Recovering Christmas

When the bottom seems to fall out of your life. When it seems that everything is falling apart in your personal and professional life and nothing more could possibly come along . . along comes a guy who just might be an angel. And to make things even worse it is the Christmas season, the most stressful season of the year!

A 6 act drama with a short song.

Cast: 14+
Ulysses (Uke) Jones, supervisor at Ford factory
Delia, Uke’s wife
Jackson 16 year old son
Pam 14 year old daughter
Mikey 8 year old son
Lyla is Delia’s friend
Amy is Lyla’s 16 year old daughter
Twanna is Delia’s friend, Lebron’s wife
Lebron is fellow manager at Ford, Twanna’s husband
Emmanuel is Twanna and Lebron’s 16 year old son
Tom is Uke and Lebron’s boss
Smitty works for Uke
Raymond works for Uke
Angie is the mysterious stranger, (likely male but could be female)
(optionally) any number of non-speaking actors for Act VI

Set:
Act I – Jones family kitchen
Act II & Act IV & Avt V – Uke Jones’ office
Act III – Country Club restaurant
Act VI – Living Room in Jones home

Lighting: as available, would be best to be able to fully darken down the set between acts

Costumes: standard for work or more formal in Act VI

Props: tables, chairs, desks, phones, office equipment, cell phones

Special Instructions:
In Act VI, actors are featured by others freezing, handle this with care

Run-Time: 90

Sample of script:

Act I – Jones Family Kitchen

(Delia is putting the breakfast on the table, Uke comes on stage, sits at the table.)

Uke: Mornin’ darlin.’ (Uke tries to kiss her cheek, she pushes him away.)

(Delia looks at Uke, frowns.)

Delia: Now do you mind tellin’ me why you got that old shirt on?

Uke: What’s wrong with this here shirt, I like this shirt, blue, just like the good old Ford blue down at the plant.

Delia: Care to tell me why I bother slaving, washing your clothes, making everything nice, you just throw on any old shirt, makes it look like you have a wife that can’t keep her husband looking decent.

Uke: You do a great job looking after me and the kids, Delia, everybody knows that.

Delia: How are they supposed to know that Uke, you walking around dressed like some homeless tramp. . . No idea why you can’t be more like Lebron, he a supervisor down at the Ford plant just like you. . . Never know it though, him always dressed neat and good looking, not like you.

Uke: I look fine Delia honey, I . . .

Delia: Uke Jones, you look like something scraped up from the Goodwill store is what you look like! . . . Next time somebody at Ford gets a promotion, you just watch, gonna be Lebron, not you.

Uke: Well, Lebron, he’s a good man, deserving of a promotion . .

Delia: What does Lebron getting a promotion do for this family, I ask you, Uke Jones? Your son Jackson, he’s 16 now in case you missed it, soon he will be needing a car . . . Where do you think that car is gonna come from, you with no promotion?

Uke: Jackson will have to work to get the money if he wants a car, same as I did.

Delia: Maybe you didn’t notice, there’s a recession going on in America, where do you figure a 16 year old boy is gonna get money for a car?

Uke: Well Jackson he will have to make do with riding a bike just like every other 16 year old. . .

Delia: “A bike like every other 16 year old” you say? . . . Happen to notice that Twanna’s son Emmanuel has his own car. Likely Lyla’s daughter Amy will have a car soon too.

Uke: Look Delia, I can’t help it if your friends have rich husbands who can buy their kids cars and things, fact is I . . .

Delia: Fact is . . Uke Jones . . fact is you have never stepped up and been able to look after your family. . . Fact is I could have married a dozen guys who would have looked after me proper.

(Uke smiles, tries to put his arm around Delia.)

Uke: Now tell me darlin’ what would you ever have done, marrying a dozen guys . . ?

(Delia pushes Uke away, angry.)

Delia: Go on and eat your breakfast, don’t be late for work, get fired likely, then just where would I be? . . Maybe time you think of me for once, Uke Jones!

(Jackson and Mikey come on stage, sit down at table.)

Jackson: Is this what I am supposed to eat for breakfast? . . . Mom, you know very well I got a basketball game after school . . . And you are feeding me Corn Flakes? . . . I need decent food if I am gonna perform. . . No one cares about me!

Delia: Jackson why don’t you go and ask your father why he can’t bring home enough money for me to buy decent food, buy myself nice things once in a while.

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