The Last Rewind

8/14/2019 The Last Rewind

1/21

Stageplay


2/21

THE LAST REWIND

The old man went under the mound.Where he reclined, and his mind drifted to a time his lifehad shined.

Two chairs sitting in the middle of the stage,facing a TV pointed at the back of the stage.Music blares from the TV at a deafening volume.The dim glow illuminates the black stage. Asilhouette much like light bouncing off the barsof a prison cell is projected on the back wall. Afigure emerges from the shadows, carrying a weaponof sorts. They walk up to the television set and immediately starts to swing the weapon at the set.The sound of glass shattering. The music becomesmore distorted but continues on. After four swings, the character places the bat down, picksup the TV and throws it against the ground. They

walk off stage left in silence.

From stage right, an arm reaches around the door,attempting to flick the light switch. After a few attempts, the lights switch on. A blinding whitelight hits the stage. Glass shimmering off thecarpeted floor. A huge painting hangs off the backwall. A banjo is leaned against the back wall. Thetwo chairs are highlighted with spotlights thathang from a beam in the ceiling. Off to stageright is a table covered in notebooks and sheetsof paper.

Evading the glass shards on the floor, Trey sitsdown in one of the chairs, and picks up the TV remote. He points it at where the TV used toexist, to no avail.

TREYHmm.

Mike walks on from stage right, and sits in theother chair. The two stare catatonically at theempty void.

MIKETV isnt working?

TREYYeah, its a bugger really.

MIKESo.

(CONTINUED)


3/21


4/21

CONTINUED: 3.

MIKEIm having fish.

Silence. Neither move.

TREY

Im bored.

MIKEYou ever wonder why were stuck in this place?

TREYWhat place?

MIKEThese four walls. Theyre so confining.

TREYLeave then.

Silence. Neither move. Fade out.

MIKEWait a minute.

Lights quickly come back up. Both are stillentrenched in their chairs.

MIKEThat silence was WAY too long.

TREYWhat?

MIKEThe silence was too long. If youre going to write asilence into the proverbial script of life, it has tobe shorter. Or otherwise the observers get bored. TreyHow long are you talking?

MIKEThe usual pause.

TREY(Immediately.)

Like this?

MIKENo, no, a little longer.

(Long silence. )

(CONTINUED)


5/21

CONTINUED: 4.

MIKEWhat the hell are you writing, anyway, The Great Pause?

TREYNo, The Great Silence. The Great Pause is a somewhatshorter work, written in 1435 by Alchard.

MIKESure it is. So what exactly is the point is remainedtrapped inside this so called prison then?

TREYIts a social commentary. Basically I write mymasterpiece about feeling entrapped and cut off fromsociety. Then I live out my own private hell by livingin an enclosed flat with an idiot for four months, youknow, like Bowie did with the cocaine.

MIKE

Then I kill the bastard, write a huge letter to themedia justifying this horrific atrocity, the mainreason being nobody sane could live in a room for fourmonths with someone who has the intelligence that canonly be accurately compared by giving someone fourlobotomies, and then everybody goes home happy.

TREYWait. I end up dying at the end?

MIKEWell. I havent left the room in a month, and youre init with me.

TREYSo Im not going home happy.

MIKEThat implies that youre a functioning part of society.

Silence.

MIKEI despise your absolute fibre of being, you know that?

TREYYep. Want a Coke?

MIKE(Sarcastically.)

Yeah. Diet, please, and if you can, hang yourself whileyoure in the kitchen?

(CONTINUED)


6/21

CONTINUED: 5.

TREYAlright.

Trey pulls himself out of the chair, and walksoffstage.

MIKE

Finally, a little bit of peace and quiet.

Mike pulls himself out of the chair, and sits atthe desk upstage right, and opens his laptopcomputer. He taps the mouse a few times, and ambient, bass heavy, droning music begins to play through the speakers. Trey comes back on stage,carrying a TV with two Diet Coke cans balanced precariously on top. He places it in the positionwhere the old TVs wreckage lies, then turns hischair to face it. The ambient music suddenly cutsshort, much like a tape being eaten by themachine. A sits back down in his chair, stillfacing the old spot where the TV was. The two sitin silence. After a few moments, the two get upand face each other. Mike then turns stage leftand walks around the chairs. Trey sits in thechair that Mike left, and Mike sits in Treyschair.

TREYSo.

MIKEYeah.

TREYWhats up?

MIKEIm gonna go write something. Be back when mymasterpieces piece is done.

TREY...fine. Wait, your masterpiece? Its mine!

MIKEI KNEW that would work.

TREYWhat would?

MIKEThe changing of our positioning would change ourconversational patterns. If we change seats again, Ibet it will be back to how it was before.

(CONTINUED)


7/21

CONTINUED: 6.

TREYSo if we moved chairs, the sequence would be rehearsed.

