Long, long ago I drew a comic strip for an underground newspaper in
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was through that strip that I discovered that
depression and poverty can appear to feel very much the same. To this day I
am happiest when I have a few bucks in my pocket.
This is a dark show. In writing it I got to address many issues in my
mind; such as working yourself silly and still not making a dent in one's
debt, or divorce from the man's point of view. I make no bones about how I
feel about the business world or present day morals and values in this play.
I also get to address a few personal experiences, like being panhandled by
someone who has more money.
Structurally this play is a departure from my usual stuff. Each vignette, which ranges from one to four
pages, doesn't contain a story or arc within itself. It's only when they're
all laid out together does the play take on its shape. Visually it could be
a feast -- having no set and using the chalkboard as a valued prop.
But the play's a downer. A SERIOUS downer. The worthy hero gets nothing
but shit upon. He's an undeserving victim. You want to like him and hate
everybody in his life and you hope that everything will work out in the end,
but it never does.
I revisited this play years after writing it and found it to still
echo the fears and reality of the Gen-X society. I'm hoping someone
gives it a chance.