Life In The Flesh (1)
Act I i Lights up on ZEV BIRYUK, early twenties, wearing a cheap dark suit, white shirt and plain tie. His hair is slicked back. He stands downstage center. ZEV Hi – yeah – how are you? I’m Zev Biryuk and I’m real pleased – very pleased – ah – I’m pleased to be bring you today the latest and newest in our complete line of – lingerie – complete line of the newest pharmaceuticals with Food and Drug Approval and -- Hi, I’m Zevi – I’m here to rape and rob you -- Hello, I’m Zev Biryuk from National Detailers and I’d like to take one quick moment to show you how our efficacy Time Lines and independent studies clearly indicate – how big your penises can grow – (reads from sheets of the text he’s memorizing) ah -- how we can help your patients in certain crises – help economically and efficiently and – make us lots of cash – so much cash I’ll be able to stuff it under the bed and plaster every busted rusted fire hydrant in this city and – Help your patients most effectively. Very effectively. Effectively and with honor. And money. They’ll call you gorgeous -- luscious. And you are, of course, quite quite the de-luscious of many de-lusciouses – you can take my word for that ‘cause I’m known all over the city for my word. They’ll call you the most – They’ll recognize in this straight forward series of independent studies – unbiased, unvarnished, and completely tropical – topical – that our products simply put – our products are better than theirs. Better than the headlines of murder, blackmail, and petty theft. And, by the way, your blouse is open and just thought I’d ask but would you like to get to heaven with me? You know? Sure, you would, right? ROSALIE (off-stage) Zev! ZEV Just because we never met doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have. Just because I’m living in a roach hotel doesn’t mean I’m gonna stay here. I went two semesters at City – almost two anyway -- uptown – at night – but, you know, never had to do the rotten slime like my father – I worked – honest work in restaurants and ran the occasional errand for Job Temporaries – paid taxes last year, I did – yeah, I had classes up and across town over there -- classes in math and even poetry, Intro to Biology, and you know what? I’m smart. I really got that stuff, boom, boom, I did and it was really interesting. Made me kinda hungry -- worlds in worlds, you know, and how ‘bout you, huh? Hey, I mean, I like libraries and you surf the net, hey, we almost breathe the same air so we gotta have the same international values, don’t you think, can I sign you up? Send you samples? Meet the doctor? Sell, sell, sell so I can buy me a new gold Thunderbird and zoom like a Trident rocket up the West Side Highway top down and your hair flyin’! ROSALIE Stop looking in that big mirror and get out. I got business, too. ZEV In a minute. (He puts on his jacket.) ROSALIE In a minute you’ll turn into your father, that poor bum. ZEV (to himself) You should be half so good. ROSALIE Come on, Zevi, I got a meeting, I got a meeting.
ZEV opens the door. ROSALIE, carrying big feathered hat and bright red coat, immediately enters and goes to the mirror. ROSALIE So you nervous? First day – big day – here, lemme fix your -- ZEV Nah, I’m okay. Don’t. I’m fine. Bye. ROSALIE Yeah, you’re fine. Jakie up? ZEV I dunno. ROSALIE Hey, listen, we both got big days – so I say to you in American English, not Russian, I say, ‘Hey, you, good luck, Zev.’ ZEV Yeah, okay. ROSALIE You know, Grisha wishes you luck, too, Zevi, but he’s worried about your father. That Abe, he’s getting – I don’t know how to describe it – spacey – like he’s drifting off somewhere. Losing too much money at the OTB’s – etcetera – etcetera -- ZEV He’ll be okay, he’s strong, he’s just got to gather himself. ROSALIE Why don’t you call Grisha, he really likes you, he’s concerned, Zevi, and, you know, he’s almost part of the family. ZEV Cut it out, Rosalie, huh, leave me alone. ROSALIE Zevi, he wants to talk to you, you know what I’m saying, he thinks you’re real smart and you’re a young man just starting and he’s really concerned about that drunken father of yours. ZEV Yeah, sure, just like you. And he doesn’t drink and you know that, Rosalie, you know it. (HE exits.) ROSALIE Figure of speech, Zev, don’t you get it, Zev? Bye. Me, I’m going to get it – yup – yup -- (ROSALIE puts on a her hat and coat and studies herself as she sings: ) Zippy doo dah, zippity ay, my oh my what a Technicolor day. Hey, Jakie, Jakie get up, bubbala, I’m goin’ so bye, butchkie – and you come in here and brush your teeth for two minutes and don’t tell me tomorrow I didn’t remind you, okay? And, Jakie, dinner’s on the stove. Study your books, you’re gonna get to college and finish college or I’ll kill you. Remember, butchkie, lights out by eleven whether your brother’s home or not. And if that man who’s your father calls, you just tell him the rent’s due. Bye – love ya, Jakie, study, love ya. (She exits and immediately returns and looks into the mirror again.) This is it. This is New York, New York. This is this day. I can do it. This is it. If I have to fuckin’ kill him. She exits. BLACKOUT.
