The Recognition
The Players’ Tragedy
By
Tony Del Degan
Copyright © 2019 Tony Del Degan, All Rights Reserved
Dramatis personæ
PERE (Salazar)
An arrogant actor; the biggest fop of the company. He is abusive to his lover — Leticia, and abrasive towards his fellows.
ANGELOS (Lord Lopez)
A tragic character, hopelessly in love with Leticia. He often gets into arguments with Pere. Inside, he is not all sane, and gets overly emotional quite often.
STANE (Lord Martin)
Stane is a brute, who only acts because he’s found some small success in it. He does not want the Recognition, and is disgusted by the actions of his fellows.
SARAFINA (Maria)
She is nervous and shy, often staying out of scenes entirely, or hiding in the background. The actions of her fellow actors seem horrid to her, and she tries to stay uninvolved.
LETICIA (Valentina / Queen Isabella)
Leticia begins as sly, then becomes conniving. She wants the Recognition, and will do whatever she must to get it, regardless of who she has to murder in its pursuit.
NAZARIO (Garcia / King Ferdinand)
He is called The Man of A Thousand Faces, for he can play any character, learn any line, and manipulate any weak mind. It is almost as if he has come from another time, as he talks differently than the others, drifts around the stage, and seems as if he knows everything about the Tragedy.
Las Sombras (The Shadows)
These are the extras who move furniture around and fill up the stage when necessary (King and Queen’s court). Dressed in full black versions of 15th century Spanish dress.
Scene
This play takes place in a theatre, where many gather each night to watch the Tragedy. The stage will shift, changing from the Stage to the Dressing sets, depending on the scene. Actors will move between these as needed. The Tragedy is a play set in 15th century Spain during the Inquisition, specifically in the city of Cordoba, which lies within the kingdom of Castile.
Time
During the play, the actors are moving from performing on stage to interacting and plotting in the dressing rooms. It begins during the opening night of the Tragedy, and gradually progresses towards the final night, the play falling apart all the while as the actors begin to lose interest in acting, and focus instead of killing each other.
ACT I
Scene 1 (TRAG.) – Stage (Street)
Note: Try giving Spanish accents to the Tragedy characters to distinguish between reality and play.
[Enter Pere (Salazar)]
(Pere appears, garbed in a doublet of black trimmed with gold. The large feather on his hat flutters back and forth as he strides out from off stage, and his scabbard swings back and forth with every step. He raises his hand, and his half-cape flourishes as he reaches for a wall sconce, lighting it. The orange glow of the flame fills the stage, and Pere moves to center, shaking his flint.)
PERE (SALAZAR): A god-awful woman, she is.
[Enter Nazario (Garcia)]
(Pere stands, pondering, then spins around to look up at the buildings and their windows. Nazario enters through the door to the building and approaches. He wears a long coat that sweeps the ground, so that it looks as if he is floating. It is purple, ornamented with silver. As he reaches Pere, a frown touches his face. Pere tilts his head.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Garcia, my friend, how wonderful it is to see you.
(Nazario (Garcia) bows slightly, reaching into his coat to search for something as Pere continues to speak, watching as he does so.)
PERE (SALAZAR): This night is cold, but my wife is colder. I would sooner keep the company of the passing vagrants than that woman. Dios mio!
(Nazario takes a scroll from his pocket, unraveling it as Pere looks on in confusion.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): What a life, you live, Salazar. Perhaps I may sweeten it.
(He looks around, ensuring there are none listening. His gaze passes over the audience, and he takes Pere’s shoulder, moving him farther down the stage before reading.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Reading) The lords Lopez and Martin have conspired with the Jewish heretics, harboring families in their homes. By order of King Ferdinand of Spain, they must be destroyed, but by someone close to them, for any attempts by the Inquisitors will result in their flight.
(Pere fingers his chin as he listens. At the mention of the names and the charges, his eyes widen. Nazario continues.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Lord Salazar of Castile, a friend of the crown, should be asked first before any, for his trustworthiness has been proved… Let us not read further. I have faith in your ability, and so does His Majesty.
(Nazario looks up from his paper, rolling it in his hands. He turns, striding out a ways before turning back to face Pere, who is waiting, his fingers still playing with his chin.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): So, Salazar, do you accept His Majesty’s proposal?
(He approaches, standing close to Pere as he speaks his next line.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Cont.) The prize, I have not mentioned… two thousand reals for their heads.
(Pere turns away from Nazario and paces a bit before gazing up at the wall sconce. He ponders, then turns round as he hears a clamour from inside the building beside them.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Lopez and Martin are my closest friends, you must understand.
(Nazario nods his head.)
PERE (SALAZAR): (Cont.) But… two thousand reals? My wife would certainly shut her lips if I came home a rich man instead of a poor one.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Frowning) But you are not poor.
(Pere smiles and strides back to his friend.)
PERE (SALAZAR): I am a poor magnate among magnates, my friend. Though my pockets twinkle, they could twinkle brighter.
(He pauses, thinking.)
PERE (SALAZAR): (Cont.) Yes, I think I may take your offer… Tell King Ferdinand that Lopez and Martin will be dead before the month is out.
(Pere smiles a haughty smile, then pats Nazario on the shoulder. With a last glance up at the window of his house, he saunters to the door, opening it.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Un hombre rico seré. A rich man I will be…
[Exit Pere]
(He passes through it, then shuts it behind him. The stage lights darken as Nazario looks to the door, staring, alone in the street.)
[Exit]
Scene 2 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Leticia, Sarafina, Stane, Angelos, Nazario]
(The actors move about the dressing room, some to their vanities, where they begin to take off their makeup and costume pieces. As they do this, Leticia moves to stand in the corner, fingering her chin. She takes a breath and fixes her hair, then waits until the chatter dies down.)
LETICIA: A competent performance… Angelos, Stane, Nazario, Sarafina (Beat) Pere — where is he?
(The actors pause to look up at her, then they continue, confused looks on their faces. Angelos keeps his gaze locked onto her, his hands fumbling with a bottle.)
ANGELOS: Yes, I agree. You especially, Leticia, what wonderful dialogue you deliver. Pere is out on the stage…
(Stane harrumphs, and Angelos glares at him.)
STANE: Stop flirting, Angelos. Our lives are miserable enough without your damn voice ringing in our ears all day long.
(Leticia turns around to face Angelos, and he glances at her before returning his gaze to Stane. The other actors are listening now, no longer paying attention to their bottles and wipes. Stane takes out a cigar, lighting it with emphasis — the melodrama is fully broken here.)
ANGELOS: I’m not flirting, I assure you. I’m just complimenting my co-stars — is that so wrong?
STANE: Depends what you plan to get from them in return for your compliments… especially from one in particular.
(Stane finishes at his table, then rises from his seat, taking his cigar out from between his lips and pinching it between two fingers. He reaches for a towel and pulls it angrily from its rack, wiping his face with it before throwing it aside onto a table. Meanwhile, Pere is gesticulating on stage, practicing his movements. He turns, striding through the door to the dressing room.) [Enter Pere]
PERE: Did you see how they cheered? My god, how wonderful it is to hear such a sound every night.
(He moves into the room, glancing about at the actors, absorbing the obvious tension, then he continues, ignoring it. When he sees Leticia standing, he removes his hat, setting it down, moving over to her. She smiles as he approaches; he bows his head.)
PERE: Wonderful, girl, just wonderful. You are a star, just like me; now give me a kiss.
(She blushes, looking down at the ground, then she kisses his cheek. Angelos is watching, jealousy painted clear across his face. He turns around and continues to fumble with his bottles, reaching up to wipe makeup from his face.)
LETICIA: (Flirty) Thank you, sweet. You’re not too bad yourself.
(Pere bows to her as he floats over to his table, gazing at himself in the mirror. He begins to gesticulate once more. Stane harrumphs again, then crosses the room, leaving the dressing room, cigar still in hand.) [Exit Stane]
(Leticia moves back to her table, delicately taking her bottles and wipes and cleaning her face as Sarafina watches from her vanity. When Leticia notices, Sarafina rises, approaching.)
SARAFINA: Your acting… could you teach me?
(Leticia is confused. She sets her bottle down.)
LETICIA: Pardon?
SARAFINA: I want to know how you do it, how you speak such dialogue… with such realism.
(Leticia chuckles, slightly irritated. Nazario rises from his table, smiling at his fellows before crossing the room. Before he leaves, however, he stops, turning.)
NAZARIO: Let us not forget, friends — the Recognition… will be awarded soon. Goodnight.
[Exit Nazario]
(Pere is still gazing into the mirror.)
PERE: As if we need reminding. He’s just bragging about how wonderful his chances are… Man of a Thousand Faces, My God. Thinks he’s the next Victor Vinicus.
(The other actors say nothing, but Sarafina seems intrigued. Leticia is clearly annoyed, yet the woman heeds not.)
SARAFINA: What is the Recognition?
(The other actors all turn around in sync, as if she has just spoken blasphemy. Pere takes it upon himself to explain, his tone brusque and judgemental.)
