1 End of the Line: a Bonnie and Clyde Play a full length play by Tyler Joseph Rossi November 15, 2018 Copyright © 2018 Tyler Joseph Rossi [email protected] 2 DRAMATIS PERSONAE BLANCHE- the reluctant adventurer with a heart of gold. A woman Aphrodite would be proud of. Buck’s wife. MRS. BARROW- half of the narrative/choral voice of the play. Went to church because it was the right thing to do. (Her first name is pronounced CUE-ME) MRS. PARKER- the other half. Went to church because it is what the right people did. BONNIE- a dreamer who becomes a “dreamer of the day” – or at least tries to become one. CLYDE- a short-tempered, ambitious young man with a thing for V-8 Roadsters. TED- post-officer worker turned Dallas Deputy. Knew Bonnie and Clyde before they were Bonnie and Clyde. A man caught in the middle. BUCK- More loyal than man’s best friend when it comes to family and those he loves. Blanche’s husband. HAMER- former Texas Ranger. Came out of retirement to capture Bonnie and Clyde. Follows Lady Justice before he follows the law of the land. J. EDGAR HOOVER- Voice Over Playwright’s Notes: A note about style of the show: The stage should reflect that of a Depression era West Dallas home. It should be almost bare. Dusty. Plates function as steering wheels, perhaps brooms function as shotguns, can openers as pistols. I would only advise the guns as such items if they can be used seriously. If not, I would advise using prop pistols, shotguns, etc. The imagination was the best escape for many of the people in the Depression, as there was no seeming way that their situation could improve. Keep this in mind as you design the show. A note on costumes: the coatracks onstage should have costume pieces for the actors. Barrow gang: As the play progresses for the Barrow gang (CLYDE, BONNIE, BLANCHE and BUCK), they should go add nicer clothing as time goes on, especially in Act 1. Don’t be afraid to show these costume changes on stage. As they say, “the clothes maketh the man.” There should also be a deterioration of the gang’s costumes in Act 2. Perhaps these changes could be worked into scene transitions or happen at the top of a scene where applicable. I leave that up to the director. TED: Ted should be in a normal police officer uniform in Act 1. In Act 2, when he is with HAMER, He wears a suit and tie. Perhaps before the scene with HAMER in Act 2, we see him at least put on his suit jacket and tie taken from a coatrack. A “/” indicates an overlap in dialogue. 3 Setting: West Dallas; various locations; late 1920s to early 1930s America – an America of broken promises. The stage is almost bare aside from the essentials. This is the Great Depression after all – we could barely afford a set, the only one that we could afford is shoddy at best. The stage is bare other than a table, chairs and a coatrack or two. At rise: Spotlight on BLANCHE. She is sitting in a chair with a bandage over her left eye. She is practically blind. HOOVER (V.O.) Mrs. Barrow? Blanche Barrow? BLANCHE Yes? HOOVER (V.O.) Do you know who I am? BLANCHE No – I can’t see you. Didn’t they tell you? Everything’s fuzzy. I can barely make out shapes. HOOVER (V.O.) You don’t recognize my voice? (Beat.) You haven’t seen a newsreel in the past few months? BLANCHE No. HOOVER (V.O.) My name is J. Edgar Hoover. I came all the way here from Washington D.C. just so I could talk to you. BLANCHE A lot of people have come a long way to talk to me, Mr. Hoover. HOOVER (V.O.) This could be a very good day for you, or a very bad one. That decision is on you, sweetheart. (Silence.) I think you know why I’m here. BLANCHE Why? HOOVER (V.O.) I’m looking for Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. 4 BLANCHE I don’t know where they are. HOOVER (V.O.) But I think you do. You and your husband have been with them since they started planning the raid on Eastham Prison Farm, isn’t that right? BLANCHE It is, but – HOOVER (V.O.) And you know how Clyde’s mind works best because you visited him often while he himself was serving time there – BLANCHE He didn’t share much with me – HOOVER (V.O.) He didn’t? BLANCHE No. HOOVER (V.O.) Why were you there with the gang in the first place, huh? BLANCHE Because I love my husband – HOOVER (V.O.) You know how many times I’ve heard that – BLANCHE Believe it or not it’s the truth! HOOVER (V.O.) All I want to know is where they are. I can make your life in prison either as easy or as difficult as I choose. I have that power, Mrs. Barrow. BLANCHE I just want to know where he is. HOOVER (V.O.) Who are you talking about? 