STUCK
Characters:
Adam-28 years old, brown hair, average height and weight, has an anger management problem
Ursula-47 years old, gray hair, chubby, greedy
Lauren-27 years old, red hair, small, skinny, positive thinkerMiriam-28 years old, brown hair, small, average weight, professional
Brian-29 years old, black hair, tall, average weight, shy
Charley-27 years old, brown hair with blonde highlights, small, a little overweight, sarcastic
Brienna-26 years old, black hair, slim, average height, has a jealousy problem
Setting:
Present day, San Francisco
Scene 1
(As curtain goes up, alarm clock buzzes)
ADAM
(Yawns
then look at alarm clock) Oh my god! It's 7! I'm gonna be late!
(ADAM gets out of bed, eats breakfast, etc. While he's pulling his pants up, he bumps into his dresser and knocks over a trophy that hits him on his foot)
ADAM
OW!
Geez… (Looks up as if talking to God) You got me in for a big one
today.
Scene 2
(ADAM runs into conference room at work out of breath)
ADAM
(Explaining
to URSULA) I'm really sorry. There was such a huge traffic jam this
morning on route 23.
URSULA
No
problem, Adam. You're right on time, 7:15, but before you go I
would like to see you in my office.
ADAM
Ok…
(ADAM and URSULA walk into URSULA'S office)
URSULA
Please,
take a seat, Adam.
(ADAM sits down in the chair across from URSULA)
ADAM
Sure,
boss. So do you know who got that raise?
URSULA
Yeah…Adam,
We all love you here at Hasbro. You're nice, caring, a very good
thinker too. (Goes on speech)
ADAM
(Thinking)
Oh wow. I got the raise! I GOT THE RAISE! This is great! Maybe Lauren
was right. Maybe my life doesn't-
URSULA
You're
fired.
ADAM
Excuse
me?
URSULA
I
just told you! Along with raises, we have to cut a couple hundred
people.
ADAM
A
COUPLE HUNDRED!
URSULA
I'm
really sorry. Pack your belongings and leave. Please.
ADAM
I
thought I was your best man. I was the one who could get anything
done.
URSULA
I'm
terribly sorry, but you must pack and leave.
ADAM
Well
I'm "terribly sorry" that I ever worked here. Good-bye and GOOD
RIDDANCE!
(Storms out)
Scene 3
(ADAM packing up his belongings in his office)
LAUREN
Knock
knock.
ADAM
(Sounding
depressed) Hey Lauren.
LAUREN
What's
wrong today? More bad luck? Come on, Adam, it can't be THAT bad.
ADAM
But
it is! It's been like this ever since high school. I don't know
how it started, but I have bad luck. I do. And you don't believe
me, my best friend.
LAUREN
Of
course I believe you.
ADAM
Yeah
right.
LAUREN
Well,
it's just…my common knowledge takes over and…I'm sorry I
disappoint you. But your life isn't as bad as you think it is.
ADAM
Of
course not. You're telling me my life's not bad, when you get
everything you want.
LAUREN
That's
not true.
ADAM
Yes
it is. You get the hot job, with the hot salary, and the hot guy to
make you feel even better than you already are.
LAUREN
Oh
Adam, you'll find someone. You just-
ADAM
Have
to wait. I know. I know. Everyone has been telling me this.
LAUREN
Maybe
that's because it's true. You never know until you look.
Someone's not just gonna come up to you and ask you on a date.
ADAM
Great.
To make matters even WORSE, I'm fighting with my best friend. This
is just great. I'm telling you. Once it starts, IT DOESN'T END!
(ADAM storms off leaving LAUREN speechless.)
Scene 4
(ADAM, MIRIAM, CHARLEY, BRIAN, and BRIENNA are in the elevator waiting for their room)
BRIENNA
(Quietly
singing We Belong Together by: Mariah Carey) …who's gonna talk to me when times get rough…oh
baby baby…we belong together…
(BRIAN cracks his knuckles. ADAM stares at him. A couple seconds later, BRIAN cracks his knuckles again.)
ADAM
Is
there a reason for you to do that?
BRIAN
Oh.
I'm sorry. (Pause) I-
(Suddenly the elevator stops moving)
ADAM
Please
don't tell me the elevator broke. PLEASE.