PERE: (Arrogant) Why are you even here, then? You have no idea? Earth to Sarafina, everyone from America to the Orient knows about it. (Pause) It’s an award, and it’s given to the best actors in the world… (Beat) Like myself.
LETICIA: And our theatre is the chosen playhouse for this year. Pere and I are… bickering about which of us is most likely to get it.
(Pere stops his fumbling and grows slightly vexed.)
PERE: (Irritated) Yes, and we settled this.
(Awkward silence for a moment. Sarafina breaks it.)
SARAFINA: So… your acting — could you teach me?
LETICIA: (Collecting herself) What is there to teach?
(Sarafina frowns, now realizing her fellow’s irritation.)
SARAFINA: Sorry… I’m… just forget it, then. I know you probably want the Recognition.
(Sarafina moves away, exiting the stage, Leticia uncaring as she does so.) [Exit Sarafina]
(Now there is only Leticia, Pere, and Angelos. They are silent, gazing up occasionally to glance at each other, then returning their gazes to their tables. After a time, Angelos rises, sliding his chair under his vanity and glancing at both his fellows before nodding briskly. He leaves the room.) [Exit Angelos]
(Pere gets up, placing his hands on his table and peering over the mirror at Leticia. She looks up.)
PERE: They want the Recognition… maybe not that Sarafina girl — she doesn’t even know what it is — but the others…
LETICIA: Of course they do. Why would they not? What other prize is there in an actor’s life; even Sarafina, sweet, will want it, just as soon as she begins to understand it.
(Leticia goes back to her bottles, but Pere persists. His voice is quiet, but laden with irritation and haste. He is trying to plot, but Leticia seems uninterested.)
PERE: Nazario is the most likely to get it… Out of most of us, he is the best, or in any case, the most shrewd.
LETICIA: And? What are you implying?
PERE: We kill him.
(Leticia stops, holding onto her bottle as if frozen there, gaping up at her fellow. He is smiling, but that smile soon fades as he realizes her manner is not one of agreement and excitement.)
PERE: Well… perhaps…
(He sits, his thought unfinished. When he does, Leticia rises instead, peering over at him now. He looks up, frowning.)
LETICIA: Kill him? But how? How would we hide his death? He is part of The Tragedy… all of us are. We can’t act if there’s no play.
(Pere smiles.)
PERE: His character is insignificant. If he dies of sickness — an illness of some kind — he will be replaced. The play will go on.
(Leticia turns to see if there is anyone listening. After, she rises and moves around the tables, leaning to kiss Pere on the cheek. She crosses the room and leaves.) [Exit Leticia]
(Pere continues to gesticulate in the mirror. When he is done, he rises, finding his bottle of sangria and taking a long draft of it before setting it down again and leaving the stage.)
[Exit]
Scene 3 (TRAG.) – Stage (Courtyard)
[Enter Angelos and Stane]
(Angelos moves to center, his long crimson cloak sweeping the stage behind him like a drooped pair of great wings. He dons a feathered hat, the brim wider, however, than Pere’s from before. He opens the shutters on the building behind, then peers in, searching as if for people who might hear the conversation.)
(Stane follows, garbed more simply in green velvet, his long hair tied back. There is a gilded scepter in his grasp, a bulb of crimson marble at the tip. He swings this about lazily.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Señor Martin, your note was terribly written. A dullard would find no trouble in reading it.
STANE (MARTIN): (Glaring) I possess not the penmanship, nor the wit, Lord Lopez. Why, then, did you pass this task to me if you knew undoubtedly I would fail it?
(He swings his scepter in a circle as he waits for his answer.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): I imagined a dullard might find most value in the words of a fellow than in those of an academic. Perhaps I misthought.
[Enter Pere, (skulking around the building in the background)]
(He peers out at the two lords, listening, but remaining hidden where he is.)
STANE (MARTIN): You misthink often, My Lord Lopez. Now our guise grows thin, and Ferdinand of Aragon catches scent of our plotting on the wind.
(Angelos and Stane freeze, as if turned to stone. Focus attention now on Pere and Leticia in the background. Maybe do a spotlight on Leticia and Pere.)
[Enter Leticia, (back with Pere)]
(She peers around to see what Pere is gazing at, then grabs him by the collar, pulling him back around the wall. They can be seen through the now open shutters of the building. The two lords are still frozen.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Salazar, what in heaven are you doing?
PERE (SALAZAR): (Flustered) My love, I was… about to greet my friends, yet I knew not if I would be welcome in their parle.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Parle?
(She glances out the window, then back to her husband.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Continued) If you will speak with them, then speak. Skulk not in the shadows, Salazar.
(She grabs him and brings him out into the yard, where the lords are now live, moving about. They both glance at the two unexpected visitors, frowns of worry on their faces.)
(Leticia bows to them, her great dress flourishing. It is red, like blood. Pere bows also, then feigns an air of fellowship, embracing Lopez, then Martin, who slightly recoils at the man’s touch.)
PERE (SALAZAR): My Lords, my dearest friends, do the gods treat you just?
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Hesitant) Certainly. We were borne by fate, you might say, and arrived here most unexpectedly, Martin and I.
(Stane spins his scepter.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Turning to Leticia.) And most beautiful Valentina, your husband knows not his fortune.
(Pere frowns out of character at Angelos, who glances up to see the expression, ignoring it. Pere swiftly returns a smile to his face before the audience (fake audience) can realize.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): I thank you, My Lord Martin. My husband bears a message, I imagine, else he would not have come.
PERE (SALAZAR): (Frowning) God, no, my love. This is a chance meeting, I assure you. I was passing through only.
(The scepter spins once more.)
STANE (MARTIN): Were you not walking with your wife, My Lord? She speaks as if she found you here, and your words are affirming.
(Pere grows flustered, his haughty attitude dispersed like birds from a shaken tree. Leticia frowns at him.)
PERE (SALAZAR): I told her to meet me here, for I had to speak with you, My Lords. She was in the markets, you understand, and joined me only recently, before I saw you, in fact.
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Take me not for an insolent, My Lord. She has no baggage.
(Pere looks down at his wife’s hands and sees them empty. He feigns a smile, chuckling nervously.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Ah, she must have deposited them. Surely she would attest.
(He looks to Leticia.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Of course. I placed them at our home, my love, before I came here. But let us not dwell on it, my husband bears a message.
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Smiling haughtily) Certainly, I am eager to listen; based upon how many times you have mentioned it, I must assume it is of great import.
(Pere smiles, trying to formulate something to say. Leticia stares up at him, waiting.)
PERE (SALAZAR): A dinner at my home, yes, is what it is. In three days time, at seven o’clock precisely, you must be there.
(Angelos and Stane glance at each other, confused. Pere waits, hoping his farce has succeeded.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Of course. I thank you, my friend, and await graciously your dinner. Your wife does prepare the best rice in España.
(He smiles at Leticia and she bows her head slightly to him in thanks. With that, her and her husband depart behind the building in the background.) [Exeunt Pere and Leticia]
(Angelos looks at Stane doubtfully.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): He knows, perhaps. He heard our whisperings.
STANE (MARTIN): (Thoughtful) We must be wary of him. At this dinner, have sealed in your coat a vial of powdered hemlock. Should he reveal himself, sprinkle it into his wine.
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Yes. A wondrous plot, and perhaps our salvation.
[Exeunt]
Scene 4 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Pere, Leticia, Nazario, Angelos, Stane, Sarafina]
(The actors enter through the stage door, moving to their tables. Sarafina, however, sits upon a tall box, staring at the others, her makeup and costume still untouched.)
PERE: (Irritated) Your performance, Angelos… how should I put it? Stop with the flirting.
(Angelos looks up from his glass.)
ANGELOS: (Frowning) How do you mean?
PERE: You know how I mean, very well, in fact.
(He strikes the table with his glass, then rises from his chair, moving over to Angelos. He grasps his collar and heaves him out of his seat.)
PERE: (Furious) Touching my love, kissing her hand… that wasn’t in the script, you bastard! Next time I catch you screwing around, I’ll break character and your nose right then!
(Leticia turns in her chair, Sarafina watches, frightened, and Stane is amused as he removes his ruff collar, throwing it aside. He lights another cigar, putting his feet up on the table.)
ANGELOS: Let go of me! It was improv, you idiot; I thought the scene would be more believable.
(Pere lifts Angelos and slams his body against the tabletop, rattling the bottles and throwing them from their places.)
PERE: Shut up you damn fop; I saw your eyes when you kissed her hand! You want her, don’t you? You want to-
LETICIA: Pere! Enough!
PERE: (To Leticia) Don’t talk to me. (To Angelos) If I were a lesser man, I might strangle you now. I would strangle you now!
(Leticia approaches hastily, grabbing Pere’s shoulder. He whirls, slapping her face. The other actors go silent, all staring. Pere looks down at his palm, then turns to Angelos, glaring furiously at him.)
(Leticia approaches Pere, turning him. She slaps him back, then fixes her hair. He stares at her, then stumbles away, looking to each of the seated actors in turn before vanishing.) [Exit Pere]
(Angelos gapes at Leticia until she drifts back to her table, examining her face in the mirror of her vanity to ensure it is not bruised.)
