Excerpts From Parks’ Plays

From “The America Play” (1993):

THE FOUNDLING FATHER:

Uh Hehm. The Death of Lincoln!: --. The watching of the play, the laughter, the smiles of Lincoln and Mary Todd, the slipping of Booth into the presidential box unseen, the freeing of the slaves, the pulling of the trigger, the bullets piercing above the left ear, the bullets entrance into the great head, the bullets lodging behind the great right eye, the slumping of Lincoln, the leaping onto the stage of Booth, the screaming of Todd, the screaming of Todd, the screaming of Keene, the leaping onto the stage of Booth; the screaming of Todd, the screaming of Keene, the shouting of Booth “Thus to the tyrants!,” the death of Lincoln!--And the silence of the nation.

(Rest)

Yes. --. The year was way back when. The place: our nations capitol. 4score, back in the olden days, and Mr. Lincolns great head. The the-a-ter was “Fords.” The wife “Mary Todd.” Thuh freeing of the slaves and thuh great black hole that thuh fatal bullet bored. And how that great head was bleedin. Thuh body stretched crossways acrosst thuh bed. Thuh last words. Thuh last breaths. And how thuh nation mourned.

*

From “Topdog/Underdog” (‘99):

LINCOLN

You wanna hustle 3-Card Monty, you gotta do it right, you gotta break it down. Practice it in smaller bits. Yr trying to do the whole thing at once thats why you keep flubbing it up.

BOOTH

Show me.

LINCOLN

No. Im just saying you wanna do it you gotta do it right and if you gonna do it right you gotta work on it in smaller bits, thatsall.

BOOTH

You and me could team up and do it together. We’d clean up, Link . . . Throwing down the cards. 3-Card and Link: Look out! Mismatched milk crates one atop the other. Pasteboard playing space ready to roll. The secret of the set up is that it dont look like much. Just three pieces of garbage, just three bits of trash, but throw down the cards and suddenly its a well of possibility, a field of dreams, the silver lining itself, right here within the grasp of the lucky man or woman who gonna step right up and take the chance, put the money down and walk away with a bundle, if yr lucky.