Read Online Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Revised and Complete Edition by Tony Kushner - Free Book Online
Authors: Tony Kushner
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the Supreme Court will be block-solid Republican appointees, and the federal bench—Republican judges like land mines, everywhere, everywhere they turn. Affirmative action? Take it to court. Boom! Land mine. And we’ll get our way on just about everything: abortion, defense, Central America, family values, a live investment climate. We have the White House locked till the year 2000. And beyond. A permanent fix on the Oval Office? It’s possible. By ’92 we’ll get the Senate back, and in ten years the South is going to give us the House. It’s really the end of Liberalism. The end of New Deal Socialism. Theend of ipso facto secular humanism. The dawning of a genuinely American political personality. Modeled on Ronald Wilson Reagan.
JOE : It sounds great, Mr. Heller.
MARTIN : Martin. And Justice is the hub. Especially since Ed Meese took over. He doesn’t specialize in Fine Points of the Law. He’s a flatfoot, a cop. He reminds me of Teddy Roosevelt.
JOE : I can’t wait to meet him.
MARTIN : Too bad, Joe, he’s been dead for sixty years!
(There is a little awkwardness. Joe doesn’t respond.)
MARTIN : Teddy Roosevelt. You said you wanted to . . . Little joke. It reminds me of the story about the—
ROY (Smiling, but nasty) : Aw shut the fuck up, Martin.
(To Joe) You see that? Mr. Heller here is one of the mighty, Joseph, in D.C., he sitteth on the right hand of the man who sitteth on the right hand of The Man. And yet I can say “shut the fuck up” and he will take no offense. Loyalty.
MARTIN : This man, Joe, is a Saint of the Right.
JOE : I know, Mr. Heller, I—
ROY : And you see what I mean, Martin? He’s special, right?
MARTIN : Don’t embarrass him, Roy.
ROY : Gravity, decency, smarts! His strength is as the strength of ten because his heart is pure! And he’s a Royboy, one hundred percent.
MARTIN : We’re on the move, Joe. On the move.
JOE : Mr. Heller, I—
MARTIN : We can’t wait any longer for an answer.
(Little pause.)
JOE : Oh. Um, I—
ROY : Joe’s a married man, Martin.
MARTIN : Aha.
ROY : With a wife. She doesn’t care to go to D.C., and so Joe cannot go. And keeps us dangling. We’ve seen that kind of thing before, haven’t we? These men and their wives.
MARTIN : Oh yes. Beware.
JOE : I really can’t discuss this under—
MARTIN : Then don’t discuss. Say yes, Joe.
ROY : Now.
MARTIN : Say yes I will.
ROY : Now.
Now. I’ll hold my breath till you do, I’m turning blue waiting . . .
(Too loud) Now, goddamnit!
MARTIN (Looking around) : Roy, calm down, it’s not—
ROY : Aw, fuck it.
(Roy takes a letter from his jacket pocket, hands it to Joe.)
ROY : Read. Came today.
(Joe removes the letter from its envelope and reads. Then he looks up at Roy.)
JOE : Roy. This is . . . Roy, this is terrible.
ROY : You’re telling me.
A letter from the New York State Bar Association, Martin.
They’re gonna try and disbar me.
MARTIN : Oh my.
JOE : Why?
ROY : Why, Martin?
MARTIN : Revenge.
ROY : The whole Establishment. Their little rules. Because I know no rules. Because I don’t see the Law as a dead and arbitrary collection of antiquated dictums, thou shall, thou shalt not, because, because I know the Law’s a pliable, breathing, sweating . . . organ , because, because—
MARTIN : Because he borrowed half a million from one of his clients.
ROY : Yeah, well, there’s that.
MARTIN : And he forgot to return it.
JOE : Roy, that’s . . . You borrowed money from a client?
ROY : I’m deeply ashamed.
(Little pause.)
JOE : Roy, you know how much I admire you. Well I mean I know you have unorthodox ways, but I’m sure you only did what you thought at the time you needed to do. And I have faith that—
ROY : Not so damp, please. I’ll deny it was a loan. She’s got no paperwork. Can’t prove a fucking thing.
(Little pause. Martin studies the menu .
Joe puts the letter back in its envelope
JOE : It sounds great, Mr. Heller.
MARTIN : Martin. And Justice is the hub. Especially since Ed Meese took over. He doesn’t specialize in Fine Points of the Law. He’s a flatfoot, a cop. He reminds me of Teddy Roosevelt.
JOE : I can’t wait to meet him.
MARTIN : Too bad, Joe, he’s been dead for sixty years!
(There is a little awkwardness. Joe doesn’t respond.)
MARTIN : Teddy Roosevelt. You said you wanted to . . . Little joke. It reminds me of the story about the—
ROY (Smiling, but nasty) : Aw shut the fuck up, Martin.
(To Joe) You see that? Mr. Heller here is one of the mighty, Joseph, in D.C., he sitteth on the right hand of the man who sitteth on the right hand of The Man. And yet I can say “shut the fuck up” and he will take no offense. Loyalty.
MARTIN : This man, Joe, is a Saint of the Right.
JOE : I know, Mr. Heller, I—
ROY : And you see what I mean, Martin? He’s special, right?
MARTIN : Don’t embarrass him, Roy.
ROY : Gravity, decency, smarts! His strength is as the strength of ten because his heart is pure! And he’s a Royboy, one hundred percent.
MARTIN : We’re on the move, Joe. On the move.
JOE : Mr. Heller, I—
MARTIN : We can’t wait any longer for an answer.
(Little pause.)
JOE : Oh. Um, I—
ROY : Joe’s a married man, Martin.
MARTIN : Aha.
ROY : With a wife. She doesn’t care to go to D.C., and so Joe cannot go. And keeps us dangling. We’ve seen that kind of thing before, haven’t we? These men and their wives.
MARTIN : Oh yes. Beware.
JOE : I really can’t discuss this under—
MARTIN : Then don’t discuss. Say yes, Joe.
ROY : Now.
MARTIN : Say yes I will.
ROY : Now.
Now. I’ll hold my breath till you do, I’m turning blue waiting . . .
(Too loud) Now, goddamnit!
MARTIN (Looking around) : Roy, calm down, it’s not—
ROY : Aw, fuck it.
(Roy takes a letter from his jacket pocket, hands it to Joe.)
ROY : Read. Came today.
(Joe removes the letter from its envelope and reads. Then he looks up at Roy.)
JOE : Roy. This is . . . Roy, this is terrible.
ROY : You’re telling me.
A letter from the New York State Bar Association, Martin.
They’re gonna try and disbar me.
MARTIN : Oh my.
JOE : Why?
ROY : Why, Martin?
MARTIN : Revenge.
ROY : The whole Establishment. Their little rules. Because I know no rules. Because I don’t see the Law as a dead and arbitrary collection of antiquated dictums, thou shall, thou shalt not, because, because I know the Law’s a pliable, breathing, sweating . . . organ , because, because—
MARTIN : Because he borrowed half a million from one of his clients.
ROY : Yeah, well, there’s that.
MARTIN : And he forgot to return it.
JOE : Roy, that’s . . . You borrowed money from a client?
ROY : I’m deeply ashamed.
(Little pause.)
JOE : Roy, you know how much I admire you. Well I mean I know you have unorthodox ways, but I’m sure you only did what you thought at the time you needed to do. And I have faith that—
ROY : Not so damp, please. I’ll deny it was a loan. She’s got no paperwork. Can’t prove a fucking thing.
(Little pause. Martin studies the menu .
Joe puts the letter back in its envelope
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