(One by one, the other actors depart, slowly, fading like shadows into the darkness off stage.) [Exeunt Sarafina, Nazario, Stane]
LETICIA: I apologize, Angelos… Pere is… violent at times.
(Angelos remains lying against the wooden chest where he fell. Leticia is across the room, seated, still fixated on her mirror.)
ANGELOS: Does he hurt you often?
LETICIA: (Hesitant) No…
(Angelos rises, moving to his vanity to remove his makeup.)
[Enter Nazario, (hidden behind a curtain, peering out)]
ANGELOS: He shouldn’t.
(Leticia is silent.)
ANGELOS: (Cont.) If he hurts you, why do you stay with him?
LETICIA: (Irritated) I don’t want to talk about it now. Pere doesn’t mean anything when he does what he does, I know it. It is always accidental… and I am just as much to blame as he is. He’s been temperamental ever since the theatre was chosen for the Recognition.
ANGELOS: (Frowning) Leticia… surely nothing you do warrants violence. He shouldn’t hurt you like that… ever. And the Recognition is not an excuse; it’s just an award.
LETICIA: Enough, Angelos, please. I’m tired.
(She rises, leaving Angelos where he is. When she spots Nazario hiding, she stops, but continues swiftly so as not to draw his attention.)
[Exit Leticia]
(Angelos is alone now. Nazario soon drifts back into the darkness, a smirk on his face [Exit Nazario] while Angelos finishes with his makeup.)
(Angelos turns, pondering, towards Pere’s vanity. He reaches up to feel his pocket, then rises, moving over to his fellow’s table. He picks up a bottle, then puts it down after examining it.)
[Exit]
Scene 5 (TRAG.) – Stage (Foyer)
[Enter Pere and Leticia]
(Pere enters, crossing the room to sit down in his chair. Leticia closes the door, then follows, moving over to her exasperated husband, who wears a look of perplexion on his face.)
PERE (SALAZAR): My god, Valentina, why have I been stricken with this plight? How shall I do what needs to be done?
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Confused) What needs to be done, my love?
(Pere realizes his error and grows flustered.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Nothing… nothing.
(Leticia leans on the chair and looks at Pere.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): You are keeping something from me, for certain. Have I done something to lose your trust?
PERE (SALAZAR): I keep no secret, and fear not for my love. Never have I loved you more, my dear, than I do now. Should I have something to speak, you will hear it before any other.
[Enter Nazario, (Behind the door)]
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Your words are sweet.
(There is a knock on the door. Leticia straightens and crosses to it, glancing at Pere before turning the handle and opening it.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Valentina, a pleasure it is to see you.
(Pere rises from his chair and stands, staring across the stage at Nazario, his eyes wide.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): A wonderful morn, made finer by your visit, My Lord Garcia. For why have you come?
PERE (SALAZAR): (Smiling falsely) My Lord, I was not expecting a visit. This time is ill, I must confess, for troubles plague my mind, spoken by incessant whisperings.
(Nazario raises his eyebrow in confusion as Pere crosses the room to greet him.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Ill indeed.
PERE (SALAZAR): Do you bring word of something? A message best spoken privately?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): I only come with tidings from His Majesty, King Ferdinand. On this passing Sunday, his royal court will cross Castile. He and Her Majesty, Queen Isabella, on their road to Aragon, request audience with you alone, Salazar.
(Leticia’s eyes widen as she stares up at her husband. Pere seems taken aback.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Of course… where do they wish to convene?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): A taverna by your home. El Mentiroso is its name. As I have spoken to you previously, your lone presence is pertinent. His Majesty will be guarded, of course, for his safety is of great import.
PERE (SALAZAR): (Unsettled.) A taverna? At what time?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): At twilight, you should make yourself known at the doors to the taverna. An attendant will let you in, arrayed in the dress of a noble, eyes shut as if in slumber.
(Pere shifts, keeping his gaze away from that of his wife for fear of what he might find in it. He taps his feet, his cape swaying.)
PERE (SALAZAR): I will keep this meeting foremost in my thoughts so that I miss it not. Many thanks, My Lord Garcia, and I wish you good fortune.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Bows) And you, Salazar. May your pockets be gilded and your dealings just.
[Exit Nazario]
(Leticia looks to her husband, a question in her gaze — one that Pere reads immediately. He grows perturbed, pacing the room.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): What does he mean?
PERE (SALAZAR): I have formed a pact with the royals, my love, one that will make us very rich — so very rich.
(He takes Leticia’s hands and looks into her eyes, but finds doubt instead of elation.)
PERE (SALAZAR): (Cont.) Are you not pleased?
(She lets go of his hands.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): What is this pact? You are placing much trust in this nobleman, perhaps more than you should.
PERE (SALAZAR): (Frowning) I have known Garcia since he was a boy. He was a babe when I took him from the street and into my own home, urging my father and mother to raise him as if he were a second son.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Yet, still, I urge you, my love, to be wary. Boys possessed of the hearts of saints may not share their minds.
(Salazar takes Leticia’s hands again and embraces her.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Think not on it, my love. Should I be cloven in two, my heart lanced, I would walk again if only to see your face. God himself would not drag me to heaven, for I would fight him off, snubbing the angels and the saints above to stay on this earth with you. Fire would not burn me, nor water drown me, for I will live, as long as you follow, for eternity.
[Exeunt.]
Scene 6 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Angelos]
(Angelos enters through the stage door, crossing the room to kick his vanity table. He is distraught, and throws his ruff collar down onto the tabletop. His gaze passes over Pere’s vanity and the bottle that sits there — the same that he had examined before.)
[Enter Nazario, (Skulking by the curtains)]
(Nazario peers out from behind the curtains and watches Angelos, a smirk on his lips. He approaches, feigning ignorance, as if he had only just strode in. Angelos looks up.)
NAZARIO: You look troubled, my friend Angelos. Tell me what plagues your mind. Perhaps I may be of help.
ANGELOS: (Frustrated) No, you wouldn’t.
NAZARIO: I think I may.
ANGELOS: No, you wouldn’t.
NAZARIO: I think I may.
(Angelos stares, then he sighs, pondering whether or not he should speak his troubles. After a moment, he resolves to.)
ANGELOS: I… well-
NAZARIO: It is Leticia, is it not?
ANGELOS: (Frowning) How do you know? Have you been watching me?
NAZARIO: I do not need to eavesdrop to tell, my friend. You are clearly enraptured by her very presence. Truly, I pity you, for Pere seems quite adamant that you remain aloof when she is around.
(He moves to his vanity and sits, though he fumbles not with his bottles. His gaze is fixed upon Angelos, who is now holding his head in his hands.)
ANGELOS: God, I’m just an idiot. What am I doing?
NAZARIO: And yet, Leticia despises her own love. He hurts her, I see, yet even as she longs to be rid of him, she can not, for he loves her sweetly between the pain. A loathsome pairing…
ANGELOS: I want to help her, Nazario… I want to love her, to show her that there are better men than Pere in the world. I think she’s trapped by him somehow, and I want to free her.
NAZARIO: Yet, alas, those who mean best are often cast aside, no?
ANGELOS: I know.
NAZARIO: You know, indeed. Think on it, dear Angelos, and do what needs to be done in your mind. God shall guide your path, move your deft hand, for that is his wont. We have the Recognition to think on also, or am I wrong in suspecting that you want it at all?
(Angelos does not answer that; he only stares. Seemingly satisfied, Nazario rises, stopping at Pere’s desk to tilt up the same bottle Angelos had examined.)
NAZARIO: Sangria? The man’s drunk, for certain.
[Exit Nazario]
(Angelos is fixated on the bottle of Sangria. He rises, following Nazario off the stage.) [Exit]
Scene 7 (TRAG.) – Stage (Dining Room)
[Enter Pere and Leticia]
(Pere and Leticia enter slowly, examining the room. Around them, Las Sombras are assembling a dining table. They gracefully drag in the table, setting it in center, then the chairs are brought as well, Las Sombras spinning with them as if dancing. Candles, glasses, etc., are set atop the table, then Las Sombras move off in different directions, vanishing behind the stage.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Where will the lords be seated, Valentina?
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Confused) Does it matter, my love?
PERE (SALAZAR): Of course not. It is only that I wish to be near them, for I wish to speak with them.
(He turns to the audience as his wife looks away at the table, then he reaches up to fix his collar, sliding a small vial out and into his sleeve as he does so. His face is painted with worry, and as he turns towards the door, he coughs.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Are the lords unattended?
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Lord Lopez brings his wife — the Lady Maria, but Martin brings himself only. Is your mind unsettled by something?
PERE (SALAZAR): Not so, certainly. It is only that I grow anxious when guests enter my home. I do not well with dinners, you should know.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): I knew not.
PERE (SALAZAR): (Irritated) Well, you should have.
(Leticia turns, a perturbed look on her face. She strikes the table with a metal cup and Pere turns abruptly to face her.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Angry) What is wrong with you? And say not that it is nothing, for I can see different.
(There is a knock on the door.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): I begin to wonder if you love me well at all, Salazar. If you can tell me not what you plan, yet you can tell your fellows without pause, perhaps you would have done well to have wed them in place of me.
(She moves past him, glaring, to the door. As she opens it, her scowl fades, replaced by a kind smile to greet the guests.)
[Enter Stane, Angelos, and Sarafina (At the door)]
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): My sweet Lady Valentina, does God favour you well on this night?
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Well enough, My Lord Lopez.
(She glares back at Pere and he moves swiftly to the door to dispel her expression. Martin and Lopez greet him as he approaches, embracing him. Sarafina stands by her husband, quiet.)
PERE (SALAZAR): My Lords, how wonderful it is to see you here. Come and sit down, for our dinner is ready and the birds may take it if we do not begin.
(He leads Martin and Lopez to the table, Sarafina following meekly. (Make their seating look like The Last Supper.) He pulls out their chairs and sits them down, moving his hand near the cup of Martin. From his sleeve, he produces the vial, deftly tilting it into the cup before any can see. Once done, the vial is gone, back into his sleeve.)
STANE (MARTIN): What food do you have in this house, Salazar? Hopefully some edible.
PERE (SALAZAR): A paella with prawns and mussels.
STANE (MARTIN): (Amused) Live or dead?
(Stane slams the table, laughing. Angelos laughs also, while Sarafina sits beside him, smiling nervously. Leticia moves behind the wall of the set, returning with a large pan as the uproar quiets. She sets it down on the table, then moves to sit at the head of the table. Pere sits at the other head.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): I heard talk that The Catholic Monarchs are passing through Castile. How now does God plan to keep our state in tact if he sends his missionaries through our lands? Dios mio! Fortune favours us not.
(All eat.)
STANE (MARTIN): Ferdinand and Isabella will not stop for long, I am certain. Their court passes through only, it does not remain.
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): We can hope.
STANE (MARTIN): Their inquisition has torn Spain apart, and now it is as if they plot to bring their dogma with them through Castile once more. God willing, our people will hold their judgements and keep matters as they always have. There is no need for Jewish punishment here.
(Pere shifts uncomfortably in his seat.)
PERE (SALAZAR): True, my dear friend.
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): True. We need no auto-da-fé in our kingdom. The streets reek well enough without the stench of burning flesh.
PERE (SALAZAR): You both tolerate the Jews, then?
(Angelos and Stane look up, their eyes wide. A silence blankets the room, then the clicking of cutlery resumes.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Is there wrong in that?
PERE (SALAZAR): (Falsely) Not at all, My Lords, I meant nothing by it. I find it admirable that you share such godly virtues. There are enough in Europe who would seek to rend themselves in two over such matters as religion and politics. Think of the French!
(Leticia is watching her husband, suspicion painted clear across her face.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Now, Maria, let us speak of other topics that warrant no ardent discussion.
(The men quiet down. Sarafina looks up nervously, fixing her dress as she prepares to respond.)
SARAFINA (MARIA): Certainly, My Lady.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Valentina, truly, no more.
SARAFINA: (Flustered) Of course.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): I do love your dress; velvet, is it not?
(Sarafina nods.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Cont.) I have many dresses of velvet. I find it course (fingers dress with a frown), the material, would you not agree? I find the best place to purchase clothing to be the market by the bridge here in Cordoba.
(Stane takes a sip from his cup. There’s poison in it.)
SARAFINA (MARIA): I traveled to Madrid, quite a while ago now, and found there this dress. Two-hundred reals was its price.
(Stane starts to rub his throat.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Two-hundred? Was it made by God himself?
(Sarafina snickers shyly as Stane begins to shift in his chair.)
SARAFINA (MARIA): Perhaps. In the m-
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Concerned) Martin?
(Stane turns and Angelos stands from his chair. He rushes over to take Stane’s hands away from his neck, yet they keep reaching back up to grasp tightly around the throat. Pere sits, staring, his eyes wide, and Leticia stands. Sarafina is moving away, ready to scream.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Panicked) He chokes! He coughs! Lay him down!
PERE (SALAZAR): On the table! Put him there!
(The plates and dinnerware are thrown from the table as Pere and Angelos hoist Stane onto the tabletop. His mouth is frothing and his eyes grow red, tears streaming down his cheeks. Sarafina screams and runs to hide by the door.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): My God, he is poisoned! See the froth on his lips!
(Angelos takes Stane’s collar and looks into his eyes. There is no light there. After a moment, the thrashing stops, and Stane lies still.) [(Lord Martin) Dies]
(All stand from the table, shock on their faces. Angelos looks distraught, his breathing growing heavy. He draws his rapier and turns to Pere.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Hemlock in the wine; his death was your doing.
PERE (SALAZAR): No, ‘twas not. I dare not fight you, Lopez, make me not.
(Pere draws his rapier.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): The King’s order, you did follow. It was Lord Garcia, was it not, who conveyed it? All he did for you, Salazar, could it match what our friendship was? Better it?
PERE (SALAZAR): Blame me not, Lord Martin. I on-
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Bellowing) Blame you not? Should God be watching this now, would he blame you not?
(Angelos slashes and Pere parries the blade with a clash of metal. Angelos begins to approach, his weapon ready.)
PERE (SALAZAR): You fight me in my house?
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Where else?
(Another slash. It is parried.)
PERE (SALAZAR): You would dare attack me in the sight of my wife?
(Another slash.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): The harlot can stand it, I imagine. She aided you in this plot, or I am blind and dumb, and she will watch the result of it.
PERE (SALAZAR): She had no part.
(Pere slashes this time, and Angelos parries. Leticia is watching from one end of the room while Sarafina cowers in the other.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Then fight me and repent with bloody hands.
(Pere leaps onto the table, followed closely by Angelos. They begin to duel, slashing and cutting at each other, shuffling over Stane’s corpse as they cross the tabletop. Leticia and Sarafina watch in horror, both wide-eyed and unable to speak. At the end of the table, Pere leaps down toward his wife, fixing her with his apologetic gaze. From behind, Angelos stabs, and Pere ducks. Leticia ducks also, and the blade sticks into the wall above her head.)
(Pere snaps his wrist and flicks his opponent’s blade away, fleeing to the other end of the room.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): Come back, you dog!
(Angelos pursues, stopping as he sees Pere holding his blade to Sarafina’s neck. She is sobbing, her hands pressed against her sides in fear.)
ANGELOS (LOPEZ): (Cautious) Let her go.
PERE (SALAZAR): Put down your blade.
(Angelos is hesitant, but eventually throws down his sword with a clatter.)
PERE (SALAZAR): Leave my house and do not return. Should I see you near, I will ensure you return to your wife with no eyes.
(He throws Sarafina to Angelos and he catches her, holding her as she sobs into the folds of his doublet. The two cross the room, past Pere and to the door, opening it, then leaving, slamming it behind them) [Exeunt, Angelos and Sarafina]
(Pere turns to look at his wife, who is glaring back, then they both survey the corpse and the damaged table.)
[Exeunt]
Scene 8 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Pere.]
(Pere enters the room and moves to his table. He is alone, and begins gesticulating and practicing as he realizes that no one can hear.)
PERE: Oh how my life is sweet, how my life is grand… Angelos is such a fool to believe what he does… Leticia would never fall for him, never in a thousand years.
(He looks through his bottles and things, creating a clamour of glass and metal.)
PERE: (Thoughtful) I’d bet the fool doesn’t even want the Recognition — he wants my lover instead… (Beat) Next time I see him, I’ll show him what I think of that. (Strike table) I’ll cut out his eyes, break his bones, make him a eunuch if he even touches her.
(He starts fumbling with his things, finding the bottle of sangria.)
PERE: (Calming himself) If God would only help the poor girl and get rid of her problems for her… Stamp out the bastard who wearies her precious little mind.
(He unstoppers it, lifting it to his lips. He takes a long draft, then shuts the cap and sets it down again. There is a prolonged silence that goes on uninterrupted as Pere straightens his collar and his hair.)
(After a time, Pere reaches up to wipe his lips with his hand. He continues, but frowns as he spots blood on his fingers in the mirror. His eyes widen and he starts to choke, clutching at his throat and tearing his collar apart to reach his skin. His breathing is laboured, as if coming through a straw, and his face is flushed crimson. He knocks the bottles from the table, then goes still, his head falling to the now-cleared tabletop with a great crash. [Dies] The stage lights darken.)
[Exit.]
ACT II
Scene 9 (REAL) – Dressing
Note: This is where the sincerity turns to comedy. The play starts to fall apart after Pere’s death, so exaggerate the chaos.
[Enter Angelos, Leticia, Stane, Sarafina, Nazario]
(The actors move into the room, some sitting at their vanities, others on chests and boxes. Angelos stands downstage center, peering out at the crowd. They all look distraught. Angelos knows he killed Pere, and his face shows it.)
STANE: What a turn of events, eh? One of you idiots just made this all quite complicated. Damn your Recognition and your Victor Vinicus. This job was going to pay my rent for the next month; now it’s all shot.
(Leticia begins to weep, hiding her face from her fellows. Stane looks for a cigar, picking up his lighter, but finds no more. He slams the lighter down onto the table.)