CHARLEY
The
elevator broke.
ADAM
What
are we gonna do?
MIRIAM
Here's
a button to reach maintenance. Maybe we should try it.
ADAM
Well,
why are you just standing there? PRESS IT!
(MIRIAM presses the button)
MIRIAM
Hello?
The elevator stopped moving. Is anyone there? Hello?
CHARLEY
It's
Friday afternoon. Maintenance is probably gone by now.
ADAM
Are
you kidding me?
CHARLEY
I
don't think so. We're…stuck.
ADAM
WHAT!
CHARLEY
Well,
the elevator stopped moving and there's no response from the
maintenance room.
BRIENNA
What
are we gonna do? Just sit here all weekend?
CHARLEY
I
don't know. Someone might come.
BRIENNA
Why
would someone come to work on a weekend? Especially Labor Day
Weekend.
CHARLEY
Who
knows? Miracles might happen.
ADAM
Not
while I'm here.
MIRIAM
Why
do you think that?
ADAM
I've
had bad luck ever since high school. There's no way to get rid of
it.
MIRIAM
You
think YOUR life is bad? Well, you've never heard MY story.
(Everyone sits down, as the stage becomes a split scene.)
MIRIAM
I'm
Jewish and I've always been proud of it. So growing up wasn't so
easy. Starting in about 5th grade my parents became more
and more religious. Of coarse they expected me to do the same.
Scene 5
(YOUNG MIRIAM steps up to CHRISTINA'S doorstep and rings the doorbell.)
YOUNG MIRIAM
Hey
Christie!
CHRISTINA
Hey
Mimi! Why are you at my house? Shouldn't you be at Hebrew School?
It's Tuesday, remember?
YOUNG MIRIAM
Yeah.
Umm…I don't know how to tell you this…
CHRISTINA
YOU'RE
MOVING! NO! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO! I know! I can hide in one of your
bags and be shipped with you!
YOUNG MIRIAM
NO!
WE'RE NOT MOVING!
CHRISTINA
Then
why aren't you at Hebrew School? You always loved going to Hebrew
School instead coming over here.
YOUNG MIRIAM
Well,
we're taking a vacation. My parents and I.
CHRISTINA
Where?
How long? WHY CANT I COME WITH YOU!
YOUNG MIRIAM
(starts
to cry) Well, my zeda (ZEI-da) died.
CHRISTINA
Your
who?
YOUNG MIRIAM
Zeda.
It means grandfather in Yiddish.
CHRISTINA
So?
YOUNG MIRIAM
So!
He's my GRANDFATHER and he just died. We have to make a Shiva Call
in-
CHRISTINA
Hold
on. You're confusing me with all this Jewish talk. English please.
YOUNG MIRIAM
Ugh…a
Shiva Call is when after the death of a close one, you go to their
house and pray for them.
CHRISTINA
Oh.
Well, where did he live?
YOUNG MIRIAM
(Pause)
Israel.
CHRISTINA
ISRAEL! HOW LONG ARE THE CALLS!
YOUNG MIRIAM
A
week.
CHRISTINA
A
WEEK! WHAT ABOUT THE 9TH GRADE PROM! IT'S IN TWO DAYS!
YOUNG MIRIAM
I
tried to get my parents to let you come, but they said it was a
family occasion, meaning family members only.
CHRISTINA
We
were supposed to go together like we do every year. Now it's like
those memories mean nothing to you.
YOUNG MIRIAM
(Teary-eyed)
I'm sorry.
CHRISTINA
I'm
sorry we were ever best friends. I cant take anymore of this
"religious Jew" stuff. It was so much better when we were little
and you weren't religious at all. Now if you don't mind, I have
some homework to get done. (slams door in MIRIAM'S face)
Scene 6
(Lights fade up on the elevator.)
MIRIAM
Christina.
She was the only close friend I had. After that incident, she kept
telling people to not be friends with me because I'm not loyal to
others. Which obviously was false. Unfortunately, everyone believed
her.
ADAM
Wow.
BRIENNA
I
had some roommates once who were religious Jews. They kept kosher and everything.
