On the A (Part 1)

(Lights up.)

(Semi-crowded NYC subway car. A group of attractive, fashionably dressed, black teenagers enter the train at the 125th Street stop. 2 guys, 2 girls and one very confident and grounded, young boy: "T". They enter laughing loudly, pushing and shoving each other. The boy is carrying a small can of Sour Cream & Onion Pringles Chips. They fight each other to find a seat. They configure a cluster of themselves in seats nearest the doors after passengers move to accommodate them. They speak to one another as if they are the only people on the train. They do not acknowledge anyone outside of their circle unless they are directly speaking to that person. When they do, they are overly polite. They do not represent any kind of hostility. All of them appear extremely happy and content. All dialogue and action is very loud, very fast and often one person is speaking over another. A directorial choice might be for each line to be said twice. Loud, fast and quick.)

Guy A: Yo' T. Gimme one a those. Gimme another. Gimme.

Guy B: You see that?

Girl 1: (Carrying a Louis Vuitton purse in the crook of her arm.) Why we bein' on this one? This one? Why we bein' on this one?

Girl 2: Hey T. Chip.

T: Step off. (A grabs a chip out of the can.) Yo' I said step off. (He gives G2 a chip.)

B: (Taking T's arm and a chip out of the can.) You see dat? He be trippin'! All hangin' out and shit' . Trippin'!

A: I know, I know, I know. I seen him yo'. He be all like... (A gesture.) ...and I was all like...(A gesture.) ...and you know?...what the fuck? You know what I mean? You know man? What the fuck?? Hilarious! He be trippin'!

B: You doin' this?

A: Hilarious! Trippin'!

G1: (To G2.) Why we bein' here? I gotta go. (Gestures to A.) He's gonna ride down but we gotta go.

B: (To A.) Yo'. (Takes another chip. T moves to a seat across the way.)

Girl 2: T. Chip. (She crosses, grabs a chip and sits again.)

A: (Spotting a Woman Eating.) Can I have a piece? Just kidding. (A gives Woman Eating a long, charming smile. She is affected.)

B: Yo. (Slight pause.) You got this?

A: Yeah. Yo'. Hilarious! Trippin'. Trippin. (To the passengers on train. Spoken rapidly and loudly, almost in another voice altogether.) Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, if your man can't do this then you should... (To B.) You up? Go. You? (To passengers.) If your man can't do this you should leave him. (B goes to center of the train and suspends his entire body on one arm. His shirt goes over his head revealing extremely muscular abdominals. Both A and B are freakishly strong.) If your man can't. Leave him. See him? See that? If your man can't. Leave 'im. (The entire group starts clapping in unison. Whole beat; whole beat; whole beat; quick half, half. Repeated until the end of the 'performance'.) My man here keeps all his ladies happy. I hope your man does too. (B flips and twists. Does a choreographed act bouncing off the ceiling of the subway. Arms and limbs nearly slapping against seated onlookers. A woman moves to the other end of the train. A is silent during the rest of B's performance.)

To be continued.....