ANGELOS: (Pensive) Unbelievable…
NAZARIO: And look about, my dear friends. Whom has done it? Who sits with us even now, feigning sorrow, when inside they feel only the bright, blessed ecstasy of success. Who’s the crow that plays dove in our roost?
STANE: (Pick up and flick on lighter) I’d wager it was you, hermit. Start talking in plain English so I can understand what you’re blabbing about, or I might misinterpret one of your little monologues as a confession.
NAZARIO: It was not I, my friend, who did this deed. Look about and see those more reclusive than I, perhaps not in presence, but certainly in mind.
(Stane glances around at his fellows. They can not meet his gaze.)
STANE: I didn’t like Pere — he was a real fop — but as much as I wanted to strangle him, I didn’t. How does it happen that one of you has less self-control than me?
(Leticia flees from the stage, unable to hold her tears. [Exit Leticia] Angelos turns to watch her, his face distraught. There is regret and anger in his expression.)
STANE: Leticia? I didn’t think of that one… Maybe she finally got sick of her little boy-toy’s prodding and decided to give him a little prod of his own.
ANGELOS: It wasn’t her, I know it. Now she’s distraught; leave her alone.
(Stane pauses, staring at Angelos.)
STANE: And how about you, blondie? Maybe you accidentally tipped a little toxin in Pere’s drink, eh? Got a little tired of the tension?
(The lighter flicks off, as if it has found its culprit and no longer needs to burn. Angelos whirls around, angry.)
ANGELOS: You dare accuse me?
STANE: I dare. None of you are innocent, and so long as we remain in this playhouse, I could be the next one choking on my collapsing throat. Now as it is, I’m leaving — going home before I get my neck slit — and I suggest you do the same. Damn your Recognition.
(Stane rises from his table and leaves, glaring at Angelos as he passes.) [Exit Stane]
NAZARIO: You must play the part of Salazar, Angelos, as well as Lopez.
ANGELOS: (Frowning) You are least present on stage, why should I take that role in place of you?
NAZARIO: I fit not the character, neither do I know the lines. You do, my friend. (Beat) And would you not revel in the opportunity to… display your acting prowess? Leticia will surely find your skill… enticing.
(Nazario rises, approaching Angelos and placing a hand on his shoulder. Angelos is intrigued, his mind suddenly changed.)
NAZARIO: Your prize is something else, is it not? (Pause) Men such as Victor Vinicus — those who have attained the Recognition — were shallow fools. They sought only fame and glory, and so achieved it, but at the cost of much more. Vinicus died a loveless man, and no award can supplement that. (Beat) Be wary, Angelos, that your pursuit does not lead you astray. Like it or not, the Recognition will go to the best of us, and they like you not, Angelos.
[Exit Nazario.]
(Angelos watches him go, then sits alone. He turns to glance at Pere’s empty vanity, then back to his own mirror. His reflection stares back at him. He rises, then leaves.) [Exit]
Scene 10 (TRAG.) – Stage (Foyer, Market)
[Enter Angelos (Dressed as Salazar) and Leticia]
(Angelos is hopeful that Leticia might accept him. He enters through the door from the dressing room, Leticia close behind. Angelos is unsure of his lines, and starts to falter.]
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Trying to stay composed) You fool, you arrogant fool, Salazar. What have you done? His blood would not leave the tablecloth; I had to burn it, I had to burn it!
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): I am sorry, my love, yet only so many times can I say it to you… It… (Confusion) It was the order of the King, I swear it, on my life, I swear it. Think what would have become of me — of us both — had I ignored him.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): (Infuriated) Salazar… you killed an innocent man, a noble, and you wear a smile on your face.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Pause, thinking, then realization) I am a holy man; I am an honorable man! What I have done was done for the good of Spain, for Castile, and for you, my love.
(Leticia turns her back, leaning on the table beside her. She sees a glass, then takes it, throwing it down to the floor. Angelos watches in silence.)
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Wary) Think not that I poisoned him, my love. I only… removed him.
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Do not speak to me!
(Angelos approaches her, taking her hands. She is glaring up at him, tears falling from her eyes.)
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): I love you still, more than I ever have. Do you remember what I told you before, my love? The… the spirits themselves could not take me from you… do you remember? (Angelos rubs his chin, unsure.)
(Leticia looks distraught, yet more so than she should. Her real emotion is visible through her character. Valentina is gone now, Leticia taking over.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): It wasn’t you who said that to me.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Frowning) What do you mean?
LETICIA (VALENTINA): No… never you.
(Angelos does not know what to do. Leticia’s lines were not part of the script. She is improvising now, and he is bemused by her words. She lets go of him, crossing to the door.)
LETICIA (VALENTINA): Never you.
[Exit Leticia]
(Angelos is now alone. The scene is incomplete; there should have been more. He turns to the audience, trying to hide his growing anxiety.)
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Flustered) Terrible woman… (chuckles nervously.)
(He turns, looking at the table, then he kicks it with his boot. At this cue, there is a knock on the door, and he runs to answer it.)
[Enter Nazario]
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Your wife is gone, I see.
(He is improvising also, trying to salvage the ruined performance, yet he remains calm, unaffected.)
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Unsure) True… she… grew angry.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Then we shall meet nonetheless. May I enter, Salazar? (Nazario knows his parts; he is in control here.)
(Angelos gestures for him to come in, so he does. There is a chair in the center of the room, and he sits in it. As he does so, Angelos looks to him in confusion, gesturing a “what now” with his hands. Nazario deftly gestures with his finger in a rolling motion, telling Angelos to continue with his lines. He doesn’t get it, so Nazario whispers aggressively.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Whisper) Continue! Say “Yes, My Lord!”
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): Oh… I… Yes, My Lord!
(Nazario sighs and shakes his head, then continues.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Back in character) On the eve of this day, His Majesty will be waiting for you; he seeks your audience, of course.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Collecting himself) Of course.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Yet one only of your quarry is dead; the other walks still, and should he spread word of your escapade, all will surely be for naught.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Gradually regaining composure) Why has God forsaken me so? First, my wife, then my riches; oh, heaven, I am ruined.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): And you live still, do you not? Find the missing lord and cut him down, bring his head to the king. I implore you, Salazar, heed my council.
(Angelos pauses, thinking about his next line.)
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Finding it) My mind is uncertain, dear friend.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Then let us take a walk.
(He rises, leaving Angelos in confusion; he soon gets up as well, following out the door, where they parade around the stage as if walking to the market. Las Sombras enter, taking away the decor, replacing it with market stalls. Nazario approaches one stall. Angelos is trying to look like he knows what to do.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Takes orange) This orange, look upon it.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): I see it.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): It is fallen from its tree, and can never return to its branch; this is like you — fallen from your branch.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Trying for irritation) I am no fruit, My Lord.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Certainly, yet you act like one.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): Is that a slight, My Lord?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Is it? Take it as you will.
(Angelos sits on a box.)
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): Perhaps I may. Garcia, my wife is gone.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Then get her back, My Lord, yet waste no time. His Majesty awaits you tonight.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): (Doubtful) Castile takes little part in the Inquisition, My Lord Garcia. Do you mean to ask me to change that? (Break; now flustered.) Do you?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Mouth slightly agape) His Majesty wishes to cleanse all of Spain, Salazar. If Castile joins not, it is… not Spanish… not Christian.
ANGELOS (SALAZAR): I see… yes, I see. Of course, you are correct.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): You are not convinced, my friend; I can see you hold doubt in your eyes.
(He leans down, close to Angelos, as if threatening him. The orange is placed beside Angelos where he sits. It falls off the box; Angelos reaches down to pick it back up, replacing it.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): I would hate to see doubt in your eyes. His Majesty would find it rude, you see… I must leave you now; forget not about the meeting.
(He begins to leave, but stops to turn around so that he might say one final thing. Angelos is not paying attention, so he snaps his fingers, drawing his eyes.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Your wife is alone, and a slighted man is angry at you. If I were in your place, I would be much more compelled to find her, lest something go… awry.
[Exit Nazario]
(Angelos looks around at the stalls until he sees the orange beside him. He picks it up, examining it. For a moment Angelos breaks through and he becomes overcome with emotion. He was just rejected, and can not control himself. He tosses the orange away, then rises, fleeing in tears.) [Exit Angelos]
Scene 11 (REAL) – Stage
[Enter Angelos]
(Angelos enters alone onto the empty stage. The audience (fake) is gone, and the playhouse is empty. He is depressed, it seems, and his face is sorrowful. A lone spotlight is centered and he walks into its glow. He pauses, looking up at the light; his hand moves to his pocket and stays there as he ponders whether he should produce the vial or leave it.)
(He is growing distressed; he forces his fingers into the pocket, fumbling for the vial. As he finds it, he lifts it, peering into it with wide eyes. He turns to glance back at the stage door.)
[Enter Vision of Leticia]
(The Vision enters the stage from the darkness, dancing and spinning slowly, her dress fluttering and billowing. She moves about behind Angelos, then into the spotlight, now out again. He ignores her, as if she does not exist.)
(She stops near him, looking at the vial in his hand as well, watching it in silence. Her hand reaches out, unstoppering the vial, then she dances away, back into the darkness.) [Exit Vision]
ANGELOS: (Hands shaking, he wipes his face with his palm.) Damn it.
