The Caliph, Cupid, And The Clock By Robert Frankel greenroompress.com
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2 THE CALIPH, CUPID, AND THE CLOCK THE CALIPH, CUPID, AND THE CLOCK By Robert Frankel SYNOPSIS: A young man waits anxiously in a park, hoping for a signal that his fiancée has forgiven him. Noticing his distress, an older man who claims to be a prince engages him in conversation. The two men discuss the young man s troubles and the prince convinces him to give his fiancée a bit more time. As the clock tower strikes nine, we learn both the young man s fate and the truth of the prince s situation. CAST OF CHARACTERS (2 male, 1 either) PRINCE MICHAEL (m)... A middle-aged or older man YOUNG MAN (m)... A young, nervous man PASSERBY (m/f)... A person of either sex and any age DURATION: 5-10 minutes SET: A park. There is a long park bench CS and perhaps a street lamp TIME: 8:45 PM, a chilly night CASTING NOTES O. Henry wrote in the early 1900 s, a time of transition from stereotypical cowboys and hobos to emerging technology. With this transition as a background to many of his stories, they were often male-heavy. Having said that, I am certainly open to any attempts you may wish to make at turning hobos into women and conmen into con-women! Clearly double-casting of the actors is also possible.
ROBERT FRANKEL 3 Males Females Either The Love Potion of Ikey Schoenstein 2 -- -- Ulysses and the Dogman 2 -- 1 The Caliph, the Cupid and the Clock 2 -- 1 Modern Rural Sports 3 -- -- Ten Thousand Dollars 3 2 -- Proof of the Pudding 2 -- -- From the Author Like many of you, I grew up on O. Henry short stories. His flair for language No man existed who had money enough to wear so bad a hat as his. his use of malapropisms He hit his head and lost conscientiousness. and his observations on life Life is made up of sobs sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. were manna to me. And so, with the growth of interest in the ten-minute play, it was natural for me to turn to O. Henry s short stories and look to turn them into short plays. Here then, are six of his classics which, when bound together, should give your audiences (and your actors) a one-hour glimpse into O. Henry s way with a word, penchant with a pen, and authoritative ascendancy with alliteration. Where necessary for understanding, I ve updated his language or varied the circumstances slightly. But where possible, I ve left his characters as they were originally crafted with even the simplest hobo having the utmost in dignity. And the reason I loved reading O. Henry most? His vaunted surprise endings! Enjoy, Rob Frankel This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed.
4 THE CALIPH, CUPID, AND THE CLOCK AT RISE: PRINCE MICHAEL, a middle-aged or older man, sits on SR of park bench wearing a nondescript overcoat and a fedora. He is enjoying the night and observing the town clock tower, which is some fifty feet away and twenty feet high. After a moment, a younger man walks nervously by. He, too, stares at the clock tower in the distance, grimaces, then walks off. After another moment, he returns from the opposite direction, again staring at the tower. MICHAEL: (With a hint of a foreign accent.) I beg your pardon. YOUNG MAN turns, startled. YOUNG MAN: Hmm? MICHAEL: I beg your pardon, but I perceive that you are disturbed of mind. I will add that I am Prince Michael, heir to the throne of the Electorate of Lunagrande. I appear incognito, of course, as you may gather from my appearance. It is a fancy of mine to render aid to others whom I think worthy of it. Perhaps the matter that seems to distress you would more readily yield to our mutual efforts? He gestures to the bench seat next to him. After a moment's hesitation, the YOUNG MAN finds a smile but remains standing, fidgety. YOUNG MAN: Glad to meet you, Prince. Yeah, you look "incog" alright. Thanks for the offer, but I don't see where you butting in would help anything. It's kinda private, but hey, thanks anyway. MICHAEL: Clocks are shackles on the feet of mankind, my young friend. I have observed you looking persistently at the clock tower. Its face is that of a tyrant; its numbers are false as those on a lottery ticket. Its hands are those of a conman. I entreat you - throw off its humiliating bonds. Do not order your affairs by the movement of those steel gears. YOUNG MAN: I don't usually. Forgot my watch. This perusal script is for reading purposes only. No performance or photocopy rights are conveyed.
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