A Play in Two Scenes
by GAVARRE BENJAMIN
© INDAUTOR
Cd. De México
Contact: bengavarre@gmail.com
gavarreunam@gmail.com
CAST
- DOÑA MAGDA: The owner. The voice of pragmatic survival.
- LULÚ: Esthetician. Fragile, with a past that anchors her to Rodrigo.
- TERE: Esthetician. Hardened, protective, with years of emotional armor.
- CHELITA: Young manicurist. The pulse of gossip and youthful energy.
- SANTI: An athlete. Self-assured, fit, and unapologetically free.
- RODRIGO: The "Alpha Male." A man of double lives, trapped in his own myth of power.
SCENE 1: "THE HOLY DAILY GOSSIP"
(The "Total Beauty" Salon. 2005. Chill Out music plays in the background. The air smells of coffee, ammonia, and vanilla spray. CHELITA is focused on applying rhinestones to nails with tweezers. TERE is giving a vigorous scalp massage. DOÑA MAGDA is at the counter, fanning herself while reading a tabloid.)
CHELITA: (Without looking up) …and so the druggist’s daughter called off the wedding. Not because the groom got cold feet, but because she found him in the sporting goods dressing room... trying on "jockstraps" with the captain of the hockey team.
DOÑA MAGDA: (Tossing the magazine) I knew it! No wonder that boy always had his kneepads on. In this town, if you aren’t running, you’re flying—and if not, you’re skating!
TERE: (Cynical) It runs in the family. That boy’s father used to sneak off to the city every chance he got, claiming he was going to "machinery conventions." He’d come back looking far too relaxed, with skin so glowing it made us all jealous.
LULÚ: (Trying to laugh) Machinery conventions? He must have had a lot of oil rubbed on him.
CHELITA: (Laughing) That’s the spirit, Lulú! That’s the voice I wanted to hear. You’ve been dimmer than a candle at a wake lately.
(The door swings open. SANTI enters. Cycling shorts, sleeveless shirt, vibrant energy.)
SANTI: Morning, ladies! Did you already call roll, or were you waiting for the teacher?
DOÑA MAGDA: (A whistle of admiration) Santi! Lord, those legs! If I were only ten years... younger.
SANTI: (Blowing a kiss) You’ll always be young, Magda. I’m here for a trim... who’s going to be the lucky one? (He sits in the swivel chair, playing around and stretching his legs) Lulú, bring me an ice-cold Coke before I faint. I did six miles today; I deserve something cold and unhealthy.
TERE: All that exercise won’t do you any good. The girls are going to stop chasing you.
SANTI: (Laughing) The women don’t chase me much, Tere. It’s the guys with the thick mustaches who stare at me with that "subtle" look. Once I even got a bouquet of flowers! Anonymous sender. As if I’m supposed to be psychic! If you want to talk to me, do it to my face.
CHELITA: Oh, Santi… what if it’s someone from the gym? Or the bakery? Or the auto shop?
SANTI: (Ironic) Or the confessional, or the mechanic’s… I’ve got plenty to choose from. I’ll land a "good catch" for sure.
CHELITA: Hey, is it true that in the new gym there’s a lot of… "trust" in the showers?
SANTI: (Winking) What happens in the locker room stays in the locker room… but I won’t lie to you: It’s absolutely true!
(They all laugh. LULÚ approaches SANTI with the cold Coke and brushes his shoulder. For a moment, the salon is perfect.)
LULÚ: I’m so jealous of you, Santi. Always so free. Here’s your not too cold Coke. Sorry but that’s what we have.
SANTI: (Taking her hand) What we have isn't always enough, Lulú. Sometimes you have to walk out the front door and never look back.
DOÑA MAGDA: (Looking toward the window, her face hardens) Alright, alright. Hide the smiles. Here comes the dark cloud. Santi, I’ll get to you in a minute. I want to see what this man wants first.
(The atmosphere freezes. The vanilla scent is swallowed by silence.)
SANTI: (In a low voice) And the "Alpha" makes his entrance.
(The door bell chimes.)
SCENE 2: "THE PERSISTENCE OF THE SHADOW"
(RODRIGO enters. Dusty leather boots, stiff jeans, plaid shirt. He imposes his presence in the doorway.)
