"COMEDY NIGHT LIVE"

A

NEW PLAY

BY

BINA SHARIF

Copyright: binasharif 2013

CHARACTERS:

DR MONA MANSOORA AL ATIB SHEIKH: (A MENTAL HEALTH COUNCELER 

                                                                                FOR ABUSED WOMEN)

A SELF HELP GURU

AN ADVISER ABOUT NUTRITION

A PART TIME COMEDIAN AND A TEACHER OF COMEDY

JERRY: Dr Mansoora's assistant, and student studying comedy with Dr Mansoora

THOMAS: Mansoora's assistant, and student studying comedy with Dr Mansoora

TIME:  PRESENT

PLACE:  MANHATTAN, DOWNTOWN EAST VILLAGE

SET:  SLEEPING AREA, SIMPLE AND MINIMAL UO STAGE CENTER

          A NICE SIZE TABLE DOWNSTAGE WITH ONE CHAIR

           TWO CHAIRS DOWNSTAGE RIGHT

            TWO SMALL CHAIRS UPSTAGE CENTER A LITTLE FAR FROM THE BED.

PROPS:  LOTS OF BOOKS, NEAR THE SLEEPING AREA AND ON THE TABLE.

                TELEPHONE OLD LAND LINE STYLE, A COFFEE MUG

                 A LITTLE COFFEE TABLE NEAR THE SLEEPING AREA WITH FLOWERS AND A CANDLE.

FLOWERS ALSO ON THE TABLE DOWNSTAGE.

PPRE SET:  CANDLE LIT, DIM LIGHTS ON THE BED.

WHEN THE PLAY BEGINS CANDLE STAYS LIT AND Dr Mansoora is  in bed

TWO MEN ARE SITTING ON THE CHAIRS UPSTAGE RIGHT, VERY LITTLE LIGHT ON THEM.  AT RISE, CLASSICAL MUSIC (maybe Braham;s symphony no 12) playing

THE MUSIC EVENTUALLY GETS LOUDER AND LOUDER, MEN GETS UP COME NEAR THE BED AND IN SLOW MOTION STAB THE SLEEPING FIGURE...THEY REPEAT THIS IN STYLIZED SLOW MOTION GESTURES A COUPLE OF TIME....MUSIC GOES SOFTER, THEY GO BACK AND SIT IN THEIR CHAIRS....

CLASSICAL MUSIC FADES, SOUND OF CHIRPING BIRDS IS HEARD AND AFTER A WHILEI FADES AND NORTH AFRICAN MUSIC BEGINS AND PLAYS FOR A WHILE

AND WE THEN FEEL THE SLEEPING FIGURE WAKENING.... SHE WAKES UP BUT STILL IN BED CALLS FOR SOME ONE.....

DR MANSOORA:  (During this whole talk the North African Music is still playing)

Fatima....Fatima....Chi lao...gharam gharam... Main uth ghai hun.  Fatima....Fatima...bring me tea.

hot, hot tea.  I am up.  (There is no answer)

(She repeats)

Fatima...Fatima...chai lao, gharam,,,gharam...mein uth ghai hun.  Fatima....Fatima...bring me tea...

hot, hot tea.  I am up.  (No answer)

Oh! Every day the same story.  Servants just don't listen  They pay no attention.  Its all our mother's fault.  She doesn't want us to think of them as servants.  She says, "THey are family members beta"

Have fear of God in you.  You could have been in that position."

Now the servants are so spoiled especially this one, Fatima our very well dressed Pashmina clad servant...I have to yell and scream every morning for tes...(Screams)  Fatima...kider mur ghai ho?

Chai kahan ghai?  Fatima are you dead?  What happened to my bed tea?   Fatima........Fatima...

(no answer)

MANSOORA FINALLY GETS OUT OF BED, LOOKS AROUND, LOOKS AT HER SELF

IS QUITE CONFUSED, LOOKS AROUND AGAIN, FINALLY REALIZES WHERE SHE IS..

MANSOORA:  Oh1 Jesus Christ, I am not at my parents home, there is no parents home any more,

                         I am in this hole in the fancy world called MANHATTAN and there is no Fatima

                         I am Fatima, I am my own servant, mother was a visionary, "It could happen to you.

                         you could be in their position.  You have to treat the servants as family."

NOW i HAVE TO BE MY OWN FAMILY AND MY OWN SERVANT.  I HAVE TO MAKE 

MY OWN TEA. My mothers curse on me perhaps for leaving her behind.  Oh! well I can't think about it so early in the morning.  The whole night is for scary thoughts.  Right now I need tea.

(Gets up and look for a tea...every where)  Oh! God, No servant and no tea. (Looks again every where

on the bed, under the sheets, on the table, amongst the flowers, on the chairs, inside of books...screams)

Jerry....Thomas....Jerry...Thomas...screams...music gets louder and louder, Music fades,

DALE CARNAGIE MONOLOGUE. MUSIC, LIGHTS....

ON THE PHONE WITH AN ABUSED WOMAN PATIENT.

SCENE BETWEEN MANSOORA AND JERRY

THOMAS WALKS IN WITH FOOD FROM WHOLE FOOD.

NEXT SCENE: