BLUE (excerpt) by Ali Viterbi

Blue by Ali Viterbi

Contact: Leah Hamos The Gersh Agency 41 Madison Ave, 33rd Floor New York, NY 10010 lhamos@gersh.com

CHARACTERS

MIA She/her/hers Late 20s Baby bisexual JAY She/her/hers Late 20s Queer AF Suicidal, most of the time

A NOTE ON LANGUAGE AND STAGING FAST FAST FASTER. There should be little to no break between scenes.

This is your depressed brain, your anxious brain, your ecstatic brain, your brain that's unstuck in time, that experiences life all at once - all the love and pain, the snuggles, the beginnings, the endings. * is a change in time Feeling is more important than plot in this play.

The only super important set piece is a bathtub, that can also function as a jacuzzi and whatever else it needs to be.

Note: A Slash (/) indicates overlapping dialogue. Where the slash appears, the next line begins [Words in brackets] are unspoken, perhaps gestured at (Words in parentheses) are quiet, said under the breath, maybe a tonal shift

EXCERPT * The park. Mia’s wearing boxing gloves; Jay is holding pads. They’re sparring.

JAY Jab Cross.

Mia does a jab-cross.

JAY Hook.

Mia does a hook.

JAY Upper cut.

Mia does an upper cut.

JAY Right kick. ...

Right kick? ...

Snug?

MIA So I did what you told me to do.

JAY ???

MIA I fucked someone.

JAY Oh. MIA Yeah.

2.

JAY Well, good. That’s... good?

MIA Is it?

JAY Yeah. I mean, was it?

MIA It was...whatever. It was... it wasn’t you.

JAY Don’t guilt trip me/ MIA I’m not!

I just I thought I should tell you.

JAY Where’d you meet her?

MIA Him. JAY Him? MIA Tinder.

JAY Him? MIA Yeah.

You told me I should go have sex with someone.

JAY I know.

MIA So what’s...?

3.

JAY Nothing.

MIA Jay. JAY I want you to be happy. I want you to feel...

You know I’m not the jealous type. I’m not. I justI don’t know. I guess it would be Different? I don’t know.

If it was a her.

MIA Why? JAY I don’t know.

MIA Jay. JAY I just...

I want to be enough for you.

MIA That’s what I’m saying! It was just some meaningless, one night whatever.

It wasn’t you.

I want you.

JAY Me with a penis.

MIA Nope. That’s not how sexuality works.

JAY No I know/ MIA Do you?

4.

JAY I know about sexuality. More than/ MIA Don’t finish that sentence.

JAY You don’t know what I was going to say.

MIA I don’t love you less because I’m also attracted to men.

JAY That’s not what I was going to say.

MIA Ok so finish that sentence.

I know about sexuality. More than... What?

More than a polar bear?

JAY (quiet) More than you.

MIA Yup, that’s exactly what I thought you were going to say.

JAY I just mean that I’ve been out for longer, that’s all MIA That is not what you meant. And you know it.

JAY It’s just You’re so indecisive. About everything. All the time. I just What if this is part / of that?

MIA “This” being our relationship?

How can you say that after three years?

JAY I’m just trying to / understand you

5.

MIA You know what? I’m done having this fight.

I love you. I want you.

You obviously don’t want me, which isJAY Of course I want you.

MIA THEN SHOW ME! JAY You know I can’t!

MIA Or won’t.

JAY What?

MIA I’m on these pills too and I still have a sex drive.

JAY Not everyone responds the same way. You know that.

I can’t just switch it on and off!

MIA Neither can I! But right now, I just want you.

JAY Well I can’t give you that.

MIA Ever?

JAY And the more you pressure me, the less / I want MIA I’m not pressuring you!

JAY Really?

6.

MIA I’m just asking!/ JAY This isn’t asking! You wanted to make me upset. You knew fucking a guy / would make me upset MIA No I didn’t! That’s not/ JAY You’re being an asshole.

MIA You’re being an asshole! How is this my/ JAY I’m enough for you or I’m not.

Me. Not some imagined, romantic version of me. Me. It’s fucking simple.

MIA No it’s not! It’s not fucking simple! * JAY I’m intense.

MIA I like intense.

JAY No I mean If I like you and it’s working I get intense. * MIA My therapist said I need to separate from my family.

JAY What does that mean?

7.

MIA No not like “separate,” just like stop feeling like I’m responsible for their happiness.

JAY You’re not responsible for their happiness.

MIA I know, that’s what my therapist / said.

JAY You’re not responsible for anyone’s happiness. * JAY My therapist said I should work out more.

MIA My therapist said I should work out more.

JAY Should we go to the gym together?

MIA I don’t really like the gym. * MIA My therapist said she was proud of me.

For being more communicative, for asking for what I want.

JAY When did you ask for what you want?

MIA When I said I wanted you to stop hanging out with Dev. JAY Oh. MIA She was proud of me. *

8.

JAY My therapist said if I take the Prozac before bed, instead of in the mornings, I might be able to orgasm again.

MIA I love your therapist.

JAY She loves you.

MIA Really?

JAY Yeah.

MIA What’d she say?

JAY That you’re good for me.

MIA Yeah?

JAY That you’re a fucking ray of sunshine.

MIA I am a fucking ray of sunshine. * MIA My therapist said that I’m “experimenting.”

JAY Stoooop MIA Yup. JAY Find a new therapist.

9.

MIA No but like She didn’t mean it like / that JAY They never “mean it like that” MIA No just that I’m finding out what it is I really want.

JAY That’s not experimenting.

MIA That I’m like honing in on what I really want in like life like out of a partner JAY Ok just like use a different word Cause that word’s like really [triggering] MIA That’s what I told her But like I am trying to figure it out? * JAY My therapist said I’ll have to stop seeing her if I don’t pay last month’s bill.

MIA You didn’t pay last month’s bill?

JAY No. MIA School doesn’t cover it?

JAY They used to.

They dropped the mental health plan / after MIA That’s such bullshit ohmygod. You can’t stop seeing her! You of all people/

10.

JAY Me of all people? Seriously?

MIA No, I just mean.

You need to see her.

JAY I can’t just accio money.

MIA I can lend you / if you need JAY No. MIA Snug, it’s/ JAY I don’t need you to take care of me. * JAY My therapist said I should try lithium.

MIA What?

JAY Yeah. It will help with the suicidal thoughts.

MIA Again?

JAY It will help MIA Good. That’s good then. Right?

JAY Better than slitting my wrists, probably. *

11.

MIA I want to go to Paris with you JAY I want to die.

MIA I want you to meet my parents JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to let you win at Scrabble JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to become a great cook so I can fill your stomach with my love JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to never not be holding your hand JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to prostrate myself before your tongue JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to always smell like you JAY I want to die MIA I want the world to see you like I see you

12.

JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to live ten lives with you JAY I want to die.

MIA I want you to know I’d give up ten lives for one with you JAY I want to die.

MIA I want to love you so hard you’d nev- / er want to die JAY I want to die.

MIA I WANT TO STOP MISSING YOU! *