February Stars: A Play

(Now she rips the page out like before, folds it up, and stuffs it in the front of her notebook. The lights fade.)

Scene 13 - The Band's Dressing Room At The Stadium

(The curtain opens and the lights come up inside the band's dressing room at the stadium. However, the room looks less like a dressing room and more like a hotel suite; there are a few couches, some chairs, some bar stools, a coffee table, a mini-bar off to one side, a stereo off to the other. The room is filled with overflowing ashtrays, half-empty cocktail glasses, and partially crushed beer cans strewn about with the odd bit of clothing here and there making the room look as though a tornado of people has hit. After a moment, a tornado of people hits. They crowd in, groupies, VIPs, musicians, producers, agents, and the odd fan [one of whom is ANNA]. In the midst of the crowd is RICHIE, joined nearly at the hip by TAELI, CHRIS, ASH, and a pair of bodyguards. As they finish pouring into the room, one of the bodyguards exits, followed by the clicking or clanging of doors closing behind him. As the crowd spreads to consume the whole room, they filter apart, all trying to find the most important person they feel that they should be talking to, leaving the band standing in the background, mostly ignored [with the exception of the two fans talking and looking from off to one side, one of whom is ANNA]. Somehow, while the rest of the crowd separated, CHRIS ends up at the mini-bar and ASH ends up by the stereo, leaving RICHIE and TAELI stuck behind the crowd. CHRIS tosses the others each a beer [here's a good spot to ham things up]. As everyone in the room is talking, the band mates try to talk over the noise.)

RICHIE: Hey, Ash, how about some music!?

ASH: Coming right up!

(ASH starts adjusting the radio station on the stereo. RICHIE scans the room, then starts laughing quietly. TAELI notices.)

TAELI: What's so funny?

RICHIE: This. All of it. Take a look around you, what do you see?

TAELI: I dunno, uh . . . people, fans, celebrities? I don't know, Richie, what am I supposed to be looking for?

RICHIE: I just saw something that struck me funny, is all. (he notices TAELI's confused look) We're musicians, right? We go out there and we pour our hearts out to people. And if we do it right, we affect them. We . . . we infect them with a sliver of rock & roll. And this party tonight is supposed to be for them.

TAELI: Them? Them who?

RICHIE: THEM! The people who understand us. The ones who find the message behind the music.

TAELI: What message? Look, Richie, this isn't some big code we're putting out there. It's not cryptography, it's rock and roll, and you don't have to decrypt it to understand it, you just have to feel it.

RICHIE: But when you look around this room tonight, can you honestly tell me that the people that are here now are here because they feel the music? I doubt it. This room is full of celebrities, producers, agents, and quote-unquote V.I.P's. The only reason that each of them is here is because the rest of them are here, and they're all trying to find the most important person they feel that they should be talking to. It has nothing to do with us or with our music.

TAELI: So what? We're the ones getting the exposure here. We have a chance to meet and talk to producers, agents, celebrities, anyone who can get our careers on a fast track. I still don't see what your problem is.

RICHIE: I just don't understand why we're ignoring our fans just to give the rich and famous people a chance to get more rich and more famous. I feel like I'm wasting my time.

(Pause)

TAELI

Ya know, you can suck the life out of a moment like no one I've ever known.

(We all sense a bit of tension in the silence.)

TAELI: Do you ever think about goin' back?

RICHIE: What?

TAELI: I do. All the time. I think about going back there and trying to make up with my father, and tryin' to deal with my mom being gone. And you know what happens?

RICHIE: (genuinely interested) No, what?

TAELI: I get sick. Like stage fright, only a thousand times worse. I feel nauseous, like I'm gonna throw up. So I try to think about something else.

RICHIE: (After a beat, unsure of what to say) You didn't have to tell me that.

TAELI: I know, I . . . I just, I, you said the song reminded you of home, and I wanted to know if you ever thought about goin' back home.

