Reception Line - Parable of the Ambitious Guests

RECEPTION LINE

By Bob Allen

Based on the parable of the ambitious guests – Luke 14:7-15

Characters

                                    Tom King

                                    Peter Johnson

                                    Andrew Stewart

                                    Judy Ferguson

                                    Simone Barcoate

                                    Bertie Bartholomew

Synopsis:         A group of guests have gathered to meet a famous and honored host.  Although he joins them in the reception line, they fail to recognize him and continue to fight for a place at the front of the line so they can be the first to meet their host.

Costumes:       Each individual should be dressed for a formal occasion.  The men wear suits and the women formal dresses.  Judy and Simone could be dressed more elegantly than Bertie.

Setting:            The reception room in an elegant mansion.  A door stage right leads to a hall and the front entrance.  A door stage left leads to the rest of the house.  Peter, Andrew, Judy, Simone and Bertie are milling around the room awaiting the arrival of their host.

Time:               Any time in the near future.

TOM:              (Entering stage right.)  Andy!

PETER:           (Pushing Andrew aside.)  Peter Johnson.  But everyone calls me Pete.  You must be Tom.

ANDREW:     Yes, but how did you know?

JUDY:             It’s Pete’s business to know everything.

SIMONE:       Now, Judy you know perfectly well we’ve all been expecting Tom.  His was the final name on Mr. King’s guest list, although none of us were certain he would actually arrive, were we Mr. Stewart?

ANDREW:     No, ma’am.  I didn’t know for sure that any of you would come.  But I pleased that you have accepted Mr. King’s invitation.

BERTIE:         I’m glad you’re here, Tom.  You must feel strange never having met any of us before, but this is going to be a wonderful experience, I just know it is.

PETER:           Of course, Mr. King never does anything sub-excellent.

ANDREW:     You seem to know our host quite well, Pete.

PETER:           I should.  We’ve been friends for years, ever since the war when he rescued me from certain death.

BERTIE:         Oh how exciting.  Please tell us about it, Mr. Johnson.

JUDY:             Don’t’ worry.  He’ll tell you more than you want to know.

PETER:           Call me Pete.  Well, we had been under enemy fire for what seemed like a lifetime.  Finally the captain decided we would retrench under cover of darkness.  I was the last to crawl out of the bunker and some sharpshooter must have had night vision goggles because I took a shell in the back.  All I could do what wait for the enemy to arrive and take as many as possible with me before I shouted my last hurrah.  That was when I asked him to help me, when all other hope was gone.

BERTIE:         How exciting.  I can certainly understand why Mr. King wants you to be here today.

JUDY:             Can’t we all.

BERTIE:         Why you and Mr. King must be just about the best of friends.

PETER:           Actually, I haven’t seen him since then.  We’ve both been pretty busy.

BERTIE:         I wish I had a story like that to tell.

SIMONE:       Actually, I think the story of how Judy met Mr. King is every bit as exciting.  When was it Judy?  Not that you would want to reveal your age or anything.

JUDY:             I suppose I’ve known him longer than most of you have been alive.

SIMONE:       Judy had been married for almost no time at all and had three children, a set of twins and a darling little girl all under two years of age.  The twins took sick and hospital bills began to mount until there was no way a person could have paid them in two lifetimes.  Isn’t that the way you always tell it, dear?

JUDY:             Don’t make it sound so dramatic.  Just tell her the truth.  My husband skipped town, the bum.  And I was ready to do the same with sleeping pills when the hospital called to tell me Mr. King had heard about my plight and paid the bill in full.  But he certainly hasn’t done anything for me since then.  He couldn’t give me my husband back and raising three children alone wasn’t easy.

TOM:              You mean you’ve never seen him again?

JUDY:             I never saw him the first time.  I mean, you would think he could have come to the house or something.  After all, it was my story of how he saved my life that made him famous.

TOM:              What about the rest of you?  Why are you all here?

JUDY:             I guess you’ll have to ask Mr. Stewart that question.  He gave us the invitations.

TOM:              Andy?  Are we all under some kind of obligation to this man?

ANDREW:     Not directly.  Bertie here believes he was the one who arranged for her adoption into a very loving family when she was only six years old.  And Simone?

SIMONE:       I for one have no obligation to him at all.  I think perhaps I received an invitation because of what I can offer to him.  The fact that I have been in control of my life gives me the ability to evaluate such traumatic experiences as you have recounted without emotion, an invaluable asset for a communicator, I assure you.

JUDY:             Along with a quick tongue and empty head.

BERTIE:         Exactly why have we been invited here, Mr. Stewart?

ANDREW:     You are all guests of Mr. King.  He’s very anxious to see each of you.

BERTIE:         I feel so close to him, just being in this room.  In fact, I feel as if he has never left me since the day I was adopted.

SIMONE:       You see what I mean by emotion coloring experience.  How sad it must be to lack the skills necessary to control your own destiny.

BERTIE:         I’m so anxious to meet him.  Isn’t there some kind of protocol to follow?  What does a person say to someone who has given her a family?

PETER:           Protocol?  Absolutely.  We need to form a reception line.  It’s what they do at all the embassy parties.

SIMONE:       An exellent idea.  It certainly wouldn’t be seemly for people to simply rush at him when he enters.  We must place ourselves in the order of importance, right Andrew?

ANDREW:     Well…

PETER:           Of course he agrees.  It’s what Mr. King deserves.

