MACBETH / BETH Act 1 Scene 2: A BLEEDING MAN

BETH

 

Act 1

Scene 2 

A Bleeding Man

 

 

[ INTERIOR Tour Bus, EVENING. WINCHELL and his DRIVER, his attorney/financial adviser LENNY and WINCHELL'S DOCTOR are seated inside WINCHELL'S luxuriant tour bus which is parked near the exit of the Coliseum stage.]

 

WINCHELL'S DOCTOR

(to LENNY)

 So I should hang onto my twitter stock?

 

LENNY

Hang on to it?  Don't be a pussy. Buy more. Buy all you can afford.

 

WINCHELL

(to his doctor)

Listen to him, Doc. Lenny makes the Wolf of Wall Street look like a shivering chihuahua.  Rock n roll's been good to me, but Lenny made me a billionaire.

 

DOCTOR

O. I should listen to him like you listen to me?

 

WINCHELL

Am I on stage now? No.  Is the L. A. Coliseum being ripped apart as we speak because you're afraid I'll catch a cold? Yes.  I'm listening.  I'm listening.  I hear the pitter-patter of a million little lawsuits.

 

LENNY

That's just the rain.

 

WINCHELL

(laughing at Lenny's comment)

It never rains in California.

 

DOCTOR

I'm not talking about tonight.  You haven't heard anything I've said.  I'm talking about the whole damn tour.  Lenny, help me out here.  Why does a billionaire, retired rock star who has just been inducted into the Hall of Fame need to go on tour?

 

WINCHELL

You're barking up the wrong tree, Doc.

 

DOCTOR

Lenny, tell me you didn't encourage him.

 

WINCHELL

The whole thing was Lenny's idea.

 

LENNY

Quality of life.  Quality of life.  He was depressed.  Now he's not depressed.  Depressed people die.  I rest my case.

 

DOCTOR

You're both insane.

 

[ There is loud THUMPING on the side of the tour bus. ]

 

MAX

(off stage)

Dad!  Open up!  It's us!

 

WINCHELL

(nods at driver)

Let them in, then lock it again.

[ Enter WINCHELL'S sons MAX and DONALD, followed by attendants holding up a BLEEDING MAN.]

 

WINCHELL

Bloody hell! What happened?

 

MAX

He saved my life!

 

BLEEDING MAN

You won't believe it.  After Max made the announcement that the concert was being postponed due to the weather, shit started flying.  Even things that were nailed down were suddenly airborne. 

 

MAX

Someone came at me with a guitar stolen from CHOWDER.  This man got between us.

 

WINCHELL

Doc, see to this brave man.

 

[ The attendants carry the BLEEDING MAN to the couch and WINCHELL'S DOCTOR begins inspecting the wounds.]

 

BLEEDING MAN

We were all going to die.  They were coming from every direction. CHOWDER refused to go on stage.

 

WINCHELL

I mentored them. This is how they repay me? Being my opening act would have put them on the map.  They are dead to me now. They have endangered my sons and crew and turned my fans against me!

 

BLEEDING MAN

Your fans love you!  Can't you hear them?

 

WINCHELL

(to the driver)

Turn off the motor! Open a vent!

 

[ The motor and air-conditioning stop HUMMING. The CROWD can be heard CHANTING.]

 

CROWD

(off stage)

Win-chell! Win-chell! Win-chell!

 

WINCHELL

I don't understand.

 

BLEEDING MAN

O, it was truly amazing.  We were done for. I could not hold them off.  We were truly done for.

 

[ WINCHELL'S DOCTOR gives the BLEEDING MAN an injection.]

 

DOCTOR

It's a mild sedative.

 

MAX

Dad, I believed I was going die on that stage.  I thought to myself, "This is it. Bye Bye Life."  I was actually making peace with it.

 

BLEEDING MAN

Out of nowhere your back up singer BANCROFT pulls this goofy guy BILLY from the audience and APOCALYPSE NOW turns into SILENCE OF THE LAMBS!

 

WINCHELL

(to his doctor)

What the hell did you give him?  He's not making any sense.

 

DOCTOR

He needs to be quiet now.  He's had a concussion.  I've made arrangements for him to be hospitalized. 

[ Loud POUNDING on the side of the tour bus. ]

WINCHELL

Who is it?

MAX

It's Roselinde and Angelo!  They were there!

WINCHELL

Let them in.  They must explain to me what the hell is going on.

[ Enter ROSELINDE and ANGELO ]

LENNY

Roselinde, you look like you are going to explode!

ROSELINDE

I might!

WINCHELL

Tell me what is going on!

ROSELINDE

The audience is calmed.  Billy has told them you might make a brief appearance.

WINCHELL and LENNY

Who the fuck is Billy?

MAX

He saved our bacon when CHOWDER walked off the stage.

ROSELINDE

He saved us all.

WINCHELL

Wonderful, but how did he do it?

 

ROSELINDE

( embarrassed )

By making fun of you.  His impressions of you were hilarious.

 

WINCHELL

Where the hell did he come from?

 

ROSELINDE

Bancroft plucked him from the audience from where he sat next to her high school friend, Beth.  He suffers from shyness and could only clown for Beth.  He had to pretend they were alone.

 

WINCHELL

He can only perform for a trusted friend?

 

ROSELINDE

Oh, that's what's funny.  He doesn't know Beth from Adam.

 

WINCHELL

Saved by a clown who makes fun of me!  See how strange coincidences shape us?

 

ROSELINDE

I have never seen anything stranger.

 

WINCHELL

Well, Bancroft and Billy shall have what CHOWDER walked away from.  Now I will say good night to my loyal fans.

 

DOCTOR

You'll stay put.  Doctor's orders!

 

WINCHELL

Be reasonable man.  It's not like I will be working up a sweat leaping about in the pouring rain.  I will carry an umbrella.  I will be brief.

 

[ WINCHELL takes umbrella and exits. ]

 

~ TO BE CONTINUED ~