Pretty Theft Out Takes: Part 1

As a bonus for readers of this blog, we’ll be posting cut scenes from Pretty Theft, our production opening this week.

Allegra and Suzy are two teenage girls running away from all sorts of things, and growing uneasily closer in the uncomfortable quarters of the car. Adam kept the dialogue, but cut the short monologues in the final version. The scene plays great without the monologues…BUT in the final version, Suzy never directly addresses the audience. This subtle shift throws more emphasis on Joe and Allegra’s journey as the only characters who directly address the audience (the Ballerinas do, but in a more presentational, story-telling fashion).

The cut parts are in italics.

SCENE 21
(ALLEGRA and SUZY in the car.)

ALLEGRA (To audience.)
We go north to go south and we zig zag zig across the
continent like headless chickens or weather balloons forced
to cling to the ground. We try to be weightless and
free but we are tied to the earth, we are tired, and we are
quickly running out of cash.

SUZY
I have to sleep in a bed tonight I don’t care what you say.

ALLEGRA
How are we gonna buy gas to get back?

SUZY
I can figure something out.
(Pause. SUZY speaks to audience.)

SUZY
At night, I like to lie in the back of the station wagon
and watch the stars come out while Allegra drives.
Allegra does not like this. I can feel it in the way
she drives. She feels deserted and left out.
Because the stars are all mine and the whooshing cars are
hers. The headlights blind her and trail across the
windshield. The stars lull me to sleep.

ALLEGRA
Why don’t you sleep in the back again? You seem to
like that…

(And the scene continues)

Besides losing the only direct connection between Suzy and the audience, we also lose the detail that Suzy’s and Allegra’s jealous friendship extends even to the stars. It may also be Suzy’s only real moment of peace in the play.

Worth cutting? Yes. But it’s always fascinating how a small cut can have major effects. To see how this cut plays out, you’ll need to see the show!