THE PLAYERS
MARTHA
A boisterous 50 year old white woman who works on Wall Street who comes from an upper-class background.
GEORGE
Her cohabitant, a 46 year old slender white man, a part of the 2024 Biden presidential campaign.
HONEY
A normative 26 year old blond white woman who comes from an upper-class background.
NICK
Her husband, a 30 year old good looking, up-and-coming black man, a part of the 2024 Biden presidential campaign.
THE SCENE
The living room of Martha and George’s NYC townhouse.
ACT 1, PART 2
HONEY (To GEORGE, brightly)
I didn’t know until just a minute ago that you are the vice president of J.P. Morgan!
GEORGE (Shocked)
WHAT?
HONEY
J.P. Morgan! I didn’t realize you held such a high ranking. You don’t post much on Facebook.
GEORGE (To HONEY, seriously)
Martha told you about it?
HONEY
Well yes, she said you’ve been there for over twenty years!
NICK (To GEORGE, grinning)
Wow, you must be living the dream.
GEORGE
Who wants another drink?
NICK (To GEORGE)
We better get going soon, it’s late.
GEORGE (Unknowingly nasty)
Why? It’s not like you have work tomorrow.
NICK (Almost a warning)
I told you I have to work overtime for my tech startup tomorrow.
GEORGE (Ignoring, yells to MARTHA)
Alright Martha come back down now!
MARTHA (Entering)
What’s with all the yelling?
(MARTHA changed into tight fitting dress and she looks most voluptuous)
GEORGE
There’s my baby, in your gala dress!
NICK (Impressed)
Wow, Martha…
MARTHA (To NICK, sitting close)
So you have made quite the name for yourself in this community already young man…now when did you get your doctorate?... Twelve?...Listen to this George.
NICK
When I was twenty-two actually…I don’t usually mention it, but I was able to take classes online
while I developed my company.
GEORGE (Sadly)
That’s very…impressive.
MARTHA (Aggressively)
Of course it is! You worked to make a name for yourself despite limitations.
GEORGE (To NICK)
I wouldn’t be surprised if you take over the Financial Department one of these days.
NICK
The Digital Department.
GEORGE
The Digital Department…right. I seem preoccupied with finance.
MARTHA
HA! George is more preoccupied with the Financial Department because…
GEORGE
…because he is not the Financial Department but only in the department as a consultant. We know this Martha…they can google it we don’t have to go through it again.
MARTHA
That’s right baby. (To the others) George is stuck in the mud in the financial department. Hey, sleepy Joe, come light my joint, won’t you.
GEORGE
No, Martha. There’s only so much a man can take. I will hold your hand in the dark but I will not
light your joint. That’s that.
MARTHA (To NICK)
Oh my god! Anyways, hey I heard you played football, huh?
NICK
Oh, yes! I was a…quarterback…but I was much more skilled in the weightroom.
MARTHA (With great enthusiasm)
Weightlifting! You hear that, George?
GEORGE (Meekly)
Yes, Martha.
MARTHA (Staring at NICK, smiling)
You must workout, you still have a very nice body, very nice…
GEORGE
Martha, you are out of line…
MARTHA
Beer Belly over there doesn’t like when the conversation moves to muscle. (Whips around) Hey,
George, why don’t you tell them about the lifting competition we had.
GEORGE (Slamming his drink down)
Christ! Why don’t you tell them the story Martha, you do it best.
(EXITS)
HONEY
Is he good?
MARTHA (Laughs)
Yeah, sure. George and I had this lifting competition a few years after we got married…about twenty years ago.
HONEY
Just you two? I can’t imagine…
MARTHA
Well it wasn’t official or anything. This was back in the early 2000’s, when the murder rates were increasing in Manhattan. Daddy was on a physical fitness kick…said men have the responsibility to keep up their body, not only their brain. He thought that men should learn how to build muscle and strength for self defense. So one Sunday Daddy had us over and went down to his home gym. Daddy set up his own weights, he’s very strong as you know.
NICK
Right, yes.
MARTHA
And he asked George to get the same weight, so they can compete for the deadlifting record. Anddddd George didn’t want to…probably thinking he would emasculate his meal ticket. Daddy was saying “Come on son what type of man are you?”...stuff like that
NICK
Mhmm.
MARTHA
While they went back and forth, I don’t know why…but I picked up the weight to give to George…it wasn’t too heavy…and yelled “Hey George!” and jokingly shoved the barbell in his hands…and well when he tried to hold up…well he couldn’t…hold up the bar…POW! He immediately fell backwards and then, CRASH, hit his head on the bar.
(NICK laughs. MARTHA lets out a laugh)
It was awful really, awfully funny…but awful. I think it’s impacted our entire life together. I do!
He uses it as an excuse for treading water for so long, unable to advance.
(GEORGE enters now, his hands behind his back)
MARTHA
But it was innocent…a real, goddamn accident!
(GEORGE takes up from behind his back a large empty liquor bottle and gently raises it
up right above MARTHA’S head. HONEY screams…rises. NICK rises, and MARTHA
turns to face GEORGE. GEORGE slams the bottle into her head.)
GEORGE
POW!!!
(Crash! The breakaway glass shatters everywhere and MARTHA doesn’t move,
unaffected.)
You’re dead! Pow!
(Everyone laughs)
I have adapted the original scene of the events leading up to George shooting Martha with a prank gun from Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? into modern American society. The 21st century illusion of the American Dream focuses more on financial stability than the nuclear family; so here I focus on the fantasy career rather than the fantasy child. I reference modern technology, language, as well as political and cultural events. George lost his job on Wall Street after the 2008 recession and Martha is the breadwinner. The couples are connected because they are working on the same political campaign. I diversify the cast by placing the ‘perfect’ couple as interracial to reflect changing family structures. At its root the play is a couple story that can be applied universally, and can represent the ever changing facade of the ‘American Dream.’
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