Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Scene From My Play, "David Mamet: The Early Years"

(When I saw the film version of "Glengarry Glen Ross" with my buddy Hoff, I hated it. Just couldn't stand it. I have learned to appreciate the David Mamet overlapping, repetitive style of dialogue more over time and in other films, but I can't bring myself to see "Glengarry" again. Anyway, I hated it so much, I wrote a short play called "David Mamet: The Early Years". Here is a scene featuring Mamet in eighth grade. Enjoy!)

INT. JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL CAFETERIA - DAY

Two 13-year-old boys, circa 1960, walk through a typical school cafeteria. They are named JAMES and RONNIE. They are carrying trays, toward a table where DAVID, another 13-year-old, is seated, eating his lunch. They sit down next to David, all of them nod to each other in greeting.

JAMES
Hey, Dave.

DAVID
Hey, James. Hey, Ronnie.

RONNIE
Hey, David.

JAMES
David, you going to the dance tomorrow night?

DAVID
The dance?

JAMES
The dance.

 DAVID
What dance?

RONNIE
The dance, you know. Streamers. Music. Dancing. The dance.

DAVID
I don't know anything about any freakin' dance.

JAMES
How do you not know about the dance?

RONNIE
Everyone's talking about it.

DAVID
About what?

JAMES
The dance. What are you, friggin' retarded?

DAVID
I'm just saying, if I knew about the gosh darn dance,
I would've said that I knew about the dance.

JAMES
Fine. I hear you. Well, there's a dance on Friday.

DAVID
Where?

RONNIE
Where, what?

DAVID
Where's the dance?

JAMES
Here.

DAVID
Right here, right where I'm standing?

RONNIE
Yeah, in the cafeteria. That's why there's no lunch
in here on Friday, they need to decorate.

DAVID
You telling me I am missing out on tater tots on Friday
because of a freakin' dance?

JAMES
That's the story, Davey Boy.

DAVID
Geez Louise.

RONNIE
Who are you gonna ask to the dance?

DAVID
How am I going to answer that? I didn't even know
there was a dance until two minutes ago.

JAMES
I'm taking Cindy.

DAVID
Cindy Metzelaar? How in the heck did you pull that off?

JAMES
I  asked her.

DAVID
(to Ronnie)
He's that good?

RONNIE
He's that good.

JAMES
I'm totally boss.

DAVID
Humble, too.
(to Ronnie)
Who are you taking?

RONNIE
I'm thinking about Mary Collato.

DAVID
Mary Collato? The hunchback?

RONNIE
She's not a hunchback.

DAVID
That back is hunched. 

RONNIE
It's...scoliosis. She's working on it.
(beat)
At least I'm asking someone.

DAVID
How could I ask someone to something I 
didn't know about?

JAMES
Know about what?

DAVID
The dance! The friggin' dance! What else have
we been talking about?

RONNIE
Scoliosis.

DAVID
Now, you, shut up.

The three stare at their trays, then stare at each other. David shakes his head and works on his Salisbury steak.

3 comments:

Banyan Cove said...

It's no Spanish Prisoner. But then, I don't think Steve Martin had complete artistic control as he did with LA Story. It happens.

Banyan Cove said...

This was one of your blog's ads. http://alloytv.com/thetalentshow/prom/index.vm?gclid=CP7AsruPlqgCFQ10gwodQlAuDQ

I think it's a sign.

duckiesuccumbs said...

Guess they knew what they were doing there... :)