MIKEReversed, you mean.

TREY Yeah, rehearsed.

MIKEI suppose so.

The two pick up their chairs and change positionswith one another.

MIKESo.

TREY

Yeah.

MIKEWhats up?

TREYIm gonna go write something. Be back when mymasterpieces piece is done.

MIKE...fine.

Silence. Neither of them move.

TREYWere all ghosts in the machine, you know.

MIKEWhat?

TREYWere all ghosts in the machine. To be destroyedwhenever the music industry realises that their is abug inside their money making mainframe.

MIKESo basically youre doomed because you cant make anymoney with this so called "meaningful art"?

TREYPretty much, Ill never be appreciated, and Ill end updead before my work becomes even slightly notable. Itsthe fate of all fine artists. Van Gogh had to lose anear, no? To succeed in any semblence of society you

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)


8/21

CONTINUED: 7.

TREY (contd)seemingly need to be devoid of any sort of humanlikeemotion. It seems that you need to lack any sort ofability to communicate with emotion.

MIKE

Im not showing enough hatred then.

Silence. Both are sitting in the chairs, watching the space where the TV used to exist. Catatonicstaring. Neither of them move for what seems likehours.

TREYSo this masterpiece...Im thinking that its going tobe big.

MIKEAlmost as big as my temptation to leave you in a pool

of your own bodily fluids. Preferably in a way thatmeans I dont have to touch you.

Silence.

TREYHumans are a part of gods strange design.

(Beat.)Thats BRILLIANT!

MIKEWhat are you on about now?

TREYWell, you know how were trying to figure out what ourpurpose in life is?

MIKEYes, Sigmund.

TREYWell, I can finally put myself with the greatphilosophers. I figured out that were all just pawnson Gods chessboard. Freud was a psychologist. Allwaiting for a bigger, more significant cog in themachine to kill us and erase us from history.

MIKESo if you were a chess piece, what one would you be?

TREYWell, Im a pawn in the music industry, arent I?

(CONTINUED)


9/21

CONTINUED: 8.

MIKEI suppose. Thats a really fatalistic view on life,isnt it?

TREYName one fish that hasnt died.

MIKEYou, although if you keep going on with yourpseudo-intellectual ramblings, the number might comedown to zero.

(Somewhat sarcastically, but with a hintof truth to it. )

And we dont want that, do we? Im gonna go run a bath,okay?

MIKEYeah, Ill just go and get the mail. Psychiatrist.

TREYWhat?

MIKENothing.

Mike walks off stage right. Trey looks shiftily,then runs off stage left. A large amount of banging happens backstage. The sound of running water. Trey then struggles back on stage, carrying a bathtub. He sets it up upstage left and tieshimself to the bath. Mike walks in and calmly sitsdown.

MIKEI thought you were running a bath.

TREYThe bastard isnt pulling his weight.

MIKEKeep trying and he wont be the only dead weight.

Silence. As if synchronised, both get up, and walkin opposite directions, off stage. They reappear on the opposite side of the stage from where they walked off, ending up face to face with eachother. An awkward meeting of eyes occur. Both thenwalk to the chairs and sit in them as if nothing happened.

MIKESo what exactly is this majestic piece of art called?

(CONTINUED)


10/21

CONTINUED: 9.

TREY"The Squirming Coil."

MIKEWhy? Is it a reflection on how whenever I stab you inthe leg with an axe, you have to lie on the floor and

will squirm away before I discharge you from thismortal coil?

TREYNah.

MIKEOh, alright. Whats it about?

TREYThe pressures of "the machine" on ordinary life.

MIKE

I can see how dying can impact on life.(Silence. )

You were talking about the machine designed to killyou, yes?

TREYNo, I was talking about the music machine.

MIKESure. The only music machine youre even SLIGHTLYinvolved in is some parallel universe where pop tartssing Jewish folk songs called Punch You In The Eye toan adoring crowd of 15 year olds with piercings alldown the right side of their body and their left sidepainted green. Do you really want me to show you thefutility of the music industry? Its one that destroyspeople. It makes them into comatose, lifeless, emptyspectres. I should know, it happened to me. I was onceone of the finest singers in the western states of theUSA. Of course, I wasnt terribly successfulconsidering bluegrass is most popular in the south. Butdo you want me to show you how extremely artistic mybanjo playing was?

TREYSure. Go right ahead. Be my guest, Im sure to enjoyit.

MIKEOkay then. I will.

Silence. Trey gets up and begins to walk to hisdesk, which is located upstage right.

(CONTINUED)


11/21

CONTINUED: 10.

TREYIt happened at a festival in 97.

MIKEI hope you die a bloody and painful death.

TREY Wanna have icecream?

MIKELater, Ive already had some cigarettes. How are yougoing to end your little psuedo saga?

TREYI dunno. What do you think about a long fade out?