RICHIE: (Brief pause while he thinks) Course I do. all the time.

TAELI: And?

RICHIE: And . . . (RICHIE scans the room) I think 'fuck it, I like it better where I am.'

(Chris walks over by them.)

CHRIS

Well, you two are looking awfully cosy over here . . .

TAELI: (quietly, to RICHIE) Just ignore him, he's drunk.

CHRIS: Piss off, Taeli.

TAELI: Fuck you, Chris.

RICHIE: (to TAELI) Hold on. (to CHRIS) What do you want, Chris?

CHRIS: I wanna see if you got what it takes to lead this band, 'cause I'm tellin' you now, you sure as hell ain't no Tommy Wilde.

ASH: Jesus, Chris . . .

CHRIS: What? Am I the only one who's been watchin' this guy? (RICHIE reacts) That's right. I had my eye on you since you showed up. (takes great pain in this next line) Granted, you got some attention (shoves the rest in his face) But Tom knew how to take the crowd. He could grab'em up with one note and hold'em in the palm of his hand all night. That's what it takes to lead this band, and I ain't seen it from you.

RICHIE:

Fine.

(RICHIE grabs his guitar, and finds a perch in the middle of the crowd.)

RICHIE: This is one of my personal faves. Its a song I wrote last spring after, well, after I lost someone close to me.

(RICHIE begins playing "February Stars". All eyes go to him, and silence blankets the crowd. RICHIE just sits, and plays, and sings. The room is completely entranced, even CHRIS, and especially ANNA. They watch on as RICHIE's heart and soul pours out to them through the song. For a brief moment, RICHIE and ANNA's eyes meet, and he smiles. We simply watch on. Finally, as RICHIE finishes the song, he lifts his head to the door to see SARAH entering the stage. The song ends, and all eyes are on RICHIE, and RICHIE's eyes are on SARAH. Curtain.)

Act II

Scene 1 - The Band's Dressing Room At The Stadium

(The curtain opens on the end of I.13. Richie is frozen in place. Sarah hazards a smile.)

SARAH: Hi, Richie.

(Heads turn to see SARAH. Little comments throughout the crowd; i.e., "Who's she?", "Who's that?", etc. RICHIE stands, confused.)

RICHIE: Sarah?

(More comments from the crowd.)

RICHIE: (Without breaking eye contact) Could . . . could we have some time alone?

(ASH takes the initiative.)

ASH: Okay. Party's over everyone.

TAELI: (slightly stunned, but following in suit) Yeah . . . C'mon, everybody clear out.

(A pair of security guards enter and stand just on stage as the crowd begins milling around and filtering out. As her friend stands to leave, ANNA sees how RICHIE and SARAH have not and do not break eye contact. Feeling somewhat dejected, ANNA prompts her friend, and they exit with the crowd, followed by the guards. ASH and TAELI help CHRIS up and assist him out. On the way out, TAELI turns to RICHIE.)

TAELI: We'll be outside if you need us.

(TAELI exits. RICHIE still says nothing, so SARAH tries to get him to.)

SARAH: (nervously) "February Stars." . . . I remember when you wrote that . . . Sitting on the L. at two in the morning . . . on our way home from the hospital, the day Alex died . . . (trails off)

RICHIE: (Innocently confused) What are you doing here?

(SARAH breaks eye contact and makes her way past RICHIE toward the mini-bar. RICHIE just watches.)

SARAH: (ala RICHIE) "Hi Sarah. Haven't seen you for a while. You look good. How ya been?"

(SARAH pours herself a drink, then plops the bottle down.)

SARAH: (quoting, but as if to say 'What the hell kind of a question is that?') "What are you doing here?"?

RICHIE: (More accusatory) What are you doing here, Sarah?

(SARAH begins to feel as though she shouldn't have come and tugs at the backstage pass hanging around her neck.)

SARAH: I came to see the show, (tugs it off) and you. (takes a drink for courage) I missed you.

(RICHIE is taken aback by this.)

RICHIE: You what?

SARAH: I missed you. You're everywhere now. TV, radio. I see you--

RICHIE: (cutting her off) You could've called--

SARAH: I couldn't, I--

RICHIE: -- You could've just picked up the phone. It's not that hard.

SARAH: Jesus, Richie, why are you being like this?

RICHIE: You left! (tense pause) Now you're back and you're asking me to explain myself? Where the hell do you get off!?

SARAH: You know that I left because we -- CHRIST! I can't believe we're have this discussion again!

RICHIE: Again? (coldly, hurtfully) The last time we had this discussion you were on your way out the door.

SARAH: I never wanted to just leave, only take a little time off . . .

RICHIE: So now you're back. Why?

SARAH: Because I want to be with you again. I've got my shit together and so have you.

RICHIE: But how would you know that if you never call? ('Ha! Got you there!') Oh. Wait. "I'm Everywhere!"

SARAH: Richie, c'mon . . .

RICHIE: Well, you're right Sarah, I do have my shit together. I have the number five record and the number two song in the country. This band has never made it into the top ten on either note, so I did that! I made that happen!

SARAH: (trying to calm him down, trying to grab hold of something) Look, Richie, I know that my timing isn't the greatest, and for that I'm sorry.

RICHIE: (coldly) Fine. Apology accepted. Anything else.

SARAH: (one last ditch effort) Yeah. This.

(SARAH leans in and kisses RICHIE softly. RICHIE fights the urge to kiss her back and succeeds. SARAH notices that RICHIE doesn't react and breaks the kiss. She steps back, and, for a moment, neither of them says anything.)

RICHIE: (one last hit, hurtfully) The door's right behind me, so you can leave anytime now. After all, it is what you're good at.

(From the extreme look on her face, we can tell that SARAH is terribly insulted by and angry at this. We see something swell up in her, and release-- SMACK! SARAH hauls off and slaps RICHIE. RICHIE's face just locks after the slap, the same cold stare. SARAH grabs her pass off of the bar and brushes past RICHIE, exiting. After she exits, RICHIE heads over to the stereo, puts in a tape, and plays it. The room fills with the sound of "Most of the Time" by Bob Dylan. RICHIE heads over to the couch and plops down on it. After a moment, TAELI enters, slowly.)

TAELI: Hi.

(RICHIE just sits there, out of it. [NOTE: throughout the rest of the scene RICHIE is somewhat distant, separated from the events at hand, as though his mind keeps wandering to a sad memory. It is an attitude which stays with him for a few scenes to come.])

TAELI: You okay?

RICHIE: Not entirely.

TAELI: You wanna talk about it?

RICHIE: Not really.

TAELI: Okay.

(TAELI heads over to the bar to fix herself a drink.)

RICHIE: Hey, Taeli?

TAELI: Yeah?

RICHIE: Thanks . . . for everything.

TAELI: Don't worry about it. The crowd really didn't seem to have a problem leaving, although there were these two girls--

RICHIE: No, I mean, everything. You 'n Ash have been really cool since the day I showed up, and you really didn't have to be.

TAELI: Like I said, don't worry about it.

(pause)

RICHIE: (changing the subject) So, what happened to Chris and Ash?

TAELI: (chuckling to herself) Chris is off steering a porcelain bus (for anyone who doesn't know, that's a euphemism for crouching over a toilet, throwing up), and Ash is making sure he doesn't crash.

(Coincidentally, just as TAELI finishes the sentence, ASH enters, looking concerned.)

TAELI: Speaking of whom . . .

ASH: Huh?

RICHIE: Skip it. What's up?

ASH: I could ask you the same thing.

RICHIE: (darkly comic) Don't ask, it's safer that way.

TAELI: (to ASH) Richie's just having a little problem dealing with "fortune and glory."

