Scene Three
Twenty-five years later. The lights come up. Ozzie has finally untangled the twisting history of his incarnation-death-rebirth cycle. He is mired in middle age, married with children and still unknown. He is prolific having written 12 novels, 20 plays, 46 short stories, countless poems, and as a result struggling author Goodenough is quite poor. Only one of his novels, one play and four short stories have been published. We find him hunched over his word processor late one night.
* * *
MARV
(enter from stage right) “Sorry to bother you so late and all Oz. But I got some news, bad news…”
WILL
(a beat)
“Don’t tell me. At the last minute they decided on ‘MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING’ instead of ‘NECESSARY LIES’- right?”
MARV
“You’re close. They’re going with ‘MACBETH’ followed by a rehash of a hit Broadway musical. Ditto for the screenplay. ROCKY XIX.”
WILL
(crestfallen)
“I put my best stuff into those manuscripts.”
MARV
“I know, I know. Here’s what Harry had to say. ‘It’s overwritten for one. Today’s theatergoer is after entertainment, not insight. Americans don’t wanna shell out money for anything resembling serious literary works. That’s for college lit courses.’ Hell, it’s not just Americans, Oz. Attention spans are shriveling everywhere. Anyway, just write something that’s fit for prime time or can be summed up on a bumper sticker and I’ll sell it.”
WILL
“What about originality, Marv? The Big Dream? Not to mention artistic integrity. Remember? I’ve got my own standards to measure up to. I don’t want to dumb myself down for the marketplace. Commercialism is the worst kind of tyranny. I should’ve been born in Russia fer chrissakes. Claimed dissidenthood. Then these same goddamn people would be clamoring to produce my plays, publish my books and make movies out of my stories.”
MARV
(a beat, then looks away)
“Come on. You’re talkin’ high falutin’ nonsense now. Worse, you sound cynical. You gotta make tradeoffs.”
(paces, then turns to face WILL)
“Think of it this way: in order to finance THE BIG DREAM you gotta make ONE BIG COMPROMISE. ‘Sell when you can; you’re not for all markets.’ It’s a valid point. The master said it.”
WILL
“Shit.”
(Fadeout)
(to be continued)