Lights begin to fade out.I think that having the dramatic fade would be greatafter the climatic point.

MIKENo, thats silly. And stop screwing with the lamp.

TREYSorry.

Lights jump back up.How about a cold end?

Lights go out.

MIKENo.

Gets up, flicks the light switch, the lights comeback on.

Is it just me or are all of your suggestions actuallyhappening as you say them?

TREYSeems so. I WANT FOUR SAMURAI TO COME OUT AND MAKE ME APIZZA.

Silence.I was so hoping that was going to work too.

MIKEIt was as likely as you having any success in life.

TREYI made a sandwich the other day.

(CONTINUED)


12/21

CONTINUED: 11.

MIKE(in mock awe)

Brilliant. Really brilliant.

TREYI also ate it.

(Beat.)You ever think life is boring?

MIKEWell, yeah, weve been locked in a room catatonicallywatching TV for three months. Even after it got smashedwe STILL ended up watching TV like comatose monkeys. Ofcourse were going to get slightly bored.

TREYI wonder what would happen if someone were to walk inthis room and observe it.

MIKETheyd probably get extremely bored after five minutesif it wasnt for the new TV you got. Where did you getthat from, anyway?

TREYUm, fish markets.

MIKENo, the TV, not the sandwich.

TREYOh, um. I have contacts. I have funding for my littleproject.

MIKEWho would pay you to lock yourself in a room for fourmonths with some unsuspecting victim just to writeabout such cliched topics as isolation?

TREYSadists.

MIKEAh.

Silence.

TREYIm still bored.

MIKEYou ever wonder why were stuck in this place?

(CONTINUED)


13/21

CONTINUED: 12.

TREYWhat place?

MIKEThese four walls. Theyre so confining.

TREY Leave then.

MIKEWhy? Youre the one whinging about being bored, youleave.

TREYIm allowed to, Im an artist.

Silence.

MIKE

You ever get the feeling this has been done before? Thetwo guys in some easily escapable situation moaningabout the state of human society archetype? Im havinga sense of deja vu, myself.

TREYIm never deriviative. I merely take inspiration.

MIKEShut up.

Silence.

TREYIf your life were a play, who would you like to writeit?

MIKEDunno. You?

TREYThe guy whos writing it now.

MIKEIts kinda silly, though. He must be a fan of thewhimsicality that is exhibited by the seaweed withinthe slime?

TREYThe seaweeed within the smile? I dont get that one.

MIKESplit open and melt.

(CONTINUED)


14/21

CONTINUED: 13.

TREYIm sick of this repetition! Im sick of you alwaysbeing angry! It shows that whoevers writing the linesthat we have to follow in our lives is reallyunimaginative! Im sick of all of this pent up emotionthat we have to withhold on lifes stage! Ill bemaking my exit stage left now, and I hope I can write

you out from my script!

Leaves.

Silence. Mike comes out of his chair and standscentre stage. The stage dimmens as a spotlightshines onto him, projecting his shadow onto theback wall.

MIKE(The following is to said in amelodramatic, almost Shakespeareantone.)

I think I just came to a realisation. That we, as humanbeings, are mere players. All the worlds a stage, andwe never get the chance for a rehearsal. We dont evenget to learn our lines before we get thrust into thegaze of the spotlight arc. Thrown like a hyena into aden of bees. And when we are on stage, we have achoice. We either fall into a bed with our fellowthespian or we end up covered in paint, standing overtheir prone bodies with a dull blade designed forserial killers who tear their victims apart in ourhands. But is the knife what we really need in order todestroy our threats? Or is a few well placed words theonly thing we need to send our companions in front ofthese blackest eyes into a fit of depravity andemotional distress?

TREYWell done.

Trey walks on stage, applauding like a director.The lights return to normal - as if the pseudotheatre had never occurred.

MIKEIm sorry?

TREYYou actually showed an emotion other than angst therefor a moment. It was an interesting turn of events.

MIKEWell, yes. Im busy working on this little masterpieceof mine.

(CONTINUED)


15/21

CONTINUED: 14.

TREYReally? I thought I was the one working on that.

MIKEWait a minute.

(Contemplates.)

Were not sitting in the seats. Thats why Im notbeing totally aggressive towards you. Trey Well, howabout you go and sit in the seat, and I wont. Maybe weboth need to be in them for the aggression to come tothe surface.

Mike leaves Trey at centre stage and goes to sitin the stage right chair.

MIKENo, I feel a certain sense of serenity.

TREY

Youre sitting in my chair, thats probably why.

MIKEDid we not swap chairs?

TREYOh, yes, youre right. Maybe you have to swap thechairs around?

MIKEAlright.

Mike gets out of his chair and swaps the twochairs around, playing his chair in the middle of the stage, then sliding Treys chair around it,and then sliding his chair left in order to returnthe chairs to their original position.