ASH: Applegate wants to see us first thing tomorrow.

RICHIE & TAELI: (to ASH) What?

ASH: Lacey just called. Applegate wants to meet with us right away in the morning. Something about the CD.

RICHIE: Any idea what?

ASH: (also darkly comic) All I know is that I better get back to Chris before he accidentally drowns in the toilet.

(just then, one of the security guards enters.)

GUARD: Is somebody going to take care of the guy in the can?

ASH: I'm on my way. Taeli, you comin'?

TAELI: What, are you nuts? I know you have a kinda morbid sense of curiosity, but not me. I really don't feel like standing around watching Chris lose his lunch all over a bathroom.

ASH: Suit yourself. (exits)

(TAELI looks over to RICHIE.)

TAELI: Want a drink?

RICHIE: (after a moment, still a little out of it) Huh? . . . Oh! Uh, yeah. Just a beer, thanks.

(TAELI grabs a beer and her drink, heads over to the couch, plops down next to him, and hands him his beer.)

TAELI: Here ya go.

RICHIE: (half out of it) Uh, thanks.

(TAELI notices that RICHIE is still a million miles away and seeming not well off.)

TAELI: You okay?

RICHIE: (slow to answer) No.

TAELI: You want to talk about it?

RICHIE: (trying to distract himself, being clever) I thought you didn't have a morbid sense of curiosity.

TAELI: Call it concern. That . . . and, well, we've both been through alot. (painful pause, from which TAELI tries to distract herself from.) So . . .

(RICHIE just sits in his own little world, thinking, remembering. Then, he looks at his guitar.)

RICHIE: This is the only thing I have left of my old life. (pause) It used to belong to my dad. I never really knew him, and I guess somehow it was important to me that I still have some way to hold on to him. This guitar and a box of old records were the only things he left behind. When he first left, I used to listen to those records over and over, beginning to end. (pause) God, I haven't thought about that in years.

TAELI: And that's what's been distracting you?

RICHIE: (pained) No . . . yes, I dunno. Everything is distracting me. It's like, when Sarah walked back in that door tonight, the rest of my past came back with her, reminding me of everything that's changed in my life, and everything I don't have anymore. (pause) I dunno . . . I guess I'm just sick of thinking about it all the time. I want to think about something else for a while. I need to write again.

(TAELI thinks for a moment.)

TAELI: You remember a couple'a weeks ago when we . . . uh-

RICHIE: -Yeah. Sorry 'bout that, by the way.

TAELI: Don't be. I kissed you.

RICHIE: Yeah, but (*) I didn't--

TAELI: (*) Look, if you're worried about me having some big regret about kissing you, I don't. I'm not gonna turn this into some big melodramatic thing like a bad episode of Saved By The Bell by saying that it was a mistake, because I don't think it was.

RICHIE: (confused) Uh, okay . . .

TAELI: Sorry. Tangent. (takes a brief moment to re-rail her train of thought) Anyway, that night I started writing again. I haven't written anything in almost two years, but that night, it just came out. Not a lot, just a part of a verse and a possible chorus, but I was hoping you could help me with it.

RICHIE: (lacking confidence) Well, if you wanna play through it, I'll see what I can do.

TAELI: Okay . . . Uh, my guitar's already packed up-

RICHIE: -You can use mine. Here. (hands her the guitar)

(TAELI takes a moment to warm up. She starts playing, but then panics and stops.)

TAELI: Look, it's just . . . it's just been a while since I've (*) written anything and I'm just--

RICHIE: It's okay. Just relax. It's just me.

TAELI: Okay.

(TAELI takes a couple of deep breaths, then starts playing again. It sounds a little rough, but then she starts singing. TAELI trails off, not exactly knowing how to end. RICHIE sits there in awe, completely taken by the song. TAELI waits a moment for a reaction, but RICHIE doesn't say anything.)

TAELI: Well?

