Original subtitles

(DOORBELL RlNGlNG)

RON: I got it, Erick.

Probably our very own breck girl.

Our Lady of the Civic Volunteers.

Do you have to, Ron?

At least someone's trying to do something

to fill the cultural void around here.

Well, Michelle Capra, come in, come in.

It's Alaska out there.

It's invigorating, though.

You'll get used to it. Yeah.

Let me take your coat. Okay.

Why don't you go over and stand by the fire. Yeah.

Hey, I just want to thank you guys.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I couldn't get this benefit off the ground without you.

Oh, we love supporting local theater,

especially for such a good cause.

I mean, the Cicely trout hatcheries.

We're just glad we have the chance.

Aren't we, Ron? We are. We are.

And Bus Stop is such a great choice for Cicely. It is. Yeah.

With real people. A small town. A bus stranded in a blizzard.

Exactly!

What'd we say, Michelle, $500?

Again, thanks. And with Ruth-Anne's $250,

just $250 more and I'm there.

You know, I've done lnge before in Fort Lauderdale.

Really? Picnic.

Yeah, and what a blast.

I played Hal, which is the William Holden role.

Right. Yeah. Yeah.

Don't forget Omaha. He was Mitch in Streetcar.

His mother still got the reviews. Stellar.

Great!

(OVEN BELL DINGS) There's the cinnamon buns.

Miss Michelle, you are staying to tea. I insist.

Okay. Okay? Yeah.

That man is so excited about this play.

Oh, me, too. Me, too.

It really gives me a chance to be in the community,

you know, to really contribute.

I was a theater arts minor, you know.

And to mount a play, to direct, it's just great.

Well, that's great, Michelle.

But I mean, Erick is really excited.

About the sheriff. Sheriff Will.

He really hopes he gets the part.

Oh, fantastic! I can't wait to hear him read.

Well, I think the operative word here is gets.

Gets?

The check, Michelle?

I covered that $250 for you.

It's for $750.

So, gets.

Oh. Gets.

It'll take a minute for the icing to set.

Gives the tea a chance to steep.

Sit down. Sit down.

Yeah. You'll... You're gonna think

you're at grandma's house with these cinnamon buns.

Hey, maybe if we twist his arm,

Erick'll dig up those old reviews of Streetcar, hmm?

CHRIS ON RADIO: Hear ye, CiceIy. Shake it out.

Today is separating- wheat-from-chaff day,

as if anybody forgot those sweaty palms

and palpitating hearts at the Bus Stop auditions.

The whole town's been bitten by the theater bug, right?

Who among us isn't aching at the chance to get up on that stage,

tread those boards, hit those marks?

Roar of the greasepaint, smell of the crowd!

Look at where the spotlight shines, Ma!

On me!

Speaking of which, it's about that time for our stage manager

and costume honcho, MariIyn WhirIwind,

to post the fatefuI cast Iist.

What'd the great one say?

''AII the worId's a stage, and we are but pIayers, ''

if you get a part.

Watch the elbow, buddy. Sorry.

Holling! Holling, there's your name!

You're the doc! See? I told you, didn't I?

HAYDEN: Way to go, Vincoeur.

I just tried out to please Shelly.

I got the part of Cheri?

She is? Maggie is Cheri? The dancehall fox?

You're Elma.

MAGGIE: Oh, yeah! Shelly, congratulations!

You got the part, too!

We can both be in it.

Elma?

That egghead waitress?

You don't even have to pretend, seeing as how you do waitress work.

She is onstage a lot and more than anybody, really.

Can anybody see who got the sheriff?

Erick Hillman.

I did?

He did?

I can't believe it! I did it!

Ron, I got it, Ron!

I'm sheriff. That's terrific! That's terrific!

Good for you! Good for you!

CHRIS: Hey, everybody!

Who's what? Did I get anything?

Only the lead.

I got Bo?

Get out. Who's my Cheri girl, then?

Hey, Bo.

Maggie?

I mean, Cheri. All right!

Really? Yeah.

