his life over again at the Holy Redemption Tabernacle. Unfortunately, the law is not as kind as I am. Yes, Your Honor, that young man in the African haircut was running around with a gas can just before an explosion. The flames lit up the night and that’s when I got a look at his face.
RASTAFARIAN I wasn’t anywhere near that fire. If he‘s so sure how it was set than maybe he set it.
JUDGE (USING HIS GAVEL) There will be no outbursts in my courtroom. Reverend Baker has already testified as to why he was in that neighborhood. You have been unable to supply this court with anyone who could corroborate your claim at being elsewhere that evening. It is therefore this court’s…
RASTAFARIAN Wait, wait. Please, your Honor. There is somebody. (singing) I’m Innocent
I got a witness who will swear I’m innocent, I wasn’t there His name is Jah and like your God He speaks the truth, he ain’t no fraud
Look at me, you see a loser A taste for drugs and a boozer But I believe as much as you That God is here to see us through
(MORE) 60. RASTAFARIAN (CONT'D) Jah, carry me away from here Back to a warmer hemisphere The powdered sand beneath my feet The island winds that blow so sweet.
REVEREND BAKER (LAUGHING WITH THE JUDGE) It is true, young man, that God always speaks the truth. That’s because He is wise and all-knowing. If you had stayed on your island and followed your Jah’s religious lifestyle instead of the criminal path you chose, perhaps life would have turned out differently for you. May the Lord find forgiveness in his heart.
JUDGE I find you guilty of malicious arson and involuntary manslaughter. Sentencing guidelines call for a minimum of 25 years. I will make my decision within the week. Return the guilty defendant to his cell. (gavel sounds) Court is adjourned.
The stage goes dark.
16. The lights come up in PAMELA’S living room. She enters in a bathrobe and towel around her hair.
PAMELA (SINGING) The Ghost of Love
The ghost of love is haunting me One puff of smoke and we can be The lovers we once were in bed This man who comes back from the dead
CHORUS (SINGING) Always or never, which is longer? Joy or sorrow, which is stronger? Two spirits filling up my heart Two men who’ve torn my world apart
PAMELA The ghost of love the scriptures say Fulfills the needs of those who pray (MORE) 61. PAMELA (CONT'D) For comfort at a time of loss This man who died upon the cross
CHORUS Always or never, which is longer? Joy or sorrow, which is stronger? Two spirits filling up my heart Two men who’ve torn my world apart
PAMELA Which ghost of love should I embrace? The one who makes love face to face Or love that’s a religious vow? I need to choose but don’t know how.
PAMELA’S phone rings. She answers and hears DETECTIVE LAMBERT on his phone.
PAMELA (CONT’D) Hello.
DETECTIVE LAMBERT Yes, Pamela. It’s Detective Lambert. I just thought you’d want to know that the man responsible for your husband’s death, a Jamaican drug dealer, has been caught and found guilty. He won’t be a threat to you or anybody else for a long, long time.
PAMELA That’s comforting news, detective. Can you tell me who it was? Did he have dealings with Jason?
DETECTIVE LAMBERT He never admitted being a drug dealer but his record suggested otherwise. The judge at the trial relied on an eye- witness who made a positive identification. A member of the clergy so there was little doubt of his integrity.
PAMELA The clergy. Can you tell me who?
DETECTIVE LAMBERT I’m sure you’ll want to thank him yourself. His name is Baker. (MORE) 62. DETECTIVE LAMBERT (CONT'D) Reverend Baker from the Holy Redemption Tabernacle church. Oh, I’ve got another call. Just wanted to let you know, Pamela. Take care.
PAMELA (STUNNED) Sure. Thanks. Good bye.
They hang up. PAMELA relights the joint from the wooden box. She relaxes in the chair and closes her eyes. JASON appears under the purple light on the floor next to her.
JASON It was love like we made in New York, Pam. I wasn’t sure we’d still be able to.
PAMELA Where do you go when you l eave me, Jason?
JASON I don’t go anywhere, Pam. It’s you that makes an appearance. The living haunt the dead, you know. We’re both alive in each other’s heart and mind. The reefer fertilizes our thoughts and cravings into this harvest of love. Think of it as two colliding reflections within a three-sided prism. Life and death and this third dimension.
PAMELA (CLUTCHING HIS HAND) We don’t know if it’s the marijuana, Jason. I feel the joy that you’re talking about, the high. But that may simply be me tumbling in free-fall. My entire spiritual foundation has crumbled under the weight of Baker, the lying piece of shit Such a pathetic creature pretending to be a heavenly messenger.
JASON (COMFORTING HER) Men in robes wearing crosses. For some reason their lips preach one thing while their probing hands perform another. Have you seen him since I baptized the horny hypocrite?
PAMELA He waited until I was singing my solo part, then interrupted and announced to the choir that I’d been replaced. I was hurt and embarrassed. (MORE) 63. PAMELA (CONT'D) When he turned his face to me I looked him straight in the eyes and saw a man who wasn’t simply mad about my rejecting him. I saw a vengeful monster capable of doing anything to have his way. Even set a fire.
JASON What are you talking about?
PAMELA Detective Lambert told me they arrested a Jamaican drug dealer…
JASON The Rasta.