ii Lights up on Section A, stage left. ZEV puts down his brief case and takes off his bulky winter down jacket. He is wearing his new suit. Zev takes a breath, opens the door and enters an office where a woman, ESTER STYLITZ, middle 20’s, sits behind a desk. ZEV Hi, and how are you this afternoon? (He drops the jacket and tries to hide it.) ESTER (seeing him but not looking up) What ya sellin’ and you better hurry up. ZEV I’m Zev Biryuk from National Detailers and I’d like to take one quick moment to show you our efficacy Time Lines and independent studies which demonstrate how we can help your patients in certain crises – help economically and efficiently And effectively. Very effectively. This is strictly hot cutting edge research for the doctor. To help his patients. ESTER (She looks up) You must be new. He’s not here. The office is closed. It’s after hours. ZEV Me, I’m not new. Well -- yeah, I kinda am. How come you’re askin’? ESTER Nobody comes out to Brighton Beach anymore. Ha! Where you from? ZEV The city. Can I show you? ESTER Got your brochures and pretty little bottles? Got charts with your time-release releases well documented by very expensive but cost efficient research studies? You know, like millions of dollars? Millions? ZEV Yeah. But ours are different. Here look. ESTER Sit down a minute, kiddo, lemme finish this insurance. ZEV Zev Biryuk. ESTER Huh? ZEV I’m Zev Biryuk from National Detailers, Incorporated, we’re in 37 states. Here’s my new card with my cell phone number so you can -- ESTER Regional Sales Representative, Zevi Biryuk. ZEV Zev. Zev Biryuk. ESTER Your friends call you Zevi? ZEV (opening his case) You take your time, okay? I’ll just get out my brochures, okay? ESTER Okay. Sorry. I’m Ester, Ester Stylitz. ZEV Oh. My brother, Jake, my stepbrother, he was born here. Same father.
Surprised, ESTER nods, smiles, waves for ZEV to set up his presentation. ZEV It’s really hot in here, isn’t it? ESTER I like it hot. I wish he’d open the windows a little, but I like it hot. ZEV Yeah. Because I was born in Hong Kong but -- then my real mother died here. I mean -- I like it hot, too. Sorry. ESTER nods. They stare at each other. ZEV I mean I didn’t mean to offend. ESTER You better get out of here. I got work. You guys think that – just go, huh? ZEV And you’re right it’s my first day and you’re my first call and I’m – I didn’t – I’m just – ESTER Lemme finish this form and then you do your spiel – but it’ll only be for practice because Dr. Lambensky doesn’t really let detail guys in -- unless you got some samples. ZEV Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, I got ‘em. ESTER Hang a minute then we’ll see, okay, sit down, cool yourself. ZEV Okay. Right here. (He opens his briefcase and begins to put samples on ESTER’S desk.) ESTER So you from Manhattan? ZEV My Aunt Ella lives here – I grew up here, too, the community and all. ESTER I’m not Russian, I’m Polish. And Irish. And maybe Spanish. My derivations get a little fuzzy. ZEV Yeah, I know what you mean, my personal place in geography is pretty blurry, too. ESTER Okay, okay, that’s it, I’m finished. Lemme see your spiel but we’re not gonna buy. ZEV You never know. ESTER I know. Look, Zev? Zev, I’ll tell you straight out: I’m quitting here – old Dr. Lambensky he’s got some problems since his wife died and I’m not gonna work ‘em out for him. From a strictly business point of view, the insurance costs are driving him out, let alone he’s really fuzzy, too, especially after two o’clock, you know? (She swigs an imaginary bottle.) And nobody pays. They want give him eggs and sweaters. It’s over, I read the journals, it’s HMO time and make your numbers, I like him but I’m not his wife. ZEV I never saw you around this neighborhood. Ah -- maybe with you I can just practice? ESTER If you want. I hate this neighborhood. I’m going to Las Vegas. Got an uncle out there – works at a college. I’m gonna go to college. It doesn’t snow. I hate winter. ZEV Ester. ESTER Am I saying too much? Sorry. My ma always says I say too much. What? ZEV I just wanted to say your name. You want to have a sandwich? ESTER Can’t. ZEV If you’re not that hungry, I can wait. Oh. You married? ESTER Kinda engaged. ZEV Forget him. ESTER Can’t. ZEV Um, I asked National Detailers to start me here because – well, they wouldn’t start me in the city – and – like I said, I know the neighborhood. I gotta meet my father – he’s having a -- time -- and – hey, you want me to come by later and we can have some coffee? Or a beer? Or some coffee. ESTER Zev? Would you go now? Please go now. ZEV Ester? I’m gonna be real good in this job. I can smell how good I’m gonna be. ESTER (Rises and puts his samples back in his case.) I’m glad to have met you. I think I hear the doctor, you really better go. ZEV But he’s the guy I want to meet. ESTER No, you don’t. ZEV If I go now, can I see you later? ESTER (She hands him back his case.) No.
ZEV Then what I’m gonna do, Ester, is take off all my clothes and stand up on this desk here and start singing a real loud song in Russian – a Red Army song -- and when the doctor comes in, I’m just going to tell him – I’m just going to tell him – PAUSE. ESTER Maybe tomorrow night? ZEV Six o’clock at the door downstairs? ESTER Six-thirty? ZEV That’d be swell. ESTER I never heard anybody say, ‘That’d be swell,’ except in old movies. ZEV Hey, like they say: you never know. ESTER Zev? Zevi? (She kisses him quickly on the cheek.) Go. (She leads him to the door. He exits. She covers her face with her hands and she begins to cry.) BLACKOUT
iii "Meadowland" ("Song of the Plains"), sung by the Soviet Army Chorus and Band, Angel/EMI, (CDC-7478332), begins with the sound of soft hoof beats in the back ground. Hoof beats up as the lights come up on Section C (stage left). ABE, early forties, furious, Russian accent, sits at a seedy bar facing front. He slams down his empty shot glass. ABE More. Vodka. Now. (A shot glass slides across the bar and ABE grabs it, drinks, and slams it down. Reads from newspaper: ) "Counter person, part time butcher. ... " Aaaaa -- "Tree sprayer. Reliable with clean driver’s license. ..." Auuuhh "Read books. Sky’s the limit. $30,000 yearly potential." Potential, hmmm. "Medical transportation. ... Scanner Microtech Scan Maker BZ14 ..." Paaa! ‘Part time butcher!’ Mikhail! (Another shot glass slides across the bar which ABE grabs and drinks.) America! Micro chips. Potato chips. (He grabs a handful of potato chips from a bowl, stuffs them into his mouth, and chews.) Sky’s the limit. Oooops, I forgot, outside it’s raining. Mikhail! Another shot glass slides across the bar. ZEV enters, goes over to ABE and shakes him. ZEV Come on, Poppa, it’s gonna rain soon, come on. ABE Go home. (Picks up his head.) Get out of here. What time is it now? ZEV Almost six. Aren’t you cold? It’s really cold in here. ABE Go home. Don’t come around me. Go eat. Feed your brother. Your stepmother, the Moscow whore, would let you both starve.
ZEV No, Poppa. Come on, I’ll walk you back to Aunt Ella’s place. ABE I got a meeting. Zevi, to my eyes, promise me -- ZEV He’s my brother, Poppa. ABE Good. I like you in a suit. Nice white shirt. Very American. You do any drug company sales or just visits today? It’s only your first day. Tell me. ZEV I’m starting, Poppa. It’s gonna work for me.
ABE I know – I know. Now go. I gotta take a shit -- then go meet with him. When I come out, I want you home. (He kisses ZEV.) Go home. (He exits.)
ZEV follows his father and, halfway off-stage, stops and waits. Sounds of hoof beats. "Meadowland" fades in and lights fade out. Music fades out.
iv Silence. In the dark, from a bed in Section B, GRISHA MOYSIF lights a cigarette. ROSALIE Ooooooo, what a man. (GRISHA grunts.) You ready? I’m ready. (GRISHA grunts again. ROSALIE turns on a bedside lamp. She puts on a flowered silk robe.) This one you know. (GRISHA grunts. She gets out of bed.) I lined them all up. What a show you’ll be having, oh, you, man. (She goes off-stage into the bathroom.) This is a show for you only. For now! Every one hand made. My own designs, sewn on my new American Singer sewing machine -- thank you, Grisha -- and the start of a whole new made-in-America line of reasonably priced business dresses for the working women of the world by Rosalie Biryuk for her RB America line of -- (She enters, dressed in a simple, elegant, tailored dress) -- of fabulous clothes for the fabulous modern woman. (She twirls, she pirouettes, she walks the room.) You never saw this is St. Petersburg -- you like? GRISHA Fabulous. ROSALIE (She takes the cigarette out of his hand, puffs on it, kisses him.) Ooooooo, you. And now, Grisha: evening wear. (She exits to the bathroom. Lights fade.)