(He begins to weep, yet he tries to hold it back. The vial is still in his hand. He looks at it with anguish in his eyes. Something in his mind is pushing him to take it. The powder inside is drawing him. He is nervous, pacing around while he cries; his body is quaking. (Add a disturbing quality to this scene — a break from the comedy, like a slap in the face.) After a time of this, he lifts the vial to his lips, hands still shaking, then he tosses it away. His tears come faster now, and he collapses to the stage.)
ANGELOS: (Through his tears.) I loved her.
(He begins to choke, clutching at his throat. His body bends over and he begins to writhe stiffly on the floor before growing still.) [Dies]
[Enter Nazario]
(Nazario sees the body lying in the spotlight. He approaches slowly, then kneels, turning the body over to lie on its back. With an expressionless face, Nazario begins to search the corpse’s pockets until he finds a small roll of paper. Unraveling it, he reads, then he smirks, rising and vanishing into the darkness.) [Exit Nazario]
Scene 12 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Leticia, Sarafina, Stane, Nazario]
(All actors move to their places around the room, some sitting at their vanities, others perched atop boxes, others standing. Nazario moves to center, looking about to ensure he has the attention of his fellows.)
SARAFINA: (Crying) Angelos… another gone. How can this happen?
NAZARIO: In his pockets I found a note, the contents of which are distressing by quite a measure, I assure you. Should I read it to you all, you may weep.
LETICIA: (Firm) Read it.
NAZARIO: (Reading) I could not let him hurt her. He was a monster, to her and to us all, and I could not let him ruin our play. (gasp from others) If Leticia finds this, then she must know that I only ever wanted to love her, to show her a better life than what Pere could ever hope to. (Leticia does not react) Thank you all for your friendship, but since Leticia does not love me, I went to such trouble for nothing. Goodbye, and may the Recognition go to whoever deserves it most.
(He lowers the paper, fixing Leticia with his expectant gaze. She remains still, her face cold and emotionless.)
LETICIA: He took his life as he took Pere’s… Why? I never rejected him.
NAZARIO: He confided to me prior to his death, and admitted that he took your irritated demeanor and discourteous exit from the stage as a slight towards himself; thereafter, he downed his hemlock, believing that you carried a certain distaste for his very existence.
LETICIA: (Angry) Is this amusing to you?
(She approaches him, her eyes filled with fire, and stares very intently at him in anticipation of his answer.)
NAZARIO: (Unafraid) (Pause) Hardly.
LETICIA: Two men are dead now, I find no time for witticism. If you had a heart in your black chest, maybe you might understand.
(She fixes him with a glare before retiring to her vanity with tears welling in her eyes. He stands where he is, then turns to look at the other two actors.)
NAZARIO: It would seem the role of Salazar is absent a player. Stane, my dear friend, you shall fit nicely — as nicely as can be managed, of course.
STANE: (Obviously uninterested) Go to hell; pray the devil likes your perfect smile.
NAZARIO: (Amused) I am sure he would, yet he will not help us act this play. As one of the last of us remaining fit at least for the gender — and not otherwise occupied with another role — you must do this. The Recognition will be awarded to the best of us — the most capable of all.
(The prop scepter clatters to the tabletop, rattling the glass bottles and cups sitting there. Stane sighs deeply, glancing at Angelos’ empty vanity.)
STANE: His costuming is too small, and damn you if you think I want the god-damn Recognition. There’s more to life than that bloody thing.
NAZARIO: Not so.
STANE: So, doubtlessly, in fact. Maybe Leticia can adopt this character instead of me. We only need something to hide her chest and her long hair. She certainly wants this Recognition.
LETICIA: (Irritated) Have you all gone mad? I would gladly take a role, but not one for a man. As Stane so graciously pointed out, (Gestures to chest angrily) I’ve not exactly flat enough. (Beat) How about you, Nazario? You seem to want the Recognition — you mention it often enough.
(She rises from her table, storming from the room.) [Exit Leticia]
STANE: (Suspicious) (To Nazario) One might think you’re plotting.
NAZARIO: One might, and yet, that one would be insolent. I plot nothing.
(Stane rises from his chair, moving to Angelos’ vanity. He picks up the costume of Salazar, examining it before throwing it back down. He is about to say something when something draws his attention. Crouching, he lifts the cloth covering Angelos’ vanity. There is naught, so he moves to the next under the confused gaze of Sarafina and Stane.)
SARAFINA: For what do you search? ‘Tis a mouse?
STANE: No, shut it, hermit.
(He pauses before lifting the cloth of Leticia’s vanity. Underneath, there is a small wooden crate. It rattles as he picks it up, placing it down on the tabletop.)
STANE: (Confused) What is this?
(He opens it and finds many vials stacked in rows. His fingers reach in, pulling one from the rows, raising it to his eye level, where he then reads it with widening eyes.)
STANE: Hemlock.
SARAFINA: (Shocked) But that’s… impossible.
NAZARIO: Whose table did we pull it from, pray? Leticia’s, it was. What end would sweet Leticia seek in hiding from us a flat of toxin?
STANE: (Sarcastic) Two men are dead, genius. That’s no-
(He notices something; there is a paper slid between the bottles. He takes it, reading it aloud.)
STANE: (Reading) Two vials in every cup.
NAZARIO: Treachery, I name it. Of whose cups does she speak?
(Stane puts the paper back, then deftly slides the crate back into its place.)
STANE: She wants the Recognition… damn all of you and your Recognition. The harpy thinks she can kill us all for this petty little award. It seems our culprit is found.
[Enter Leticia (Skulking in the background.)]
(She listens.)
NAZARIO: We shall be united against her plotting, dear friends. No more must die in this theatre; if the Recognition shall go to one, it shall go to the most honest, the most deserving of it, and no other. Whosoever that shall be is God’s resolve alone.
STANE: (Flippant) Hell if I believe that. As far as I can tell, you wouldn’t hesitate to do exactly as she’s done. I’m leaving, and when I return in the morning, that costume better fit me. (Beat) And I’m doing this for me, not for your stupid award.
[Exeunt Stane and Sarafina]
(Nazario remains for a moment, turning to glance at the curtain behind which Leticia is hidden. She ducks away before he spots her, but a smile still touches his lips as he glances to the audience.) [Exit Nazario]
(Leticia runs out when all are gone and moves to her vanity. She lifts the cloth and sees the crate. Noisily, she drags it out, then begins to look through the vials in confusion with a great rattling. A distressed expression touches her face and she looks around for some solution to her problem.)
LETICIA: Bastards… someone framed me.
(She picks up the crate, searching for some place to put it, then pauses for a moment as she spots Sarafina’s vanity. A smile touches her lips as she slips it beneath her table, then she stands alone for a moment before leaving hurriedly.) [Exit Leticia]
Scene 13 (TRAG.) – Stage (Town Square)
[Enter Nazario and Leticia (Dressed as Ferdinand and Isabella)]
(A fanfare sounds to announce the entrance of the king and queen. They are attended by Las Sombras, who march behind carrying spears and swords. One carries a large Spanish flag, and is waving it about.)
(Nazario and Leticia move to center and Las Sombras form two groups on either side, turning to face them.)
NAZARIO (FERDINAND): Where is Tomás?
(One of Las Sombras appears from out of the crowd, dressed as Tomás de Torquemada. He stands before the king.)
NAZARIO (FERDINAND): Who gives God’s word to Cordoba?
TOMAS: Diego Rodriguez Lucero, Your Majesty, Inquisitor of Cordoba.
NAZARIO (FERDINAND): Bring him to the Alcazar. Give him well-wishes, yet ensure he is cooperative.
TOMAS: Yes, Your Majesty.
(Tomás joins his fellows, blending with the crowd. Nazario turns to address the audience.)
NAZARIO (FERDINAND): Christ’s will is my own, and that of my wife; my will is Christ’s. This story, so far, has been devoid of Christ’s will, his touch has not reached it. Spare the Jews, you might say, spare the innocents, kill the nobleman. All well and good, yet I can not reveal the end to you, certainly not. God spared some, yet punished others; some holy, others sinful. To break from this would be unholy. Perhaps you think rightly, perhaps you think wrong; I wager the latter. My Inquisitor is returning.
(He turns back to recieve the robed man, who is pushing his way through the crowd again. He stands before the king.)
TOMAS: Diego shall come, Your Majesty; he plans an auto-da-fé as well, to be held on the morrow, and he would be honored by your presence.
NAZARIO (FERDINAND): (To Audience) And so, Cordoba relents.
LETICIA (ISABELLA): Tell Diego that we shall be there, but not before he comes to the Alcazar.
NAZARIO (FERDINAND): No, my love. I would take sweet respite from my duties to scent burning flesh on the wind. Come, my subjects!
(Fanfare, then the king and queen march away, their retinue in tow. Leticia runs into a crate as she is leaving, which causes the Sombras to collide with each other in a tumult.)
LETICIA (ISABELLA): (Hurt) (Break character) Jesus Christ!