PAMELA …and it was Reverend Baker who made the positive identification. Why would he even be there so late at night?
JASON “Maybe I can send you to the same hell your husband’s burning in. ”That’s what he said when he left. I didn’t think that Dread-head Rasta would murder somebody over weed Baker doesn’t care about anybody but himself. We need to get at the truth. You need to go back, Pam.
PAMELA What? No, no, I can’t. The thought of his hands, those lips. It sickens me.
JASON You have to, sweetheart. This is humanity, compassion, justice. The true religion. You have the sweet voice of a saint, be one.
Stage goes dark.
17. The full stage lights the Tabernacle’s altar where REVEREND BAKER faces the cross. He appears to be praying. PAMELA enters the church and sits in a rear pew. When the reverend finishes his prayer he turns and walks past her. 64.
PAMELA I’m sorry, Reverend. Please don’t ignore me. I was confused, scared, not thinking clearly.
He stops and looks at her.
REVEREND BAKER When you insult me you insult the man I work for. And when you treat me like some sex-crazed deadbeat trying to take advantage of a situation it makes me feel like there is nothing left between us.
PAMELA It was the dream, Reverend, I swear. My husband, Jason, won’t leave me alone. I was lost in a moment where all men were evil ghosts haunting me in my sleep. You’re not part of that, I realize it now.
She reaches out for his hands, stands up and kisses his cheek. He wastes no time in taking her in his arms and kissing her neck.
PAMELA (CONT’D) (breaking his hold) Not here, my darling. I feel the Lord is looking down on us and that makes me very nervous. Come to my house where we can be alone, where you can fold your arms around me and drive the nightmares from my soul.
REVEREND BAKER I want to hear your intoxicating voice again, dear Pamela. Let the melody you sing be the rhythm of our love.
Stage goes dark.
18. The stage lights as PAMELA and REVEREND BAKER enter her house. He pulls a bottle of wine out of a paper bag and puts it on the table. When he tries to resume the hugs and kisses PAMELA plays hard to get. 65.
PAMELA Wait, wait. I want this to be so perfect for us. The first time is always special. (she gets the wooden box) I remember something you once did to me that still gives me goose bumps. The way you lit a cigarette and blew the smoke right into my mouth.
She lights one of the marijuana joints and takes a drag, exhaling into his anxious mouth. And when he exhales she quickly does it again.
REVEREND BAKER My goodness, Pamela. I had no idea you were such… That flavor. It’s a very exotic smell. Almost like marijuana. Let’s open the wine. I’m feeling a little…
JASON (LIT BY THE PURPLE LIGHT) A little stoned, reverend? I bet your pants are even getting a little tighter. Pot can do that to people. And believe me, Pamela is a woman who appreciates that from her man.
REVEREND BAKER is speechless, stunned, stoned. He shifts his eyes toward PAMELA who looks from JASON to BAKER to JASON to BAKER.
PAMELA The dream I told you about, Reverend. You’re now part of it.
REVEREND BAKER Is this the way you drug-addicts corrupt reality and victimize the innocent? I know this is some digital trickery, a hologram. I’m going for the police.
JASON grabs him by the lapels and pushes him into a chair.
JASON Can a hologram do that, Reverend? You, an innocent victim? Don’t you realize that I witnessed your crime, and every sin you’ve ever committed. I am not who you think I am. Her husband was human, incapable of miracles. Only I can appear as the spirit of the dead. The Holy Spirit that you pray to, and pretend to emulate. I am your God, sir. 66.
REVEREND BAKER My God? From the dead? I saw you in the casket. This can’t be happening! My God? (teary) If you are the Holy Spirit then you’re a forgiving God. There’s no need to torment me like this?
PAMELA aims her phone and begin s recording.
JASON You should know that forgiveness comes through confession, my son. That’s one of the first rules you learn at the seminary. Only when you admit to the truth, so help you God, will the heavy burden of my scrutiny be lifted from your body and soul.
REVEREND BAKER slides off the chair and onto his knees, crossing himself. He begins sobbing into his open hands.
REVEREND BAKER Forgive me, my dearest Savior. I did set the fire. But I did it for you. You must know that I didn’t know an innocent man would die. Show me your divine mercy. I then blamed another man for the crime and allowed him to go to prison. But my intentions, they were noble and honest. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…
JASON Shut up. Get off your knees and leave this house. My wife and I don’t want the echo of your pathetic prayer staining our walls and polluting the air we breathe. When we share your confession with the police I wonder if they’ll show any forgiveness.
REVEREND BAKER slow stands and exits. PAMELA and JASON hug.
PAMELA So strange. Religion is what split us apart. But all the goodness and strength I looked for in the church you just revealed to me in yourself. 67.
JASON Blessed be St. Maryjane. But I have one important job for you if we want this relationship to last. You need to call this phone number (writing it down) Tell Garcia who you are. Tell him you have some seeds that need to be planted right away. We can’t ever run out of this eternal strain.
Stage goes dark.
19. The stage is dark, except for a spotlight on Reverend Baker behind bars. On stage a flame lights a joint that is passed down the line from one actor in the play to the next, until all have had a smoke and each stands under the purple light with JASON. They all sing the opening song, ST. MARYJANE.
The End