MIKEI still feel kinda calm though.

TREYI thought furniture movers were one of the mostaggressive of all employment groups.

MIKENah, I actually think itd be pretty calming. Going atyour own pace in life.

Trey sits down in his chair. Instantly Mikeclenches his fist.

(CONTINUED)


16/21

CONTINUED: 15.

TREY(Ignoring Mikes presence. As this"soliliquy" goes on, Mike gradually getsmore aggressive while still containinghimself in his chair.)

Well, having you calm is certainly a change. Saves me

from having to carry a bayonet with me, like somemudstained soldier in the bloodsoaked grounds of thePacific. Not that Id be carrying one, anyway. Bayonetsare hard to float with, and its either float, walk ordrown, the other two not being viable options. Butarent we all soldiers in some seemingly insurmountablesituation where we must fend off 300 rabid mice-likemen in a maze? I mean, everyone knows quibble grows tospack, then to flangle and to crabble. And theuselessness of language goes on, we dont realise howto truly communicate is through emotion rather thangrammatical perfection. But can we be old men in acountry of infantile leaders?

(Rising from the chair. At this pointMike is tearing at the chair, holdingback his aggression but clearly lettingit show. Trey is oblivious to this.)

If we are really men held back by icy caverns andmeaningless words, then what are meaningless words butwords devoid of any meaning? I mean, conversation andcommunication is useless without meaning, is it not?Meaningless words really just hold us back from furtherdiscovery. Then again, if words only had meaning theywould eventually be devoid of meaning, as the meaningwould be diluted by the constant repetition of meaning.You get what Im meaning to say?

MIKEI hope you die.

TREYOne day. Whenever I need money Ill off myself.

MIKESuddenly calmer. Oh, come on, dont do that. If you dothat Ill be left here to decay.

TREY Isnt that what life is like? A gradual decay of thehuman spirit.

MIKEI suppose.

Silence.

(CONTINUED)


17/21

CONTINUED: 16.

MIKEThat was too long.

TREYWhat?

MIKE The silence was too long. You realistically have tohave a shorter pause. Didnt you learn that fromAlchard?

TREYWhatever, well do it later. Did I show you that letterI got?

MIKEWhich letter?

TREY

The one I got from that school I went to for two weeksbefore the people started freaking out and the fishstarted stabbing me.

MIKERight, I remember that.

TREYTurns out theyre going to give me a chance to go andwrite.

MIKEGonna take it?

TREYMaybe, the fish might stab.

MIKEStab?

TREYYeah, they look nasty and have purple ideas.

MIKESo this letter.

TREYRight, Im considering taking it.

MIKEAnd breaking the mould that your idol set for you?

(CONTINUED)


18/21

CONTINUED: 17.

TREYWhat? Who?

MIKEThe whole not moving, never advancing thing. Itsgetting old. Theres never any advancement, nobody

comes, nobody goes, its awful. How about a change insociety, a twist in lifes plot?

TREYThats not original.

Silence.

TREYSo I was thinking.

MIKEDont hurt yourself.

TREYWhat do you mean?

MIKEYou could pass out.

TREYHighly unlikely.

MIKEKnowing you, though?

TREYYou implying something?

MIKEThat youre an idiot?

TREYWas thinking the same.

MIKEI said no thinking.

TREYYou dare stifle creativity?

MIKEI reduce injury.

TREYDoing a public service?

(CONTINUED)


19/21

CONTINUED: 18.

MIKEIf it stops you.

TREYAnd if it doesnt?

MIKE Your life is hell.

TREYAnd if it isnt?

MIKEYoull never escape.

TREYSo I was thinking.

MIKE

(Giving up. )Fine, you were thinking.

TREYAbout that letter?

MIKEWhich?

TREYNow youre the idiot.

MIKEDont understand sarcasm?

TREYI overdosed.

MIKEWhat?

TREYOn sarcasm. I overdosed.

MIKEWish it were lethal.

TREYThen youd rot.

MIKEI already do.

(CONTINUED)


20/21

CONTINUED: 19.

TREYMoreso.

MIKEImpossible.

TREY Havent overdosed yet?

MIKEI wish.

TREYThen youd be comatose.

MIKEAlready am.

TREY

So I was thinking.

MIKEBefore the lobotomy?

TREYThat would explain...

MIKEThe headache?

TREYThe bill.

MIKEWhich one?

TREYThe absurdly large one.

MIKEFrom?

TREYThe doctor?

MIKEI did not...um...

TREYYes?

(CONTINUED)


21/21

CONTINUED: 20.

MIKE(Quickly.)

Buy that many pills?

TREYSo?

MIKEMiss me?

TREYYeah, your corpse.

MIKEGetting up. Getting water.

TREYIs a horrible listener.

MIKECan you blame me?

TREYWhy would I?

MIKEYour inane ramblings?

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The Last Rewind