THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF Oscar Wao excerpt, adapted for the stage by Marco Antonio Rodriguez

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THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO Adapted for the stage from the novel by Junot Díaz by Marco Antonio Rodriguez

z ue ig dr Ro Marco Antonio Rodriguez 214-395-2975 Marcosings1@gmail.com

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Of what import are brief, nameless lives... to Galactus?

-Fantastic Four, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby, Vol. I, No. 49

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Life, inexhaustible, goes on. And we do too. Carrying our wounds and our medicines as we go.

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Ours is an amazing, a spectacular, journey in the Americas. It is so remarkable one can only be thankful for it, bizarre as that may sound. Perhaps our planet is for learning to appreciate the extraordinary wonder of life that surrounds even our suffering, and to say YES, if through the thickest of tears.

-Alice Walker

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SCENE TRANSITIONS:

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Many scene transitions can be done in a superhero type of style. That is, superhero music, physicality, energy. The characters themselves in our story are superhero humans. They may certainly embody a traditional superhero to facilitate certain scene transitions.

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TIME: Between the years 1961 and 1994

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PLACE: An open space that transforms into various locations in and around the Dominican Republic and New Jersey.

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ACT 1

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A light rises. It shines like no other.

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OSCAR appears bathed in it: thick glasses, small afro, sloppy attire... He watches Akira on a small television set. Somber. Depressed. On another planet. Another galaxy.

Another Light rises. Not as bright. YUNIOR stands in it.

He holds a large duffle bag and watches Oscar for a few moments.

o ni to An On the television...

AKIRA “Why do you always have to try and save me? I could have handled it on my own. Yeah, I admit I've gotten beaten before, but I won't always be on the receiving end, you hear that? You don't like what you're hearing, do ya? Makes you angry? So what are you going to do now? Well, Kaneda? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW? I.... Am...

TETSUO! AAAAARGH!” Beat.

OSCAR

Silence.

OSCAR Fukú.

YUNIOR ‘Sup! OSCAR

BY THE GODS! Lights.

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(To himself) So... what are you going to do now?

An open space. A space that perhaps exists only in Oscar’s cosmos.

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A few chairs, small tables, small couch, two cots, and a small television set (optional) with VCR and a Super Nintendo attached.

This open space will transform into all of the various locations throughout our story.

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OSCAR I had no idea your presence was at the threshold.

YUNIOR

Huh?

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Are you Dominican?

YUNIOR

Are you from this planet?

OSCAR

You seem...

YUNIOR

And you seem...

OSCAR

YUNIOR Your mother what?

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Hail, dog of God!

OSCAR God. Domini. Dog. Canis. Hail, dominicanis! Ped-, mellon, a minn. “Speak, friend, and enter.”

YUNIOR You talking to me in Elvish from Lord Of The Rings?

OSCAR Actually, it’s Sandarin.

YUNIOR Actually, it’s bullshit.

3.

OSCAR

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Which you seem to recognize.

YUNIOR

What are you?

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OSCAR I’m Oscar. Lamentably it is all I have.

YUNIOR Yunior. Lamentably your roommate.

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OSCAR I was unsure if the universe would manifest one for me.

YUNIOR It was either this or my crazy moms. Now I’m not sure which one’s better.

OSCAR

You didn’t bring much.

YUNIOR

I don’t have much.

OSCAR Would you care for some assistance?

I’m straight.

OSCAR I did not assume you were gay.

YUNIOR No, dawg. It means I’m good. I’M. FINE. OSCAR Okie dokie.

YUNIOR ¡Fo! Smells like Vick’s Vaporub in here.

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YUNIOR

4.

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OSCAR I placed some alcanfor by the door. My Abuela Inca says it rejuvenates the space and attracts PROPITIOUS ENERGY! YUNIOR

Let me guess: psychiatry major?

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OSCAR Writing. (Acting out his story): I’m working on an epic sci-fi trilogy about alternate universes and the folding of time a battle of the galaxies where man faces his own mortality at the center a beautiful love story-

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YUNIOR

Palomo, you’re a writer. Got it.

Yunior continues to unpack.

OSCAR You’re very neat. Order and specificity are signs of a man who is measured. Composed.

Valiant.

YUNIOR You know you really should write for politicians.

OSCAR

Okie dokie.

OSCAR Oh! YUNIOR What?

OSCAR That, um...

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A few moments go by in silence. Yunior continues to put things away. He pulls out a free weight and throws it on the ground.

YUNIOR Seven days a week. Two hours a day. This is the backup.

OSCAR Backup?

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YUNIOR Gotta pump it before you use it. Know what I mean?

OSCAR

No. I don’t.

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Something outside the window catches Oscar’s attention.

He giggles. And giggles. And giggles.

YUNIOR If you’re doing what I think you’re doing I suggest you walk yourself over to the bathroom.

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OSCAR Those squirrels... They’re coupled. Everything in nature has its other. Well, almost everything.

YUNIOR

Mano, what is up with you?

OSCAR I’m sorry. Sometimes I get a little-

YUNIOR

A little?

YUNIOR A viewing of what?

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OSCAR Would you care to join me in a viewing of Akira?

