12 minutes / 3 characters
Description
Two women meet in a fancy restaurant. One is well-dressed, sophisticated, confident—the other is poorly-dressed, a bit coarse, withdrawn.
Loraine is down on her luck. Her husband left her several years ago because of her drinking problem and she carries around with her the heavy baggage of resentment—both toward her husband and toward the church she felt let her down.
Betty appears to be someone above and untouched by such sorrows of life. Her clothing reflects wealth, her hands are smooth and manicured, her demeanor bespeaks a woman in charge of her life.
But things—and people—are not always what they seem. And we all have things tucked back in our closets that we may not want others to see.
Theme
Accepting each other for who we are and who we will be—not who we once were.
Characters
Crandall, the snooty waiter
Betty
Loraine
(both women are approximately middle-aged or slightly younger)
Set
A small table covered with a white tablecloth and two chairs.
Props
Service for two
Menus
A purse or bag for each woman
Gift certificate
Pack of cigarettes and matches
Cheap, metallic brooch or pin
Food: tossed salad, fish with sauce, basket of rolls
Credit card
Wardrobe
Betty is immaculately dressed in a smart business suit. She is tastefully appointed, a woman of intelligence and good sense.
Loraine is dressed shabbily—not like a street person, but as someone who once knew better days, but is now down on her luck. Her clothes are clean, but almost worn out. She has tried to arrange her hair, put on her face, but hasn’t done a very good job of it, and there’s a run in her hose. She slouches when she walks, as if hoping no one will notice her.
Topics
Closets Women The Past Hypocrisy Church Forgiveness Wealth Poverty Divorce Adultery Drinking Problem Fancy Restaurant Waiter