(They quickly push each other forward into the wings.) [Exeunt]
Scene 14 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Leticia and Stane]
(Both enter, then find their vanities. They sit, then begin to do their makeup in silence. Leticia keeps peeking over at Stane, then finally, she decides to speak.)
LETICIA: You must play Salazar, I’m told.
(Stane says nothing.)
LETICIA: (Cont.) Isn’t that a good thing?
(Nothing.)
LETICIA: (Cont.) Will you speak to me?
STANE: If you won’t poison me.
LETICIA: (Irritated) That crate was planted; I would think even you have the intelligence to see that.
STANE: Give me proof, then, or I’ll have, myself, proved one thing.
LETICIA: What?
STANE: That you’re a harpy.
(Leticia rises from her table, then lifts the tablecloth. She feigns shock, pretending not to know where the hemlock has gone.)
LETICIA: Gone, just as I thought. Check the other tables; someone’s taken it.
(Stane rises, confused, then begins to peer under the tablecloths, starting with his own. Leticia does the same. Soon, Stane uncovers the flat of bottles beneath Sarafina’s vanity. He lets the cloth fall from his fingers, then fixes Leticia with a stare of shock.)
STANE: The little, faithless bitch.
LETICIA: The innocent are often the worst of all. Don’t move it, or she’ll know we found it.
(Stane sits back down at his vanity as Leticia stands, outlining her plot.)
LETICIA: The scene tonight will play in this way: Sarafina’s character will be stabbed by you… but we are going to switch the dagger.
(Stane’s eyes widen.)
LETICIA: (Cont.) And the audience won’t know the difference; they’ll just see some clever blood effects. None of them will even suspect that the dagger is real.
STANE: And if she’s innocent?
LETICIA: (Irritated) Two men are dead. She planted the hemlock beneath my table, then likely tried to dispose of it; that’s why is was under her table. I would place money that she knew about the Recognition the entire time, and just screwed us by pretending to be a ditz.
STANE: And if you’re the one plotting instead? What if Sarafina is innocent and you are the one moving the hemlock around?
[Enter Nazario (In the back, by the curtain)]
(Nazario begins to listen.)
LETICIA: Do you take me as a liar?
STANE: Maybe. You give me no reason to believe you.
(Leticia moves to Stane’s vanity, taking a seat on the tabletop. She stares down at him, placing her hand on his.)
LETICIA: I am no liar. My Pere was taken from me, now I want the woman who stole him to be punished. You will help me, won’t you?
STANE: I can’t be seduced, Leticia. You’re only weakening your position and proving what I already suspect.
LETICIA: And what is that?
STANE: That you’re a harpy.
(Leticia takes her hand away, then rises from the table.)
LETICIA: (Frustrated) You dolt; Sarafina is the one seducing you. I think you’re trying to plot with her, in fact.
(Stane rises from his seat.)
STANE: Do not dare accuse me of anything; I can’t trust either of you. I could not trust Pere, nor Angelos, nor Nazario, who seems to have no desire of showing himself to us now. What’s the reason for that, do you think?
LETICIA: Nazario is a fool. He tries to hide behind his words, but I can see through them. He’s a child, and he finds all of this funny.
(They know that he’s listening, but try to fake ignorance.)
STANE: (After a moment) And if I help you, what’ll become of me? Once the girl is gone, you have only two more to eliminate before the Recognition is yours.
LETICIA: Do not be so witless.
STANE: But I’m a dolt, aren’t I?
LETICIA: (Desperate) Stane, you are my friend. I only seek to bring justice upon this murderous witch. Will you help me?
(Stane sits there, considering for a moment. Leticia waits, tears coming to her eyes.)
STANE: I will help you… but once she’s dead, this play is off. Fun while it lasted, though it didn’t last long. We won’t be friends, you and I, when this is done. If you want your Recognition, you can have the damn thing, but leave me out of it.
LETICIA: (Elated) I can’t thank you enough, Stane. It’s good to see I still have friends in this horrid theatre.
STANE: Maybe you didn’t hear me.
(Leticia’s smile fades. She turns, then leaves Stane at his table.) [Exit Leticia]
(Stane remains, fixing his collar. Upstage, Nazario vanishes behind the curtain, a grin on his face.) [Exit Nazario]
(Stane finishes, then rises from his table.) [Exit Stane]
Scene 15 (TRAG.) – Stage (The Tavern)
[Enter Stane (Dressed as Salazar)]
(Stane’s costume hardly fits him. The buttons on his doublet can barely hold, and his pants are far too short. He approaches a door, then knocks on it. After a long moment, he knocks again in irritation, and it opens to reveal one of the Sombras, his eyes closed tightly. He says nothing, but allows Stane to enter. Once through, the Sombra takes the door away, then some others appear from behind tables and chairs and cabinets, all staring at Stane. In the center of the room is a table. Nazario sits at this table, a cup in his hand.)
STANE (SALAZAR): Garcia?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): ‘Tis I.
STANE (SALAZAR): (Grumbling his lines) Where is the king?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Indisposed; he is drawn by the glow of fire.
(Stane looks around at the people staring at him, his face bearing confusion, then he turns back to Nazario, who gestures for him to sit. He does.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Martin was killed, yet Lopez ran from you. How pitiful.
STANE (SALAZAR): I couldn’t find him.
(Nazario glares at Stane, who realizes his error and re-words his line without really caring.)
STANE (SALAZAR): I could find him not…
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Continuing as best he can) Yes, well, that is because we found him first; his wife was there also.
STANE (SALAZAR): (Lazy confusion) You found them? And… what did you do with them?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): We brought his wife here, just for you.
[Enter Sarafina (struggling in the grasp of one of Las Sombras)]
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Cont.) Lopez, we killed, just as you should have; he did scream so loudly, I was worried all of Cordoba would have heard.
(Sarafina is forced to her knees, then held there. Stane watches in false horror.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Cont.) His wife did not enjoy the sight, I am sure.
STANE (SALAZAR): (Fake concern) What will you do with her? Where is the king? Is he here now?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Be silent, Salazar, you speak more than she does. I have done you a great favour, you must realize, for this woman is now your responsibility.
STANE (SALAZAR): Responsibility?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): To kill, of course.
(Stane gapes comically wide at Nazario, then turns to Sarafina, who can not meet his gaze.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Cont.) She murdered your wife, Salazar.
(Stane’s head spins back round to face Nazario, his eyes widening.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Cont.) They found her in the market, then slew her there. I witnessed it, then captured both; I slaughtered Lopez, for he would not cease his attempts to escape, but the woman, I left for you, as she was the one who cut your Valentina’s neck.
STANE (SALAZAR): (Not even close to angry enough) What?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Oh, certainly. The blood still covers her hands, look, Salazar, look there. (Point)
(Stane rises from the table, then glares down at Sarafina. Nazario remains seated.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Kill her.
(Stane pulls his dagger from his belt with emphasis. Nazario waits in silence, his gaze fixated upon both of his fellows. Stane kneels down, then looks at Sarafina; she is weeping.)
STANE (SALAZAR): Did you kill her?
(Sarafina says nothing, but eventually nods her head, sobbing. Stane waits a moment, then stabs her with the dagger. She gasps, then falls over, looking down at the weapon protruding from her chest. She chokes, then grows still.) [Dies]
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Maravilloso.
(Stane stands, then turns to Nazario. He is clearly unaffected.)
STANE (SALAZAR): Where is the king?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): He is not here, as I said.
(Las Sombras begin to converge on Stane from their places around the room. He watches them in confusion.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): (Cont.) He never was, and never would have been. Truly, my dear Lord Salazar, he knows not who you are. Never has he met you, nor heard your name.
STANE (SALAZAR): What do you mean?
NAZARIO (GARCIA): The handwriting bore an odd resemblance to mine own, did it not? Perhaps before you trust any who promise to gild your pockets, you might consider the price.
(Las Sombras form a ring around Stane, open on the side facing the crowd, so he is visible.)
STANE (SALAZAR): You lied to me.
NAZARIO (GARCIA): Truly.
STANE (SALAZAR): But I was your brother, your friend!
NAZARIO (GARCIA): And yet, your gold was sweeter. I am poor, My Lord Salazar, not a magnate, rich or otherwise.
(Stane stands there, dropping the knife and lifting his hand to his forehead, posing in melodramatic agony.)
NAZARIO (GARCIA): You truly were a friend, Lord Salazar. Perhaps you may meet your wife once more. Duerme bien en el infierno.
(Las Sombras all draw blades from their belts, then the lights go black.)
[Exeunt.]
Scene 16 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Leticia]
(Leticia runs into the room, gasping. She leans against her vanity, peering into the mirror. Slowly, she turns her head, then runs back off stage. She re-emerges with Sarafina’s body, dragging it like a heavy sack to the back of the stage. It catches on something, and she angrily unsticks it before continuing, finally depositing it at the back.)
[Enter Nazario]
NAZARIO: Was it worth it, Leticia?
(Leticia turns, her eyes wide. She drops Sarafina’s limp arm and walks over to him, growing angry now, maniacally so.)
LETICIA: I did not kill her.
NAZARIO: But you did, did you not? You were the whisper in Stane’s ear, the hand that guided his blade. There was no false dagger in his belt, but one of true steel.