OSCAR AKIRA! Hands down the best film release of 1988. A Japanese anime meditation on the psychological effectsYUNIOR Nah, B. I’m good.

OSCAR Would you care to read one of my stories?

YUNIOR What I care to do is set up my spot. You coolio with that?

6.

OSCAR

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I’m culo.

YUNIOR

Coolio, bro. Not culo.

OSCAR

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Oh.

YUNIOR

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Shit.

A stack of Yunior’s notebooks and comics fall out onto the floor.

OSCAR

Here...

YUNIOR

I got it.

OSCAR Watchmen? You like Watchmen?

YUNIOR

So?

YUNIOR Easy there.

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OSCAR IT IS ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!

OSCAR The last chapter where Adrian Veidt and Dr. Manhattan are having their last conversation after the mutant brain has destroyed New York City?-Manhattan has murdered Rorschach and Veidt’s plan to save the world has succeeded Veidt says about saving the world: “I did the right thing, didn’t I?”-And before fading out from our universe, Manhattan replies: “In the end? Nothing ends, Adrian.”

YUNIOR/OSCAR “Nothing ever ends.”

Beat.

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Yunior snatches the comic book out of Oscar’s hands.

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OSCAR How is it you know of Watchmen but not Akira?

YUNIOR

The mysteries of life.

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OSCAR

What are these?

YUNIOR

Nothing.

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Are you a writer as well?

YUNIOR Well, I wouldn’t call myself-

OSCAR Why didn’t you tell me?

YUNIOR EY, YO! You got your space, I got mine. Understood?

Yunior continues to put things away. Oscar stares. An enormous smile on his face.

YUNIOR

What?

I have a roommate!

YUNIOR Oh, padre.

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OSCAR

OSCAR I’ve never lived with anyone other than my mother and sister well my abuela Inca in Dominican Republic when I was little you’re the first person to even speak to me on campus besides my sister where are you from?

YUNIOR Jersey.

OSCAR So am I! What part?

8.

YUNIOR

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Have a seat.

OSCAR Have offensive words spewed forth from these unlettered lips?

YUNIOR

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Let’s set up some rules.

OSCAR

Rules?

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YUNIOR If we’re gonna live together we need to have boundaries.

OSCAR Like kingdoms! We are a kingdom!

YUNIOR Rule number one: Don’t touch my stuff. Rule number two: You stay on your lane, I stay on mine. Rule number three: Occasionally I like to partake in a little smoke. If you know what I mean.

OSCAR

Isn’t that felonious?

OSCAR You have a beloved?

YUNIOR I got bitches.

OSCAR Why do you refer to them as that?

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YUNIOR Last rule. The most important rule of all: If you ever get to the door and see it’s locked, the lights are out and music is playing, it means I have company. And let me tell you... I plan to have A LOT of company.

YUNIOR Forgot one more rule: Don’t ask so many questions.

OSCAR These are all your rules.

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YUNIOR You got any you wanna throw down?

OSCAR

Not really.

YUNIOR

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Welcome to Rutgers class of ‘95.

Beat.

OSCAR What kind of stories do you write?

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YUNIOR Bro forgets rules with a quickness.

OSCAR Might you at least share if you are wanting to focus on writing, literature- ?

YUNIOR I don’t know! I don’t know anything. All I know is I wanna set up my spot in peace.

OSCAR

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.

LOLA enters. Dressed in Afro-cenric clothing. Hair done up in a fauxhawk.

OSCAR Sister of mine!

YUNIOR JE-LOOO. OSCAR Look who just walked in.

YUNIOR I’m Yunior.

LOLA Let’s go.

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LOLA You ready, Mister?

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YUNIOR Mami, pero cógelo con take it easy.

LOLA I don’t remember giving birth to you so don’t call me mami.

YUNIOR

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Registered.

OSCAR This is my sister, Lola. Big woman on campus. Knows just about everybody with any pigment. Has her hand in every protest and every march.

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That’s dope.

LOLA

Dope?

YUNIOR Gotta stand up for what’s right and shit.

LOLA Sabía yo. I could smell it from the hall.

YUNIOR

What?

The scent of Pariguayo.

YUNIOR Did you just call me a pariguayo?

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LOLA

OSCAR Did you guys know the word pariguayo is really a corruption of the English neologism “PARTY WATCHER”?

YUNIOR What kind of activist goes around insulting people?

LOLA I’m a social activist.

OSCAR It came into common usage during the first American occupation of the D.R. in 1916.

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YUNIOR See, this is the thing with girls like you...

LOLA

Did you just call me a girl?

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OSCAR It was reported that members of the American forces would often attend Dominican parties but instead of joining in the fun they would stand at the edge and just watch.

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YUNIOR You think you’re better than everybody else just because you got a mouth and a megaphone.

LOLA And what do you stand up for? The legalization of brothels?

OSCAR Hence the term PARI-GUAYO. A word that now describes anybody who stands outside and watches while other people scoop up girls.

LOLA Oscar, what the hell are you talking about?

OSCAR You called him a pariguayo. Technically that is not what he is.

Oh, I know what he is.

YUNIOR And I know what you’re not.

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LOLA