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Added: 5 March 2009
[Plays and Screenplays]

One-Page Play: The Beginning, Middle, and End of Rico

Rico

A 60-second play written for a John Chatterton play festival. I played Big Tony and the amazing Paul Mazza played Rico with great gusto. At curtain, Big Tony is sitting down, feet up, smug and in control. Rico paces in nervous entreaty.

RICO

So that's it, Big Tony, I'm an eager young kid and you're the biggest boss in town next to Enormous Louie. Ya gotta take me on, let me into the gang, order me around, let me show you what I can do, what I'm made of, you gotta take me Big Tony, give me some orders, you gotta, you just gotta, please Big Tony, I'm begging ya!

BIG TONY

OK sure kid sure, you're in. Have a drink. Let's celebrate.

RICO

Never touch the stuff.

BIG TONY

I like the cut of your jib, I like your spunk, I like your style. Now listen to me, Rico, big job tonight, but no guns see, no guns. The DA's been on us hot and heavy so's even Enormous Louie can't fix it for us if we use the guns, so no guns, see, no guns.

RICO

Ahhhh, I'm through taking orders from you, Big Tony. You're yellow. You can dish it out but you can't take it anymore. You've gone soft, see, soft. I'm in charge of the gang now, I'm taking over, and if you've got any objections you can tell them to me, Rico, see? Well, any objections?

BIG TONY

No, I don't have any objections. What's the new plan, Rico?

RICO

We go in there and shoot anybody who gets in the way and if the DA or Enormous Louie don't like it they can tell it straight to Rico, get it? Any objections?

BIG TONY

No no Rico, it sounds good to me, it sounds real good.

RICO

OK. Now you don't have to be a genius to see this is all going to turn sour, real sour, and I'm gonna be ruined. I'll be on the run without a dime, hitting the bowery see, living in a flophouse crying about what I used to be. I may as well start drinking heavily right now, where's that whiskey?

BIG TONY

Well I'm already ruined, I guess I'll go squeal to the cops.

RICO

Yeah, you do that. Tell 'em when they get here they can shoot me, yeah, shoot me real good. This is it. This is the end of Rico.

BIG TONY

He was good, that Rico, real good, best boss this town ever had. I sure am gonna miss him.