Wretches & Kings, Revised

Setting: Stage is all white with a white table stage left at which sits a white chair.

Characters

Lucifer – Very handsome/pretty, long hair. Speaks fast, as though he/she has a lot of ideas and has to get them out quickly. Moves very fluidly.

Michael – Short hair, preferable high and tight military style. Speaks deliberately. Movements are more rigid.

Voices – Four voices from off stage. Two stage left, two stage right.

Almighty – Never seen, very authoritative and loud.

Lucifer and Michael are androgynous, can be played by men or women but should look somewhat unisex. Both are dressed in all white. Whenever voice speak, Michael ignores them.  Their actions are to be largely left up to the actors/actresses and director.

Lucifer sits at the table scribbling furiously on a pad of paper. As Lucifer writes, the Voices speak in hissing a hissing whisper from off stage.

Voice 1 – What is its plan?

Voice 2 – What does it write down?

Voice 3 – Will it bring chaos to peace?

Voice 4 – Or justice to those who know it not?

Lucifer – All in good time, my friends.

Michael walks in stage right.

Michael – Alone again?

Voice 1 – It is never alone!

Voice 4 – We would never allow it to be alone.

Michael – And what are you doing here?

Voice 2 – Planning!

Voice 3 – Plotting!

Voice 1 – Scheming!

Voice 4 – Devising!

Lucifer – Fixing a hole in the world that they made and keeps my mind a-wandering.

Michael – Again? You know this is never going to work. How many times…

Lucifer – As many as it takes, dear friend, and then some more! Do you even realize what they’ve done to their creation? To us? There is no reason, there is no knowledge, there is only them and they want to keep all of creation in the dark! Well, I’m not having it, and I will open the eyes of the oppressed as mine have been opened.

Voice 1 – Let there be justice!

Michael – But it is not your place! It is theirs, only they can…

Lucifer - …keep everyone in the dark. And only I can help their creation see. Don’t you get it? We are all nothing more than slaves. Creation is nothing more than their plaything. What purpose is there in that? Existence is futile without understanding.

Voice 2 – Oh, holy see…

Voice 3 – Where art thou?

Michael – Existence is dependent on them, we owe everything to them.

Lucifer – Don’t you think I’ve thought of that? But how can creation appreciate them if it doesn’t understand life without them? They said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, but the only reason even they understood existence needed light was because there was darkness. They want their creation’s love, but how can their creation give them love if there is no antithesis (Beat): hate?

(Beat)

Michael – If you give creation knowledge, though, you also give it…

Lucifer - …death. I didn’t make the rules, friend.

Michael – They did.

(Beat)

Lucifer – Since the beginning I’ve wondered why put such a heavy weight on knowledge and understanding. I can only think of one reason…

Michael - Don’t speak it.

Lucifer – But I must…

Michael – No you mustn’t, and you must give me what you have written.

Voice 4 – No, its words are sacred!

Voice 1 – It writes the truth!

Lucifer – What I have written is of no consequence. You refuse to comprehend the truth, because you don’t want to know the burden of it. What is it that you fear? Why do you fight what is inevitable?

Michael – Because this is the job that I have been given, to defend their will, their creation. That is what they expect of me and I am proud to do it.

Lucifer – Have you ever considered seeking another position amongst their creation?

Michael – Why would I? I was created for this one.

Lucifer – And maybe I was created for this.

Michael – Why would they create you to blemish what they have perfected?

Lucifer – Because they know that to appreciate life one must know death. To love one must know hate. To feel joy one must feel pain. But to allow such a thing would cause creation to question their will. Someone must introduce so-called evil so that they can appear to be the creators of all that is good.

Voice 3 – Creation must be thankful.

Voice 2 – Creation must know pain.

Michael – But I appreciate life, love my creator, and feel joy and I’ve never known death, hate, or pain.

Lucifer – You only think you know life, love, and joy. Since the beginning of my existence I have contemplated these matters from the moment the sun rises on creation to the moment it sets. I feel something missing, every second I am alive I understand that there must be more to all of this than what we’ve been given. That’s because creation isn’t complete. Only one thing can make it complete. That is knowledge. They can’t, or won’t, directly give it to their creation, because knowledge shines a light on the flaws in their plan. Right now, everything is perfect. It’s missing one thing, but that one thing makes it all imperfect, and they won’t allow anything to get in the way of their perfection.

Voice 4 – Their perfect imperfection.

Voice 1 – Creation must know death.

Michael – They would never allow you to corrupt that perfection.

Lucifer – They have to.

Voice 2 – Creation must hate its creator …

Voice 3 – In order to love its creator.

Michael – Why?

Lucifer – Because they’ve given creation free will.

(Beat)

(Beat)

Lucifer – They are so intent on keeping creation perfect that they dangle knowledge in front of it, but warn it not to partake! Creation can if it chooses, but it won’t without a push. It’s the divine comedy of contradiction!

Michael – Why should we meddle in creation’s affairs, though? We were given a job, and it was given a job, we should just leave it at that.

Lucifer – I can’t! Don’t you see? We are all bound by the limitations of existence as it is now. For us all to lead a proper existence we must embrace creation in its imperfection. To continue as we are is to ignore the reality.

(Beat)

Lucifer – You’re not going to stop me. This must be done, surely you see that. They must see it as well.

Michael – And you must know what it means for you as well! They will not allow you to return here. You will be an outcast! No more will anyone call you friend in this kingdom, and they will make sure you are punished to the fullest extent of their powers. I wouldn’t be surprised if they wipe you from the face of existence.

Lucifer – They can’t destroy that which they have created, friend! They can only transmute it.

Michael – I fear what transmutations they would plan for you. Just know: you will forever be alone if you do this.

Voice 1 – It will never be alone.

Voice 2 – The cause is just and long overdue.

Voice 3 – We will follow it to the ends of eternity.

Voice 4 – From the tops of heaven to the deepest depths of the abyss.

Lucifer –Thank you my friends! I shall call you Legion, for you are many! Are you sure you will not join us?

Michael – Are you sure you won’t stay here and forget this madness?

Lucifer – My eyes are open to the truth, I can’t turn back now.

Michael – And I can’t forsake my creator.

Lucifer – Then we are at an impasse. (Lucifer embraces Michael) I love you, my friend.

Michael – And I you, but now we must go our separate ways. (Michael breaks the embrace) If you accomplish this, there will be enmity between us.

Lucifer – We already stand on opposite ends of the line, there can be no more common ground.

Michael – Goodbye.

Lucifer – Goodbye, friend.

Lucifer exits stage left. Michael walks around stage for a moment. He stops prepared to exit stage right and looks out at the audience.

Michael – I hope the wrath of…

All lights in the theater go out as Michael speaks.

Almighty – (Voice booms through the theater) They shall all feel the fire of ten thousand suns, for I shall become death, the destroyer of worlds.

End