Play

A Play in One Act

Heaven and Hades

By G. L. Horton

copyright © 2000 Geralyn Horton

The four characters are gathered around a drawing board, brainstorming a commercial spot for television.  BEALE  is a top executive.  SAM (or SAMANTHA), the art director, is the youngest.  The characters can be cast without regard to the gender or ethnicity of the actors playing them: and, once cast, the actors and director should feel free either to exploit or ignore gender and/or ethnicity when creating the characters.

BEALE

Sorry,  poeple.  It just doesn't sing for me.

(SAM wordlessly tears off the sheet of drawing paper, crumples it and throws it away)

ALEX

Shoot.

BEALE

It wasn't all bad, but --- (pause)

KIP

An earlier idea I came up with was a back country road, in terrible shape, potholes--

ALEX

I told you. Potholes says city to me, Kip.

SAM

Or at least highway.

KIP

No, this is hillbilly rural.  If potholes isn't the term--

BEALE

The soundtrack's Country-Western?

SAM

Ugh.

KIP

Maybe at first, but-- so call the pothole things gullies or ditches or whatever.   It looks like the car's in for a really rough time on this one lane road, maybe it's unpaved , stretching away through a really repulsive landscape.  Slag heaps, junkyards, broken down motels--

SAM

Country-Western

KIP

Country-Western's the first choice of the largest listner group.

SAM

And the poorest.  Who cares what they like, if they can't afford the car?

ALEX

Besides which, there are almost as many people who hate country Western as like it. I'd surf right by this crap in the first 3 seconds.  Wouldn't you, Beale?

KIP

But it's changing!   Morphing from the first shot!  As the driver drives through this junk heap,  the car smoothes everything out. The luxury of the car spreads over the surroundings, everything goes great.  The gully-ditch thing becomes plush, the smoothest green on the golf course. The motel's now a mansion.

ALEX

I think I've seen...