v From Section C, ABE enters, dressed in an Army coat and a Russian cap. Wind and rain. He crosses the stage and, just before he exits, ZEV appears, following him. When ZEV exits, sounds of wind and rain fade out and lights appear in Section B. vi ROSALIE enters wearing a simple, elegant evening dress and an astonishing wide brimmed hat with feathers. She walks the room as if it were a runway. GRISHA Fabulous. You’re fabulous. ROSALIE And the hat -- a little Moscow, a little St. Petersburg, a little Hollywood -- the hat is extra. So: can you tell? GRISHA I love extra. ROSALIE I know. They’re now sitting in the most expensive restaurant in all of Manhattan, La Cirque de la Cirque, right? GRISHA Of course. ROSALIE She’s gorgeous, but not skinny. A real woman with a real woman’s body. (GRISHA grunts.) All eyes on her. And him, too, in his black suit with his black shirt and silky black tie, and his body strong like yours, yes? GRISHA I taste you in my mouth. ROSALIE So? Who? GRISHA Who what? ROSALIE Who’s paying for dinner? GRISHA She is, of course. ROSALIE Oooooo, you’re so American, I love it. And a dancer – ooh – you are so good we could be like the Kelly’s. Grace and Gene -- a very famous Hollywood couple. GRISHA They weren’t married. ROSALIE Of course they are, they are Technicolor – American clothes – spangles and bangles but with flare and yet simple – especially when thy twirl. (ROSALIE twirls.) Hollywood parties – movies – champagne and spotlights everywhere -- very American. We could do that, Grisha. Oh, you man, such a fabulous brute with all your smells. GRISHA Caviar and cum. ROSALIE I love it. So: now: I change. (She exits to bathroom.) GRISHA Naturally. But hurry.
Lights in Section B fade.
vii Wind and rain. ABE enters and crosses stage and knocks on an old strong door. ZEV enters unseen and watches his father. The door opens. ABE goes through it and it closes. ZEV crosses to the door, stands hesitantly, tries the door, and it opens. Sounds of an elevated subway roars overhead. He enters. BLACKOUT.
viii In Section B, lights up, and ROSALIE enters in a long silky dress for dancing. Like her other clothes, this elegant dress is a knockout. She’s wearing long earrings and is dancing like a ballroom queen. ROSALIE This one I wear for when I meet the President. GRISHA I’m the President. ROSALIE Of course you are. Not you, Grisha, the other one. The President of the United States. GRISHA In the White House. With all his enemies. ROSALIE Of course. For my award. GRISHA Of course. Unless they kill him first. ROSALIE Pooh – he’s strong – you’re very strong -- you’ll tell Ivan? I’ll cut the patterns myself. You’ll call him? Just a little show in his big showroom with his regular buyers from the department stores. Grisha, you’ll call him, Grisha, yes? GRISHA In my mouth, Rosalie. (The telephone rings. GRISHA picks it up.) What? Good. I’ll be down. (He hangs up and dresses. All his clothes, including his shirt and tie, are black) Zoyen will take you back to the city. ROSALIE Thank you, Mr. President, but I’d rather be here. With you. GRISHA I’m in to "next." This is now "next." Go. ROSALIE (she starts to undress.) Suit your tootsies. The offer still stands. GRISHA (Grabs himself, growls, pause.) And Zev? You tell him Abe is fucking me up? ROSALIE I’m settin’ the ground, Grisha, takes time. GRISHA He’s smarter than Jakie, you know. ROSALIE (She runs to GRISHA and smacks his face.) Don’t compare. They’re different. One’s one, the other’s the other.