DOÑA MAGDA: (A smile made of iron) Rodrigo. We could practically smell you coming from around the corner. What happened? Did a cow die, or did you finally decide to grace us with your presence?
RODRIGO: (Without looking at Magda, eyes fixed on Lulú) Less talk, Magda. My fingers look like gnarled roots. Lulú, I need you to get this filth off me before the association meeting.
TERE: (Sharp) Careful with those gravedigger hands, Lulú.
RODRIGO: (Heading to the center chair) You’re always so kind, Tere. That’s why you’re still single, isn’t it? You can’t stop thinking about cemeteries.
(RODRIGO stops in front of LULÚ. He looks her up and down with a possessive familiarity. SANTI watches closely. DOÑA MAGDA begins trimming SANTI’S hair with a spray bottle. LULÚ submerges RODRIGO’S hands in hot water.)
RODRIGO: (To Lulú, low but audible) You’re still wearing that cheap vanilla perfume. It makes me dizzy.
DOÑA MAGDA: (Forced) Lulú, let Tere help with our "grumpy guest." In the meantime, go get the new shears from the back room.
RODRIGO: A man can’t even complain anymore. You don't smell too bad, Teresa.
(LULÚ enters the back room and closes the door. The silence is heavy, broken only by the snip of scissors. RODRIGO yawns and interrupts the manicure to look at his nails with disdain. TERE drops the clippers with a sharp thud, pulls off her gloves, and heads to the back.)
DOÑA MAGDA: Tere? Where are you going?
TERE: (Voice of ice) Restroom. I won’t be long.
(TERE closes the door. RODRIGO smiles cynically. SANTI sips some coffee from a nearby mug, never taking his eyes off RODRIGO.)
BACKSTAGE SCENE (Audio OFF)
TERE’S VOICE: Don’t cry. Don’t give him the satisfaction of seeing that you still carry fear under your fingernails.
LULÚ’S VOICE: I can’t, Tere… you saw how he looks at me. As if I still belong to him.
TERE’S VOICE: You have to pull yourself together.
LULÚ’S VOICE: Like you? Have you forgotten that to him, we’re all disposable once the intermission is over?
TERE’S VOICE: I’m not afraid of him anymore. Not me. Wipe your face.
(The door opens. TERE comes out first, imperturbable. She puts on new gloves. LULÚ follows seconds later, eyes red, but breathing deeply. She washes her stiff hands.)
RODRIGO: (To Tere, but looking at Lulú) Well. Good thing I’m in a hurry; you aren't getting a good tip. (TERE squeezes RODRIGO’S fingers roughly). Careful.
(TERE resumes her work. LULÚ looks at herself in the mirror as if she’s lost her soul. She begins filing her own nails compulsively until she nicks her cuticle, but she doesn't make a sound.)
RODRIGO: (Ironic) Thrilling conversation… I almost fell asleep. (He stands up and stretches, staring fixedly at Santi) Where do you train?
(A duel of stares: a dangerous curiosity.)
SANTI: At the gym on the edge of town. The one with the old weights. You?
RODRIGO: I don’t "train." I work the land, boy. Real work. (He lowers his voice) But you’re in good shape. You take care of yourself. In this town... that gets misinterpreted.
SANTI: I couldn’t care less what this town interprets. I know who I am. Do you know who you are, Rodrigo? Or are you just whatever Magda and these women say you are?
(RODRIGO fixes his hair in the mirror with his hands. CHELITA sweeps near him to shoo him away; he ignores her.)
RODRIGO: I know I’m a man who’s damn tired of hearing voices. Do you see this? It’s like an orchestra of shrill voices. Personally, I prefer the roar of engines in the city… Out there, I feel free. No one asks who you are. Out there, you can get lost and be... something else.
DOÑA MAGDA: And here we have to put up with the same old fake-macho act, taking it out on the ones he thinks are weak.
RODRIGO: (He approaches SANTI, invading his space) You know the only thing I envy about types like you? The lack of shame. I have to carry this town, my name, and these women who drink my blood like it’s water.
SANTI: No one is forcing you, Rodrigo. You’re drowning in your own blood because you won’t admit what you actually like.
(RODRIGO hesitates. He half-reaches as if to strike, but pulls back. His misogyny returns as a shield.)