5 BLANCHE Buck. My husband. Marvin Ivan Barrow. Who are you talking about? HOOVER (V.O.) You know damn well. (Silence.) If you don’t tell me where they are, I will gouge out your other eye. It doesn’t matter if you can see or not – I’ll do it for the hell of it. (Beat.) You want the chance to see again? (Beat.) Five… Four… Three… (Beat.) Where are Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker? Lights down on BLANCHE. BLANCHE exits. Lights up on MRS. PARKER and MRS. BARROW both with books in their hands. MRS. PARKER holds an old book, hardback. Her memoir, Fugitives. MRS. BARROW holds an old, beat up journal – her unpublished memoir. MRS. PARKER Who is Clyde Barrow? MRS. BARROW Who is Bonnie Parker? MRS. PARKER Her son. MRS. BARROW Her daughter. MRS. PARKER and MRS. BARROW What’s their story? MRS. BARROW Everyone tells it differently – MRS. PARKER She says one thing. I say another. MRS. BARROW That’s the thing about legends – tall tales – MRS. PARKER Everyone’s got their own say – Lights come up on the rest of the cast. CLYDE has a broom and sweeps around them. 6 MRS. BARROW (looking back at CLYDE) Clyde Barrow, you make sure this place is spotless, you here? We can’t have this place looking like a pig pen. CLYDE Mama, this is West Dallas – They call it the Devil’s Back Porch for a reason. Little dust ain’t gonna kill anyone – (All but BONNIE shoot CLYDE a look.) All right, all right – keep your pants on. CLYDE continues to sweep as MRS. BARROW and MRS. PARKER continue speaking. As he does, the rest of the cast begins to move. It is a movement piece and should flow. CLYDE might hand off the broom to BUCK at a point, dance with it, etc. However, he should not interact with BONNIE or HAMER until noted. As the rest of the cast moves about, they might sweep or blow a pile of sawdust off the table and chairs. Maybe they dump some sawdust out of a cup that is on the table. MRS. BARROW I never liked hearing it called “The Devil’s Back Porch.” MRS. PARKER I never liked hearing people say, “once you come here, you don’t get out.” MRS. BARROW Our children heard it all. MRS. PARKER But they made the most out of the hands they were dealt. MRS. BARROW I think my boys found a spark of joy from time to time. (Beat.) Seeing them smile was more precious to me than gold. MRS. PARKER And my little Bonnie… She was a rose in the mudpuddle of this place. MRS. BARROW Clyde could’ve made something of himself if – MRS. PARKER Don’t you go blaming me – My Bonnie could’ve been a star – MRS. BARROW I ain’t blaming you, Emma. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s the laws. 7 CLYDE and HAMER start to play Upper Hand/Knobbing Up with the broomstick as MRS. PARKER and MRS. BARROW continue speaking. HAMER eventually wins and hits CLYDE with the broom. CLYDE falls to the floor. MRS. PARKER That’s swell, Cumie. Blame the government. It was hard times for everyone, you know, not just you. MRS. BARROW I know that – but you know how many jobs he lost on account of the laws bringin’ him in for questioning on somethin’ he didn’t do? Too many – I lost count. How else, you gonna make money if you can’t do it legal? MRS. PARKER I only wish he didn’t drag Bonnie into all this – MRS. PARKER and MRS. BARROW notice BONNIE who sees CLYDE on the floor. BONNIE helps him up. Their eyes meet. It’s a real love at first sight kind of moment. MRS. BARROW I don’t think he dragged her anywhere. MRS. PARKER She always did love a sorry sight. (The rest of the cast begins to exit. CLYDE gets the broom back and finishes sweeping. BONNIE goes to the counter and puts on her diner uniform. MRS. PARKER looks at her daughter, admiring some fond memory.) She was such a talented girl. A great talent really. I always told her, “Honey, you see something you want, you just grab it.” Lights go out on MRS. PARKER and she exits.