Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The Magic Circus - Scene 1

Suburban family home exterior, raining, Nirvana’s ‘Polly’ is playing, camera moves into house, music gets louder. Pan through house. The TV is on, no one is watching Spongebob, camera hits on blinking light of ringing phone, Mary picks up the phone and walks to Monk’s studio. Monk, wearing headphones, looks up, turns off music.

Mary (on phone) – Right. uh, huh, OK, Bud, yeah good talking to you, too.

Mary hands Monk phone and leans against wall of his studio.

Bud (loud enough so Mary can hear) – Monkeyboy!

Monk moves phone away from ear, looks at Mary. Mary looks back, arms crossed.

Bud – Loved the invite.

Monk pulls lavishly designed tri-fold invitation in front of him from side of drawing board, it’s designed like a circus tent, opened up it reveals times, dates, attendees for bachelor party:
WHERE
LAX
Monday 8 AM
Pasadena:
Monday Night, Tuesday Night
Las Vegas:
Wednesday Night, Thursday Night
San Francisco:
Friday Night – Rehearsal Dinner, Pacific Union Club
Wedding Saturday, Grace Cathedral, Nob Hill
WHO
Bud, Monk, Nel, Kent, Bilge
WHY
Why not?

The invitation is decorated with circus characters: a koala, a monkey, an elephant, a dog, and a rat in the straw.

Monk – The Aussies got it? (looking at wife)

Bud (deadpan) Ziggy zoggy…

Monk – I guess that’s it then…

Bud – We’ll just get married…T-minus-36 hours, my friend…

Monk – Roger that, I’ll see you on the Internets…

Bud – Roger. Over.

Monk hangs up, looks at Mary who is still standing, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. Mary takes a step towards him, leans down, holds up one finger.

Mary – You are not going.

Monk - Honey...

Mary holds up another finger, silences him with a look and walks away. Monk goes back to the drawing board. Doodling with his circus characters, they come to life on the page. His 8-year old son, Junior, walks in and leans close to his Dad to see what he was drawing.

The characters stop moving.

Junior - What's happening?

Monk looks at Junior, then back to the page, pointing with his pencil.

Monk – Bilge is training the rats for a roller derby bout. The Circus is creating a new act for a big, big show, but they're running out of money, and Joe the Monkey is running out of ideas.

Junior looks up at Monk

Junior – Is Captain Koala part of the new act?

Monk – Yes, Captain Koala is part of the new act.

Junior – Good. Then it’s bound to be the bomb.

Monk rubs Junior’s hair.

Monk – Let’s hope so, Mookie, let’s hope so…

End scene

No comments: