I realized yesterday that I have a nasty habit of bringing in a bunch of other characters into a script when I'm searching for more to do or for ways to solve problems, instead of dealing with the problems on hand and the characters already in the scene. So I went back into the script to do a reapproach with this scene and see if I can get around bringing more characters in even though they are interesting people. I need to make the people already on stage better. I start stalling still at the end of this scene and I can see it needs tightening, but it is getting back to the problem.
(he rolls her
over onto her back and goes in for the kiss)
JIM
Rock and roll goddess.
JANIS
Egotistical rock god.
(They kiss and
roll. They sit up more eagerly, groping. She grabs the now-empty Southern Comfort
bottle and breaks it over his head. He is out. GABRIELLE, PATTY, AND PEARL
applaud the breaking of the spell. JANIS startled and confused EXITS running)
|
Patty No,
our guide! Don’t go! |
gabrielle S’arrêt!
S’arrêt! |
PATTY
Janis! We come in
peace!
PEARL
She can’t…I must!
(PEARL is too
woozy to chase her)
PATTY
No, you’re bleeding. Oh dear….
(she starts to
swoon)
GABRIELLE
(slaps PATTY) Non! Non!
PEARL
You have to go…
(GABRIELLE
catches PEARL as she faints)
GABRIELLE
Americans!
(She checks
that they are breathing)
C’est impossible! Jim
Morrison et Janis Joplin, porquoi?
(As she paces
WEEPING ANGEL with OTHER ANGEL take JIM away)
C'est impossible ! Comment est-ce possible ? Je dois rêver. Ils m'ont
peut-être drogué ? Non, j'aurais bu quelque chose, senti quelque chose, ou
touché quelque chose. Aïe, qu'est-ce qu'ils m'ont encore fai? Où est-il?
(She wakes up
PATTY)
Qu'as-tu fait? Où est-il?
PATTY
What?
GABRIELLE
Où est-il? Where is he?
PATTY
Who?
GABRIELLE
Jim. Where is he?
PATTY
(screams) Where is he?
GABRIELLE
Oui!
PATTY
No, I don’t know! He
was here and now…
(GABRIELLE
whistles through her teeth to indicate “gone”)
Uh-huh, but how?
(GABRIELLE shrugs)
You! We were…
(PATTY mimes passed
out)
And you were…
(PATTY imitates
GABRIELLE)
GABRIELLE
Non, I was…
(GABRIELLE
paces and turns her back from the scene)
PATTY
Come on, when your back
was turned someone took him? Who?
(GABRIELLE
points at PEARL who is still out)
Pearl? But… Oh God,
Pearl! She’s still bleeding… I can’t…
(PATTY turns
away)
Is she? Is she still, you know? I can’t look or I’ll…
(PATTY acts
out fainting)
You. You look, please?
S’il vous plait?
GABRIELLE
It is just a little blood.
PATTY
Don’t say it! I see it
if you say it!
GABRIELLE
Say, what?
PATTY
The “b” word.
GABRIELLE
You Americans are
strange.
PATTY
Is she alright? She’s
still out?
GABRIELLE
Oui, it is difficult to
tell if she is...
PATTY
Oh, God! Alive?
GABRIELLE
She alive…good breath…
PATTY
Good. Breath is good.
Breathing is good. Why difficult?
GABRIELLE
Heads they blee…
(PATTY
squeals)
Ok, first aid kit in the guard
hut. I go get.
PATTY
I can get! I can get!
Can’t look at her with the… and you have to stay with her if some lunatic is
stealing dead or re-dead bodies or whatever he is…was…you know what I’m saying…
where is this hut and kit?
GABRIELLE
But…
PATTY
I’m going! Which way?
(GABRIELLE
points)
I’ll be right back.
Keep her safe! And alive! Good breaths!
(PATTY EXITS)
GABRIELLE
Oh good. Now, just me
and you in Pere Lachaise at night and someone took Jim. Who has been dead since…
(looks at grave) 1971. That is what, fifty years ago? Non scared. Non. Why Jim?
(PEARL starts
to stir)
Ah, good.
PEARL
What happened?
GABRIELLE
Stay still.
(PEARL tries
to get up)
PEARL
Still, it is. Did…?
GABRIELLE
Oui…
PEARL
He.. where did he go?
(GABRIELLE
shrugs)
You don’t know? Or can’t
tell me?
GABRIELLE
Both. Know nothing.
PEARL
He has to be here
somewhere because you… No you hit me… why? No, wait. Janis hit him… also, why?
They… and they… wow! That was amazeballs!
GaBRIELLE
Eh?
PEARL
Jim and Janis were right here. All of a sudden, they were bam, in front of us!
GABRIELLE
How? How did this bam happen?
PEARL
I don’t know. It just
did.
GABRIELLE
Just did? Nothing just
dids. Impossible!
PEARL
It’s true! All true!
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