TOM:              Or is it what we think we deserve?

PETER:           Since I’m the only one who has actually talked with Mr. King I would be happy to stand at the head of the line and introduce him to each of you in turn.

JUDY:             I bet you would.

BERTIE:         But don’t you think he will know us already?

SIMONE:       Andrew can make the introductions.  What we need is someone at the head of the line who can give a proper welcoming speech.  Someone who could express in a memorable way the gratitude we all feel in regard to his past generosities.

JUDY:             Someone who could bore us all with a hymn to her own verbosity.  Besides, I didn’t think you had experienced his past generosities.

SIMONE:       Don’t be petty.  I can recognize his generosity without the experience of being saved from suicide by a last minute phone call.  At least I wouldn’t be emotionally involved.

JUDY:             Because you don’t have any emotions.  Why if you had been working at the hospital you probably wouldn’t have even made that call.  You would have been too busy working on my eulogy.

ANDREW:     Please, ladies, let’s not be arguing when Mr. King comes.  I don’t really think a reception line is necessary.  There’s room for everyone.

TOM:              It’s obviously not a matter of room.  It’s a matter of position.

BERTIE:         What do you mean, Tom?

TOM:              It’s really quite obvious.  Pete thinks he should be first because Mr. King can’t get along without his leadership.  Simone deserves the position because he can’t survive without her tongue.  And Judy…

JUDY:             I never said anything about being first.

TOM:              It was your story that made him famous?

JUDY:             I suppose you think you should come before all of us?

TOM:              Giving up position is too much to expect from someone who has only experienced one great blessing in life.  But, you see, I’ve had two.

BERTIE:         Really Tom?  You haven’t told us what Mr. King did for you.

TOM:              He gave me the two greatest blessings a man could ever have—death and life.

PETER:           But we all face death.  You can’t blame Mr. King for something that happens to everyone.

TOM:              You didn’t seem anxious to face death out on that battlefield years ago.

PETER:           It wasn’t my time to go.  I was young, an entire lifetime before me.

TOM:              What if I were to tell you that Mr. King’s arrival today meant death for all of you?  Would you be so anxious then to be first in line?

BERTIE:         But it doesn’t.  Mr. King would never do that.  He would never do anything to harm us.

JUDY:             Oh, I don’t know.  Look at me.  Sure, Mr. King gave me life by paying my bill and keeping me from kicking the bucket.  But what a life.  It’s been worst than death most of the time.  Many’s the time I’ve said to myself, Judy, you should have just taken those pills.

SIMONE:       No control.  Constant emotional upheaval.  Tell us, Tom.  Why do you count death as one of the blessings Mr. King has given you?

TOM:              The gift of life is the gift of death.  The one who gives you life, gives you death.  Mr. King didn’t take death from Pete, he just postponed it.  Judy didn’t find life in her great experience, she found living death.

JUDY:             That’s for sure.  People always come up and say, ‘Oh, he gave you a new life.’  But they don’t know what they are talking about.  Living death, that’s the way to describe it.

BERTIE:         But how did Mr. King give you life, Tom?  You haven’t told us that.

PETER:           You certainly haven’t.  Surely you’re not suggesting that he is your father?

TOM:              That’s exactly what I’m saying.

JUDY:             Your father?

SIMONE:       You’re Mr. King’s son?  Tom King?

BERTIE:         Oh, how exciting.  You live here.   All of this belongs to you.

TOM:              Well, I’ve been away an awfully long time.

BERTIE:         But he invited you to come.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been gone.  He’ll be glad to see you.

JUDY:             That’s a likely story.  How do we know he’s telling the truth?

ANDREW:     I believe Mr. King has arrived.  Please control yourselves while I prepare the way for him.  (Exits right.)

SIMONE:       (Moves to a place near the right entrance.)  It is my exquisite pleasure on behalf of my friends to welcome you on this auspicious occasion.  Knowing full well that it is a welcome to your own home we nevertheless extend it with the same approbation as if you were a guest of ours.

JUDY:             (Shoving past Simone.)   You can’t see him first.  My twins need to go to college.  Tuition is so expensive.

SIMONE:       You’re nothing but a conniver and a cheat.  I deserve to lead.

PETER:           (Pushing both ladies aside.)  Someone has to organize this group.  What will he think if there is not any order.

BERTIE:         Tom, please don’t leave.  I know he wants to see you.

PETER:           Organization.  That’s what we need.  If you will just take your places behind me, everything will work out fine.

SIMONE:       Eloquence.  Someone needs to spread the word.  He needs me.  Can’t you see how much he needs me?

JUDY:             Get out of my way.  I made him famous

ANDREW:     (Enters.)  Ladies and Gentlemen.

PETER:           He’s here.  Take you places behind me.

JUDY:             Oh no you don’t.  I get him first.

SIMONE:       It is my exquisite pleasure…

ANDREW:     (Crosses to center of room.)  May I present to you my master, and your host, Mr. King.

SIMONE:       I don’t see him.  Where is he?

PETER:           Get back in line.

JUDY:             Who made you the boss?

TOM:              (Shakes Bertie’s hand.)  Welcome!  (Tom, Bertie and Andrew exit left.)

JUDY:             Do you see him?  Get out of my way.  I can’t see him.

PETER:           It’s your fault.  It you would just let me be first.

SIMONE:       It is my exquisite pleasure on behalf of my friends…

THE END