MIRIAM
I
always did that when I was little. I had to keep kosher, miss
classes, and make up tons of work.
CHARLEY
I
never thought that Jews had it so tough.
MIRIAM
You
never know until you've lived it or sincerely heard and felt it.
BRIAN
If
you think she had a bad childhood, (cracks knuckles) my life was
torture.
ADAM
Why
do you keep cracking your knuckles?
BRIAN
It's
the disease that I have. It's called Tourette Syndrome.
CHARLEY
What's
that?
BRIAN
It's
when I do things, physical and/or verbal, which I can't control.
ADAM
What
do you mean you can't control it?
BRIAN
It's
like when you sneeze, you have to close your eyes. Kind of like that.
ADAM
What
do you mean by physical or verbal?
BRIAN
(Cracks
knuckles) Ugh…I forgot to take my medicine.
ADAM
What?
BRIAN
Tourette
Syndrome can't be cured, but it can control your tic.
ADAM
Tic?
BRIAN
Whatever
you do that you can't control is called a tic. Whenever I'm
nervous I start to crack my knuckles.
ADAM
Oh.
BRIAN
Do
you wanna hear a story of one time when I really got sick of having
it?
CHARLEY
Sure.
(Stage becomes a split scene)
Scene 7
(YOUNG BRIAN is sitting at a desk in a classroom in the middle of class)
MRS.
GREGORY
So
what is 8 squared?
STUDENTS
64.
MRS.
GREGORY
Good.
So I guess that means I can give a pop quiz on this material right
now.
(STUDENTS moan and try to get MRS. GREGORY to not give the quiz.)
MRS.
GREGORY
Oh
come on stop it! It's only 5 points.
(MRS. GREGORY hands out quiz. A few minutes later, YOUNG BRIAN loudly cracks his knuckles and STUDENTS chuckle.)
MRS.
GREGORY
Who
just did that? (No one answers) If the culprit won't reveal him or
herself then the pop quiz becomes a test grade.
YOUNG
BRIAN
I
did.
MRS.
GREGORY
Again?
Why can't you just stop? It's not that hard to sit still, is it?
YOUNG
BRIAN
Well…
MRS.
GREGORY
No
it's not. Here's a pass. Now go to the principal's office.
YOUNG
BRIAN
Why?
MRS.
GREGORY
Young
man, weren't you ever taught to respect your elders?
YOUNG
BRIAN
Yes.
MRS.
GREGORY
Well?
YOUNG
BRIAN
(Takes
deep breath) I'm sorry, Mrs. Gregory.
MRS.
GREGORY
That's
more like it. Is everyone done? Okay, now for the new unit:
fractions. You can do anything with fractions: add, subtract,
multiply, divide, and square. You learned how to add and subtract
last year…(fades out)
MARY
Hey
Brian, are you the teacher's pet?
YOUNG
BRIAN
No.
Why do you think that?
MARY
Because all that time you were blushing, the whole time.
YOUNG
BRIAN
(Trying
to restrain from cracking knuckles) Was not.
MARY
Why
are you in denial? You guys make a cute couple.
(YOUNG BRIAN cracks knuckles and everyone looks at him. YOUNG BRIAN slips down his chair.)
Scene 8
BRIAN
So
I was known as "teacher's pet" all my life.
ADAM
Whoa.
CHARLEY
You
think that's bad? I was eternally marked as "he-she" just
because I have a guy's name.
BRIENNA
What's
your name?
CHARLEY
Charley.
(BRIENNA starts to chuckle a little bit)
CHARLEY
See?
ADAM
Eww.
Not only is that gross, but it's stupid. Personally, I like the
name Charley. Whether it's for a boy or a girl.
CHARLEY
Later,
I realized how cool my name was. It was different than any girl I've
ever known. Plus I'm named after my Grandpa who earned a purple
heart in both world wars.
BRIENNA
What's
a purple heart?
CHARLEY
It's
a medal for bravery in battle.
BRIENNA
Lucky
you.
CHARLEY
What
are you talking about?
BRIENNA
Even
though you had a tough time, you still had a happily ever after.
CHARLEY
Happily
ever after?
BRIENNA
Yes.
Happily ever after. Although you were in a bad situation, you feel
happy in the end.