GRISHA Oooooooo, so hot. All right, street smart. Zev would be better here with me. Make up for his father. You tell him that? ROSALIE I’m settin’ the ground. GRISHA Don’t wait so long, Rosalie, the ground might freeze. (He points to a back door.) Go down the back way. Zoyen will meet you in the limousine. ROSALIE Or if we can’t work this out, Grisha, you know, Grisha, Mr. Boss, we’ll have no choice – we’ll have to kill you. Oy, oy, etcetera – etcetera -- such a pity. GRISHA (grins) Of course no choice. (He exits the front door.) ROSALIE quickly changes back to her regular clothes, throws the dresses in the box, puts on her coat, and crosses to the front door and listens. GRISHA (off-stage near the front door) Zoyen, you miserable Vlad, get going or I’ll send you back there! Now! ROSALIE crosses to the back door and exits. BLACKOUT.
ix Lights up on whole stage. A desk is downstage. GRISHA enters, goes to the desk, pulls out a big leather chair on wheels. He sits, takes out a nail file and files some of his fingernails. He picks up the telephone on the desk and presses a button. GRISHA Now.
The door opens and ABE enters. GRISHA points to in front of his desk where there’s a folding chair and ABE crosses and sits. GRISHA gets up and goes to the end of his desk and sits. Leans over ABE. GRISHA One more and that’s it. You fucked up last time, but not my next time or I pull in your kid. Trade him in for you, he’s smart, you could be, too, but maybe you’re fucked somewhere. It’s up to you. You deliver you, Abie, or you’ll deliver him. My fingers are out there but either way, it’s your call, yes? Hmmm? (Smacks him.) Get it? ABE I get it. GRISHA Make sure. And stop playin’ the horses, your mind should be here. Now listen, there’s a job. You fuck it, I pull in Zev, don’t think I can’t. (He takes out a newspaper and hands it to ABE.) Page two. ABE I read this. Very bad. He’ll blow the deal. GRISHA He stinks. He’s writing about us in a little newspaper so he can get real big. ABE "To be continued...." GRISHA Not to be continued. I’ll set it up with Mikhail. It’ll be you. You and Aron, but it’s yours. ABE No difference. GRISHA Your whistle, Abe.
ABE stands and GRISHA stands. ABE nods, turns, crosses to where he entered. Stops at door. ABE Didn’t cross the oceans to drown in American piss. GRISHA Good. Vladivostok would be proud of you. Go pick up Aron and then the two of you meet me outside Mikhail’s at seven, yeah? Good. Now: I hear Zev’s started the new job – you think that’s a future? There’s no family there, Abe, there’s no real money there, who’s watchin’ out for him?
ABE Grisha, don’t mean shit to me to do whatever’s needed here – there -- wherever. Puh, puh, fine for me. For me, okay. We always got to take the long business view, I agree, that’s how I got out of there and got to here, so okay. But, Grisha, leave my son, Grisha, he’s American now, he’s been to college a little, he’s hungry, he’s lookin’ for his own way. I promised him. I promised him his choice. That’s family within family, Grisha. I want you to respect that, Grisha. He’s young. It’s all ahead of him. That’s it. ABE exits. GRISHA Come out. (Pause.) Rosalie, come out so I can eat you.
ROSALIE comes out. She runs to him and smacks his face. ROSALIE You won’t touch my baby, would you? Not Jakie. GRISHA Rosalie, Rosalie, your kid’s in the clouds, he’s gonna be a professor with books and glasses. Very famous. Keep Jakie. Understand? Understand me? Come here, you.
GRISHA pulls her in close. She drops her box and pulls away from him. He catches her and drags her to the desk where he pushes her onto it. He drops his pants, pulls up her dress, and mounts her. She screams but throws her arms wide and back. ROSALIE No, no, beast, no!
BLACKOUT.
x Wind and rain. Sounds of an elevated subway roar overhead. Lights up on street door ABE and ZEV previously entered. Door opens and ABE, erect and proud, enters and, fighting the wind and the rain, crosses the stage. As he crosses, his body changes and he loses his stance. ZEV opens the door and sees his father. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a man covered with a hooded jacket, appears, races toward ABE, and knocks him down. ZEV runs to ABE, picks him up, and pulls him off-stage. BLACKOUT xi Lights up. ABE and ZEV enter from another side of the stage. ABE pushes ZEV into a doorway out from the rain and wind. ABE Get out of this, Zev, get out! Go home! ZEV Poppa – ABE Don’t follow me, you hear this, don’t! ZEV Poppa -- ABE Go! Go! (He pushes ZEV into the rain.) Zevi, if I see you again today -- ZEV What? ABE If -- if -- (Pulls ZEV in and speaks to him face to face.) Listen now: don’t question me, I’m your father. You and the new job? ZEV Yes, Poppa?
Copyright © 1999 Fred Jay Gordon |