Vanitas is a funny, wild, theatrical walk on the tightrope that separates life and death, art and science, spirituality and pragmatism.
Action Synopsis
The stage is divided into two main areas. One third of stage right is a grey/black “shadow” area. Most of the stage is the front room of a sparse one-bedroom apartment called the “living” area.
Nathan, a man in his mid-thirties to early forties enters and is...
Vanitas is a funny, wild, theatrical walk on the tightrope that separates life and death, art and science, spirituality and pragmatism.
Action Synopsis
The stage is divided into two main areas. One third of stage right is a grey/black “shadow” area. Most of the stage is the front room of a sparse one-bedroom apartment called the “living” area.
Nathan, a man in his mid-thirties to early forties enters and is surprised to see the audience. He tells them that they are all dead and shares what little he knows about the mysteries of the afterlife. Melody, another ghost, interrupts him from offstage. She is frustrated and bored as she searched for entertainment by watching various offstage living world characters. Nathan is worried she might have interfered with the living world as there are dangerous consequences if she did. She assures him that she didn’t.
Gary, a man in his mid-thirties to early forties, enters the living area of the apartment. He pours himself a bowl of cereal. Nathan can’t resist the urge to know what it’s like to eat again and, unseen, enters the living area. He creates a supernatural link with Gary and poetically describes to Melody the experience. Gary gets a text from Emily, an old friend of his from college. Emily, now a high school English teacher, texts that she has just moved to the same city he lives in and wants to see Gary. The lights begin to shift accompanied by a low humming sound. Melody and Nathan tell the audience that it’s a timeflow approaching that affects only ghosts.
Shortly after the timeflow stops it’s early the next evening. Emily arrives at Gary’s apartment because he couldn’t afford to meet her out somewhere for coffee. After they catch up for a bit about Gary’s frustrating job search, Emily tells Gary that Dave might have a job opportunity for him. She invites herself and Dave over to Gary’s apartment for a small gathering to discuss it. Timeflow lights occur again, and the ghosts exit.
After this timeflow, it’s the next evening with Dave, Gary, and Emily laughing in the living area while drinking wine. Dave tells Gary that the potential job at his company involves coding, and explains that because Gary excelled at poetry, he would be a good programmer. They all discuss academic testing, poetry, and education. Gary and Emily flirt a bit as the night progresses. Dave cautions Emily about her drinking, which insults her causing her to drink more from the wine bottle. He receives an urgent work text and exits. Timeflow lights occur, and the ghosts reenter the shadow area of the stage. Emily and Gary subtly reveal deeper feelings for each other. Melody can’t contain herself and crosses into the living area to create a supernatural bridge by touching their shoulders. Nathan shouts for her to stop. Melody removes Gary and Emily’s inhibitions and they both kiss. Melody screams and collapses. Emily tells Gary that she wants them to go to his bedroom. Gary accepts and they both exit. Melody wakes up confused and runs offstage to the depths of the shadow area. Nathan tries to run after her and then is stopped by a chaotic timeflow.
After the timeflow, Nathan is alone on the stage and is very worried about Melody. She reenters with a strange calm about her. Nathan questions her to see if she is ok and she responds with strange paradoxical answers. She snaps her fingers, lays down, and closes her eyes.
Emily enters from the bedroom with her coat on, sits on the couch, and berates herself. Nathan enters the living area of the stage and fruitlessly tries to tell Emily to go back and sort things out with Gary. Gary, emotionally satisfied, enters unnoticed. Emily disappoints him and tells him that she is romantically partnered with Dave. She then exits and Gary tries very hard not to break down emotionally. Melody wakes up and poetically shares with Nathan what she has witnessed in the deeper parts of the shadow area. She controls the lighting for a moment and manifests a burst of music. Timeflow lights takes both ghosts offstage.
Dave visits Gary in the middle of the same night. With surprising calm and humor, he tells Gary that he knows Gary slept with Emily. Gary asks Dave to forgive him. Dave refuses as he says there isn’t anything to forgive and takes a surprisingly objective view of the relationship he has with Emily. He brings up the job opportunity and Gary is offended that he brought it up. Finally, Gary becomes very resigned and tells Dave to leave his apartment. Dave doesn’t want to as he’s very concerned but, eventually, he exits.
Timeflow lights occur. Nathan reenters and Gary collapses on the couch in despair. Melody enters as Gary sees a bottle of aspirin. Nathan with a flash of insight realizes that he and Gary are the same person. Nathan tries to keep Gary from taking the aspirin. Melody stops Nathan. She begins to sing as Gary ingests all of the pills. Gary and Nathan mirror one another. Nathan enters the living area and Gary enters the shadow area. Nathan crumples on the table. Emily knocks on the door. She enters and is very concerned about Nathan. She wants to take him to the hospital to save his life. The play concludes with Nathan seeing Gary in the shadow area. As they look at each other, Nathan nods at Gary and accepts aspects of himself that he didn’t like before. The lights fade down as the play ends.