(Nothing.)

TAELI: I knew it, it sucks--

RICHIE: --No, it's . . . it's really fuckin' good. (TAELI reacts) It is. It's (searches for something to say and comes up blank) . . . great. I mean, you need more, but-

TAELI: Actually, I was hoping you could help me write it.

RICHIE: Uh . . . yeah. (getting more excited) Yeah, I'd love to. (yawns, feeling the lateness of the hour) Tomorrow, though. It's been a really long day.

(Both of them get up to leave.)

TAELI: Sure. We probably oughta check on Chris, anyway. (the two of them start to leave) He's really gonna be hung over in the morning.

RICHIE: (laughing to himself) In the morning? He'll be hung over all day. (thinks for a moment, then laughs)

(The conversation trails off as they exit. The lights slowly fade, and the curtain closes.)

Scene 2 - Outside Applegate's Office

(The lights come up in front of a closed curtain. There is an office desk off to one side. TAELI and ASH are milling around, when RICHIE enters.)

RICHIE: So, what's the deal? What's goin' on?

TAELI: We don't know. Lacey said that Applegate's on conference calls all morning and can't be disturbed.

RICHIE: (looking around) Where's Chris?

ASH: Probably still crouched over a toilet.

(After a moment, CHRIS enters wearing sunglasses.)

RICHIE: Speak of the devil.

TAELI: Morning, Chris.

CHRIS: (speaking softly) Morning.

ASH: How ya doin'?

CHRIS: (Still softly) Fine, but you guys don't have to yell.

(RICHIE, TAELI, and ASH laugh to themselves.)

ASH: Fun little hangover, isn't it?

CHRIS: Yeah . . . Ya know, the worst part is that I can't seem to bend this finger. (indicating his middle finger) But I can bend the others just fine. (flips off ASH, brief pause) So, what's the deal, they renovating the office or what? ([NOTE: During this scene, the set behind the curtain should be changed from the dressing room to the office.])

RICHIE: Dunno, I just got here.

LACEY: (entering) He'll see you now.

RICHIE: All right.

(All exit. Lights.)

Scene 3 - Applegate's Office

(The lights come up and the curtain opens on APPLEGATE's office. For barely a moment, he is reviewing some files. As he is putting them away, RICHIE, TAELI, ASH, and CHRIS enter, escorted by LACEY. APPLEGATE doesn't notice RICHIE noticing APPLEGATE putting away the files.)

RICHIE: So, what's going on?

APPLEGATE: (solem and serious) Please sit down, everyone.

(They all sit)

APPLEGATE: Thank you, Lacey.

(LACEY exits)

ASH: Whoa, talk about your suspensful set-ups.

(no reaction)

ASH: Rough crowd.

(APPLEGATE just ignores ASH's comments.)

APPLEGATE: I'll get right to the point. As of tomorrow, Wilde Blue Riot's newest single and album both go to number one.

(And a hush falls over the crowd. After a moment, RICHIE, TAELI, ASH, and even CHRIS to an extent, practically go into shock. CHRIS's jaw hits the floor as RICHIE, ASH and TAELI begin laugh quietly. The laughing isn't enough for ASH, and he lets out a huge scream.)

ASH: WOOOOOOOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(With that, RICHIE and TAELI's laughter gets even bigger.)

TAELI: (Still laughing) And this is for real?

APPLEGATE: (Still cold and serious) This is as real as it gets.

(They all seem to notice that APPLEGATE doesn't seem to be too happy with this latest development, and they all become rather nervous by it.)

CHRIS: (pessimistic as usual) I'm waiting for the catch. (beat)

APPLEGATE: The catch is that this band has yet to have a number one single or album, and so you now face a new reality. Unless you can do what it takes to stay on top, you can only go down from here.

(TAELI, RICHIE, ASH, and CHRIS all look back and forth to each other.)

RICHIE: Well, what do you suggest?