DOROTHY
“Oh Rusty, you’re living in a technicolor fantasy world. But don’t you see – this is real life in black and white.”

Heartless
By Robb Piggot

This play was first produced March of 2019 as part of the Monkey With A Hat On Heart Ten Minute Play Festival

CHARACTERS

DOROTHY (as in Gale from Kansas): Bride-to-Be. Anxious. Conflicted. Desperately trying to be practical and the most emotional day of her life.

PAUL: Groom-to-Be. Rich. Smug. Materialistic. A bully in a bowtie used to getting what he wants.

RUSTY (i.e. The Tin Man): Spurned ex-boyfriend who now wears his broken heart on his sleeve. Passionate and determined. Eager to win back his girl.

SETTING

A small room with a dressing vanity and stool.

TIME
Sunday morning. 1940.

(The lights come up on DOROTHY seated behind a vanity. There is a knock on the door.)

DOROTHY
Come in! (PAUL enters.) Paul! It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding!

PAUL
And have you be away from me for even one second longer?

DOROTHY
I don’t deserve you.

PAUL
That might be true. There’s a lot of poor girls who’d kill to be in your shoes but you’re the lucky one. (PAUL moves to kiss DOROTHY.)

DOROTHY (moving away from him)
And here we are, just steps from the altar.

PAUL (putting his arms around her)
Then you’ll be all mine to have and to hold –

DOROTHY
As long as we both shall live. Oh Paul, you don’t think we’re rushing into things, do you?

PAUL
It’s time you learned that a Holloway man always gets what he wants. (PAUL pulls DOROTHY to him and kisses her roughly as RUSTY enters.)

RUSTY (entering)
Dorothy!

DOROTHY
Rusty! What a .. wonderful surprise!

PAUL
Who’s this?

DOROTHY
Just a friend from the old neighborhood.

RUSTY
More than a friend? Dorothy and I were childhood sweethearts.

DOROTHY
Rusty, this is Paul, my fiancée.

RUSTY (shaking PAUL’s hand)
So you’re the son of a gun that stole my gal. Congratulations to the better man!

PAUL
To the victor goes the spoils. Say, that’s quite the grip you’ve got there.

DOROTHY
Rusty’s a lumberjack.

PAUL
I’m in oil myself.

DOROTHY
Paul’s family owns Holloway Petroleum.

PAUL
A hundred and ninety-three wells on this side of Nebraska alone. Hell, even in the middle of a god damned Depression, the country still needs oil.

RUSTY
Well, I never use anything else! (RUSTY drinks from his oil can.)

PAUL
And we’re much appreciated for your – (seeing RUSTY continuing to drink) Hey now, go easy on that, sport – might want to save a little until after the wedding –

RUSTY
I can handle my own. You just worry about you.