LETICIA: Do not accuse me.
NAZARIO: And Sarafina was such a sweet girl. She sought only to impress, and was struck down for it. The Recognition could have gone to any but her, and she would have cared not.
(Leticia begins to feel guilt. Tears are welling up in her eyes.)
LETICIA: (Broken) Shut up. I did what I had to. The Recognition was to go to me; that was how Pere planned it.
NAZARIO: It is amusing that you believe such a thing.
(Nazario sits down at his vanity.)
NAZARIO: (Cont.) Can you live now that you have slaughtered an innocent girl?
LETICIA: That’s enough!
NAZARIO: And Stane, your accomplice in this… he was mislead. What will he think once he realizes his error?
(Leticia considers, then her eyes begin to fill with frantic light. She starts to clutch at her dress, nervously fingering the fabric. Her eyes remain wide as saucers, never narrowing.)
LETICIA: Then I must kill him, right? (Nervous chuckle) Right?
(Nazario says nothing.)
LETICIA: (Cont.) I have to remove him, to keep my honor, to keep my… my honor. I can not lose this now! I have done too much to fail now!
NAZARIO: Truly.
LETICIA: I will convince him to…
NAZARIO: To do what?
[Enter Stane]
(Stane enters, then sees the two others. He wears a cold expression, which grows colder as he turns to see Sarafina’s body.)
STANE: You are avenged, Leticia; if what you said was true.
LETICIA: (Frantic) You killed an innocent girl. What were you thinking, you fool!
STANE: I did what?
(He steps back, his cold expression turning to a furious one.)
LETICIA: You killed her! It was only a joke; I never wanted you to do it!
(Stane is silent, yet there is clear anger boiling up inside of him.)
LETICIA: (Cont.) What have you done, you idiot? …Now you must repent for this… You took something from God — an innocent girl — now repent by giving yourself up to him.
STANE: Harpy… You dishonest, lying bitch. You told me to kill her; there was no joke in your eyes when you told me to replace that dagger!
LETICIA: (Clearly gone mad) You’ve gone mad; you don’t know what you’re saying!
STANE: (Resolute) I know full well. And I know full well what I’m about to do.
(He approaches, then clasps his hand around Leticia’s neck. She begins to choke as Nazario watches in silence from his vanity. As Stane lets go, she falls to the stage, her breathing stopped.) [Dies.]
(Stane looks up at Nazario, a glare on his face.)
STANE: Did that please you, conniving rat?
(Nazario says nothing.)
STANE: (Cont.) The Tragedy is done; we have no actors to perform it. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be gone. I suggest you run as far as you can from this theatre. Don’t think I’m so stupid that I didn’t realize what you did to them. They didn’t all go mad by
themselves. Take your bloody Recognition, lying bastard, and burn with it.
(Nazario is silent as Stane turns, leaving the stage. [Exit Stane] Now alone, he looks to Stane’s vanity, and a smirk touches his lips. He rises, then leaves, taking a bottle from the vanity with him. Blackout as Nazario leaves, indicating time shift.) [Exit Nazario]
Scene 17 (REAL) – Dressing
[Enter Stane and Nazario]
(Lights come on. They enter, moving to their vanities, where they sit down. They stare at each other for a time. Stane is packing his things away into boxes.)
NAZARIO: If you leave, I am the last one left; the Recognition will go to me.
(Stane glares at Nazario.)
STANE: Yes, it will. That’s the plan.
NAZARIO: Unless you kill me… are you going to kill me?
(Stane rises unsteadily from his vanity, then picks up a glass. He moves to center, then raises it to his lips, draining it. Once done, he throws it to the floor, shattering it.)
STANE: (Clearly drunk) Maybe I will, hermit. You’ve done nothing but slaughter all of my co-stars — not my friends — but my fellows nonetheless. They were actors with me, and though I hated them, I wouldn’t stoop so low as to kill them. (Nazario smiles) They deceived me, and each other, and paid for it dearly. Now, here you sit, smirking up at me like a little runt, their blood —all of their blood— on your hands. Do you want me to kill you? Do you want me to slit your throat so you can meet God above and explain yourself to him before he throws you down to hell? Tell me, hermit; tell me! (Beat) I’m a fair man, I try to act with honor in life, but I find that wherever I go, others don’t seem to care. Blood is the currency they pay with, but for what, I can’t bloody hope to understand. Tell me, hermit, why should I let you live? Certainly God would implore me to cut your neck right now, to let you bleed like the rest, to die in the theater where you killed so many; tell me, hermit, should I listen to him?
NAZARIO: (Unmoved) Are you a godly man?
(Stane draws the dagger he used to kill Sarafina.)
STANE: Certainly well enough. After a few drinks I might even start to pray. Now it’s ironic, isn’t it, to kill you with the dagger I used to kill Sarafina?
NAZARIO: Ironic indeed.
STANE: Let’s see how you feel, murderer.
(He stumbles forward, grasping Nazario’ shoulder and raising the knife into the air. Just before he can thrust, however, the dagger drops from his hand and he crumples to the floor, clutching at his neck. He begins to choke, writhing on the floor beside the shards of his broken drinking glass. Nazario watches in silence. Stane lets out a final breath, then goes still.) [Dies]
(Nazario stands, reaching down to pick up a chunk of the broken glass, lifting up to the light so that he can examine it.)
NAZARIO: The Man of A Thousand Faces… I can see each one in this shard.
(He chuckles, then drops the shard. It shatters on the stage. He looks down at Stane, a smile on his face.)
NAZARIO: They should have hidden the hemlock.
(He strides off the stage, leaving the body where it lies.)
[Exit]
Scene 18 (REAL) – Stage (Empty)
[Enter Nazario]
(Nazario moves to the center of the stage, where a spotlight illuminates him.)
NAZARIO: Ladies and gentlemen of the playhouse… the act is over — the guise is lifted. What you have witnessed tonight shall certainly remain with you for quite some time, and what you are about to witness shall stay with you longer. My colleagues, talented as they were, could not sway the hand of fate, and have met unfortunate ends. All of this in pursuit of the one true prize: The Recognition. Now, watch as I win this prize; watch as I get what I deserve!
[Enter Pere, Angelos, Leticia, Sarafina, and Stane (Move to places in the darkness]
(There is silence as Nazario looks up at the spotlight. After a moment, another spotlight flicks on, illuminating Pere, who stands behind to the left. Nazario looks at him in confusion and horror.)
NAZARIO: But… but you are dead.
(Next, Angelos is illuminated.)
NAZARIO: In the name of God…
(Now Sarafina, Now Leticia, and finally Stane, all standing in a semi-circle behind Nazario, watching him with blank expressions. Nazario’ gaze darts back and forth, moving from one face to the next.)
NAZARIO: This is an illusion; have I gone mad?
(Nazario spins around, then falls to his knees, gazing up at the spotlight shining down on him.)
NAZARIO: What do you want from me? Have I done wrong… Are you come to punish me? What have I done?
(He reaches up to hold his head, bending over in pain. The dead actors all watch in silence, then slowly, they all raise their arms in unison, pointing down at Nazario. He screams in pain, thrusting his hand against his chest, then the lights flash as he crumples to the floor. The dead actors are now hidden, their spotlights shut off; only Nazario’ body is illuminated. His hand is clenched near his chest, and he pulls it away, revealing the dagger in his grasp, its end stained with his own blood.)
NAZARIO: (Dying) No… What have I done?
(Pere appears, entering into the spotlight. He kneels, peering down at Nazario.)
PERE: Fool. Arrogant, scheming fool. Did you really think, Garcia, that you could blind me with your lies? You never killed us… (Beat) Garcia?
(Leticia steps into the light, looking down at Nazario. Her mouth falls agape and she covers it with her mouth. She fakes shock, as they have been planning this all along.)
LETICIA: (Fake confusion) Pere… he’s dead. He’s really dead.
(Fake audience gasps. Leticia moves downstage towards them, forcing tears into her eyes.)
LETICIA: Ladies and gentlemen… the show is over.
In the background, Tragedia en La Sombra begins to play as the other actors appear in the spotlight. The lights go out.)
[Exeunt]
Scene 19 (REAL)- Dressing
[Enter Leticia, Pere, Stane, Sarafina, Angelos]
(They all move to their vanities, then start to wipe off their makeup. Sustained silence until Pere breaks it.)
PERE: Do you think we convinced them?
(The others all stop, turning to look at him.)
ANGELOS: (Smiling) I wouldn’t doubt it. Did you see their faces?
STANE: And what about his body?
(Pere steps away from his vanity, moving to center.)
PERE: (Giddy) Just… deal with it later. Everyone come now, The Recognition is about to be awarded.
(They all move to stand with Pere, staring out over the audience.)
PERE: I would like to thank my fellows, who, using their incredible acting prowess, managed to fool one man… a man thought to be unfoolable.
(They all giggle like excited children.)
PERE: (Cont.) I do hope our act was good enough.
(The spotlight turns gold, and the actors all stare wide-eyed into it, grinning widely. In a quick blink, the light cuts out, while Llamada de Cortina begins to play.)
[Blackout]
The End
