Marisa – Melanie Bandera-Hess

Marcelo – Michael Barr

Directed by Robyn Grahn

Bellissima!

(MARISA is repairing a flashy costume piece. She is sewing it by hand and is focused intently on it. MARCELO stands behind her, watching. A beat. Or more.)

MARCELO (he has a slight Italian accent)

Look at me.

MARISA

I’m busy.

MARCELO

Use the machine.

MARISA

You can’t do this on a machine. It’s one of the great tragedies of burlesque: everything from beads to sequins to feathers to snaps… It’s all hand work.

MARCELO

So put down the hand work and look at me.

MARISA

That would break my concentration, and I really need to concentrate right now.

MARCELO

Stop doing that!

MARISA

What? Sewing? I told you –

MARCELO

No. Stop avoiding whatever it is that’s bothering you. You always do that. Something bothers you; you wash the dishes. Something bothers you; you vacuum the rugs. Something bothers you; you sew costumes. Anything to keep you from dealing with the actual problem at hand.

MARISA

And what is the actual problem at hand?

MARCELO

I wish you would tell me.

MARISA

Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.

MARCELO

That performance wouldn’t have fooled Helen Keller.

MARISA

Very funny.

MARCELO

Tell me.

MARISA

I can’t say.

MARCELO

Can’t say? Or won’t say?

MARISA (near tears)

I’m losing it.

MARCELO

Losing what? Your mind? Too late.

MARISA

No! I’m losing … IT. The company. Your company.

MARCELO

Your company. How?

(She shakes her head.)

Please tell me.

(She finally puts down her sewing and turns to look at him.)

MARISA

Do you really want to know?

MARCELO

You know I do.

MARISA

You won’t say “I told you so?”

MARCELO

Have I ever? Tell me.

(MARISA nods her head. Gathers herself together, and begins.)

MARISA

It came on gradually. The audience … they just … stagnated. No new faces in the crowd, and the regulars…well, they aged. And died. Or died of boredom. Who can say? They stopped coming. Not all at once. Not in large numbers. Attrition doesn’t work that way. And it wasn’t just the audiences. The talent, too. They began to … attrish. I had fewer steady dancers. More and more I had to work around other schedules. Everyone seemed to have several jobs to juggle in addition to us. Even the show order, I mean… I had to open the show one night with the finale. Can you believe it? The biggest, splashiest number first, because three of the performers had to get to other gigs. So the rest of the show went slowly downhill from there. How could it not? We’d started the evening with our money shot. And though some part of me had known it for a while… It was just today, really, that I realized I need to make the decision. I need to pull the plug. Remove the old broad from life support. Sorry you asked?

MARCELO

Never. But I have to tell you…

MARISA

Oh, GOD! Here it comes…

MARCELO

What comes?

MARISA

The lecture. About financial responsibility, and –

MARCELO

No lecture. Who do you take me for? No… just … a little history lesson.

MARISA

I’m listening.

MARCELO

Burlesque has nearly died before, you know.

MARISA

True.

MARCELO

Once upon a time, it was mostly comics, and jugglers, and dog acts! It was more like a circus than the … the circus.

MARISA

Ventriloquists and magicians.

MARCELO

Exactly! And what saved it?

MARISA

Strippers?

MARCELO

Precisely! And voilà! A renaissance. The New Burlesque was all about skin.

MARISA

That’s a touching story. Heartwarming.

MARCELO

I’m not finished.

MARISA

I’m all ears.

MARCELO

But then…after a while, the stripper thing began to – what was the word you used? Stagnate? When along came a young lady who teased them all, instead, and didn’t show so much flesh.

MARISA

Gypsy Rose Lee.

MARCELO

And just like that… Another renaissance. Tits gave way to titillation.

MARISA

You’ve been waiting your entire life to say that sentence, haven’t you?

MARCELO

Yes. I have.

MARISA

Is there a point to this story?

MARCELO

All my stories have points. Tell me: Do you want to close up shop? End it all?

MARISA

Of course not! I love this company. It’s…everything to me. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. God! Even the challenges are exciting. It’s just that –

MARCELO

Then don’t you owe it to yourself to try reinventing it before giving up on it?

MARISA

I suppose. But we already have both the strip and the tease, so… What’s next?

MARCELO

I thought you’d never ask. Now, how many performers do you have?

MARISA

I have a pool of about 20 that I choose from at the moment.

MARCELO

What’s the break-down? Male to female. White to … exotic.

MARISA

You’re just yanking my chain, now. You know very well it’s all women, and I suppose we could always be more diverse…

MARCELO

There you are, then.

MARISA

You think I should add men and minorities?

MARCELO

Of course. Right now, everything is segregated: men go to a strip club, women go to Chippendale’s… Drag queens go…wherever they go. Maybe a blend would help to cross-pollinate.

MARISA

That’s one way of looking at it. It might be worth a try.

MARCELO

And maybe take a step back, as well…

MARISA

And add a ventriloquist?

MARCELO

You could do worse. But I was thinking a comic. People love to laugh. It makes them think they’re having a good time. I don’t know why that is. And acrobats. Acrobats are sexy. Or a singer!

MARISA

I get the idea. Make it more of the old “variety show” burlesque. To appeal to more than just horny old white men.

MARCELO

You have something against horny old white men?

MARISA

Other than the fact that they’re all dying on me? No, not at all.

MARCELO

Good.

MARISA

This could actually work.

MARCELO

It might. But if it doesn’t …that’s okay, too. Bellissima Burlesque has had a long run.

MARISA

It has. But…male strippers. I don’t know. What would my father say?

(A pause. He lifts her chin and makes her look him in the eyes.)

MARCELO

I would say it’s a sign of the times, my little Marisa. And one should always heed the signs.

MARISA

You would not say that.

MARCELO

You have no idea what I would actually say. You think I still look like my wedding picture.

MARISA

Fair enough. Thanks. You always know how to make me feel better.

MARCELO

Good. I’m glad. And now…

(He puts out his hand.)

MARISA

No. I’m not doing that.

MARCELO

It’s tradition, signora.

MARISA

It’s not, though. It’s something I made up. Just like I made you up.

MARCELO

I was a real man.

MARISA

But I never knew you. And I certainly never danced with you. I was too young.

MARCELO

All the more reason. Signora?

MARISA

Signore.

(He takes her in his arms. Musetta’s Waltz from La Bohème plays – well, okay, the version known as the theme from Moonstruck – this is her mind at work, after all. They dance.)

END OF PLAY

Advertisement