RODRIGO: (Bitter disdain) I like women just fine. But I’d prefer them all on a beach, no names, naked and silent—because as soon as they open their mouths, they ruin everything. Lulú doesn’t want to be touched, Tere wants the whole world, and Magda frankly wants me dead... Me? I just want this whole world to go to hell.
SANTI: (Standing up, matching his height) We build the world ourselves. You should decide to do what you actually want. Go, Rodrigo. Go to your meeting, or better yet, go to the city and send those flowers to someone who will receive them with your real name. Get far away from here and look for the thing you’re too afraid to face here.
RODRIGO: (Suffocated attraction) You’re either brave. Or very stupid.
(RODRIGO pulls out some bills and drops them on the manicure table with contempt, forcing CHELITA to pick them up. He looks at LULÚ with an air of finality. He exits. The air returns to the room.)
TERE: Well. The mask finally slipped off that man.
DOÑA MAGDA: The mask and the crown, thanks to Santi.
LULÚ: Thank you, Santi. You did what none of us could.
SANTI: (He sits in the swivel chair. Looks at his hands) My turn, Chelita. A full manicure. No polish. I want it to be clear that these hands didn’t have to hide from anyone today.
(SANTI notices LULÚ’S hurt finger. He takes her hand gently for a moment in silence. LULÚ smiles and begins to massage SANTI’S hand. Peace is restored.)
DOÑA MAGDA: (Turns on the Chill Out music) Much better. At least for today, the air smells clean.
Element | Scenic Description |
Lighting | In Scene 1, warm, bright, "pop" lighting. In Scene 2, upon Rodrigo's entrance, the light should shift to slightly colder or cruder tones, emphasizing shadows on the faces. |
Sound | The "Chill Out" music should be a constant base, but when Rodrigo speaks to Santi, the volume must drop almost to zero so his whispers feel threatening. |
Props | Lulú's water bowl should have a little steam (hot water) to symbolize the "washing away" of Rodrigo's filth. |
Now, let's redefine the character visuals. Since the story has moved from Mexico to a conservative Southern or Midwestern US County in 2005, the faces, hair, and clothing must reflect that specific "Gringo Gothic" flavor while keeping the highly expressive, stylized quality of Izquierdo's work.
CHARACTER PHYSIOGNOMY VISIONS (US County Setting)
- DOÑA MAGDA (The Owner): An older Anglo woman with a face etched by Southern grit. Think heavy-handed, frosted blonde hair sprayed into a rigid helmet shape. Expressive blue eyes under painted, thin brows. A large, floral blouse or a Southern-style smock, rendered in flat, vibrant planes of color. Her fanning gesture should feel like a weary, established ritual.
- SANTI (The Athlete): Clean-cut but clearly US athletic. Spiky, blonde or light-brown hair, perhaps a faint goatee, both rendered in blocky texture. Athletic, fitted clothes like a vintage track jacket or a fitted gym t-shirt, emphasizing his 2005 "fit" look rather than traditional Southern workwear. He must have that unflinching, safe gaze, but perhaps from pale green or grey eyes. He looks like the county's former star quarterback.
- RODRIGO (The Alpha): The defining "Good Ol' Boy." A rugged, square face, perhaps an Anglo or Celtic look with sharp, receding hair and a commanding jaw, both textured thickly in deep browns. Dressed in the requested plaid (flannel) shirt, stiff blue jeans, and cowboy boots, all painted with a coarse, rough brushwork. He looks intense, demanding, and utterly tired of himself.
- LULÚ (The Fragile): Exhausted, once-beautiful, Anglo features. Deep-set eyes, perhaps blue-grey, that feel like empty pools of memory. Her hair, perhaps thin and pale, is pulled back but escaping. She looks like a Southern belle broken by the County’s expectations. Needs that specific melancholic, Izquierdo-style gaze.
- TERE (The Hardened): Prismatic, almost mask-like features. A face defined by cold control, sharp nose, tight-lipped mouth. Her hair, perhaps dark Anglo or even of mixed European heritage, pulled back into a severe, perfect ponytail that doesn’t move. Intense, focused eyes. She must look as though she’s turned her face into stone.
- CHELITA (The Youth): The only one who feels "current" in 2005. Perhaps a blonde US County girl or even a bubbly US Latina who grew up in the South, covered in glitter and 2005 trends (low-rise jeans, maybe big hoop earrings and excessive eyeliner). A very animated, blocky facial structure to convey her energetic gossip.