CHARLEY
So
what's bad about that?
BRIENNA
All
my life I wanted to be a singer. My idol was Mariah Carey and still
is. I listen to her all the time and sing her songs everywhere: in
the shower, on the way to work, on the way home, even in random
places when it's really quiet. But when I was in grade school, I
never wanted anyone to know. I'm not exactly sure why, I just did.
When the talent show came
around, I never auditioned. When my friends were doing karaoke at
their party, either I refused or stunk on purpose. I guess I always
thought people would think I wasn't good. I don't know if I could
withstand that kind of rejection. Watching people laugh at you
because you're doing what you love. It's sad, but true. Everyone
wants to be cool and perfect, but don't let that keep you down. I
did and look where I am now. Hasbro worker. Which is really far away
from professional singer. I do remember this one time at my friend's
party I was forced to sing, so I did my best and after that, the
applause was…amazing. People clapping for me. I've always wanted
that. The next day I seemed like my friends forgot all about it.
Usually they talk about what happens the night before if it was good,
but not on the bus ride to school that morning. Eventually, I forgot
too. I just remember because whenever I think of it, I remember and
smile. I guess that's what keeps me going. Knowing the crowd loved
me. I always wonder if maybe I went into the talent shows, the
audience would love me just as well.
BRIAN
Well,
let's hear you sing.
BRIENNA
Really?
Only if everyone wants me to.
(ADAM, CHARLEY, BRIAN, and MIRIAM try to persuade BRIENNA to sing)
BRIENNA
Ok
ok. (Takes deep breath) (Sings We Belong Together by: Mariah Carey) WHEN YOU LEFT I LOST A PART OF
ME…IT'S STILL SO HARD TO BELIEVE…COME BACK BABY PLEASE
'CAUSE…WE BELONG TOGETHER…WHO ELSE AM I GONNA LEAN ON…WHEN
TIMES GET ROUGH…WHO'S GONNA TALK TO ME ON THE PHONE…TILL THE
SUN COMES UP…WHO'S GONNA TAKE YOUR PLACE…THERE AIN'T NOBODY
BETTER…OH BABY BABY…WE BELONG TOGETHER
(Long pause. Everyone is amazed that she can sing well.)
BRIENNA
So…was
it bad? Good? Anything?
ADAM
That
was wonderful.
CHARLEY
I
thought it was impressive because you'd never know that a voice
like that could come from a person like you.
BRIENNA
What
do you think Brian?
BRIAN
I
thought it was…incredible. You're an amazing singer and you have
an amazing personality to match up perfectly.
BRIENNA
Thanks.
BRIAN
Your
welcome.
ADAM
Wow.
Everyone had a little something of his or her life that wasn't
perfect. Miriam never had a best friend, Brian had a disease that he
got teased about and he couldn't help it, Charley was being teased
about being a he-she just because her name is a "guy" name, and
Brienna never showed anyone her real talent and got stuck with a job
she hates. Even though I have a lot of bad luck, things like that can
scar you for life. I'm glad to be who I am, and that should be
enough. I guess I wasn't really having bad luck. I just made the
situation worse than it was. Maybe that's what Lauren was trying to
show me. I never accepted her thoughts because I thought they were
all wrong. Not anymore. Now I'm gonna listen when my friends tell
me things and when bad things happen, I wont blame it on bad luck.
I'll just deal with it like a human being.
(Suddenly the elevator starts moving down)
MIRIAM
WE'RE
SAVED!
CHARLEY
Finally.
(BRIENNA starts singing Hallelujah Cannon)
BRIAN
(to
BRIENNA) Once I heard you sing, I fell in love with you.
BRIENNA
Really?
BRIAN
Yeah.
I was just too nervous to say anything. You know how it is.
BRIENNA
Yeah.
(BRIAN and BRIENNA start to move closer and then kiss.)
CHARLEY
Aww.
That's so romantic.
MIRIAM
In
a totally weird way, you're right.
ADAM
She
finally got her happy ending.
(The elevator stops at the ground floor.)
BRIAN
Hey,
anyone want to go grab a coffee? It's on me.
EVERYONE
Sure.
(They all walk out of elevator as the curtain closes.)