The great white way or bust, huh? ALL: Yeah!

34-inch waist.

You know, I haven't gained an ounce since freshman year.

''Gee, I hate to go out to the cold powder room,

''but I guess I better not put it off any longer."

Great. Nice work, Maggie.

We'll let you run through it again, okay? Promise.

Okay. All right.

Her? Again and again?

Holling?

Yes, ma'am.

It's your line.

(STAMMERING) Oh, I'm sorry. Where are we?

How defiantly we pursue love,

like it was an inheritance due.

An inheritance due. Let's see.

Holling, that wouldn't be real liquor in that flask, would it?

Yes, ma'am. It says in the booklet

that Dr. Lyman is a drinker.

Oh, well, that doesn't mean that we actually drink.

In the theater we pretend.

We appear to be drinking.

It's the art of acting.

It's... That's method, Holling.

You think alcohol. Taste alcohol. Smell alcohol.

No, no.

Why fake it when you can do the real deal?

What's realer than that?

Well, Shelly, if you're drunk,

you can't act like you're drunk

because you're too drunk to act.

But if you are drunk then you don't have to act like you're drunk.

Besides, it helps me calm down my nerves.

Okay, let's say we take a break? We had a really good morning.

Erick, tell Chris the fight scene after lunch. Right.

And let's try it off-book.

Memorized.

Uh...

Good job, guys. Really. Good work.

It's gonna be good.

It is.

It's happening again.

Oh, maybe it'll be different this time.

You were really good this morning, Ed. A natural.

Oh, you think? Yeah.

Don't stop there, Ed.

Drilling, rehearsing, repeating, improving, that's the secret.

Be righter than anyone else to begin with

and then beat the blazes out of it.

No way of wriggling out of it now.

But it's just like grade school, you know?

Reciting your page of PiIgrim's Progress,

and everybody waiting and watching for you to slip up.

I just hope Michelle knows what she's doing.

Making Maggie a dancehall singer.

You saw her. Did you believe her?

Well, she didn't stumble over any lines that I noticed.

Just think she would've gone with a little more experience.

Well, Maggie has experience, hon.

From college.

That play, The GIass Menagerie.

With the little cripple girl, you know?

Holling, that's just acting.

I'm talking about presentation.

I mean, I was Miss Northwest Passage. Barley Queen. Snow Princess.

If I know anything, it's how to work an audience.

Stand up straight, smile.

Anyway, you saw me at tryouts.

And you were good, too!

Good? I nailed it, didn't I?

Well...

Didn't I?

Well...

Well, I did!

I ain't gonna have no one interfering in my ways.

Now, lunge, Chris!

Energy, Erick!

(GRUNTING)

Great! That was great! Yeah?

That was so much better.

That was fantastic! When you lunge, really lunge for him!

And, Erick, just stand your ground, okay?

Not bad, huh?

Well, he does seem to be loosening up a little, thank heaven.

That's why they rehearse, Ruth-Anne.

...stand your ground and pop one. Okay, great. Wardrobe...

Forgive me, Ron. Hmm?

But I still don't understand why Erick got that part.

Could've been his guardian angel looking out for him, hmm?

Excuse me.

Hey, hey, hey. Looking good buddy.

You saw? Yeah. Yeah!

I've been watching you for about an hour now.

It's the focus. I get so immersed in, you know...

Thanks for coming, really. I gotta have a conversation with wardrobe.

Kathy, thanks. Did you get a chance to make those changes...

All right, Maggie, if we can have you come sit up here on stage.

Right here.

And, Chris, we'll take it from your entrance, ''Cheri."

Okay? Great. Okay.

Cheri... (STUTTERING) Oh, wait, hold on, Chris.

Hayden? lsn't this doorframe a bit low?

Well, it's gotta be. It's a shallow stage.

You gotta force your perspective.

Uh-huh. We'll talk later, okay?

Chris, again? From ''Cheri,'' okay?

CHRIS: Cheri.

Hi, Bo.

I promise not to molest you or nothing,

but if you give me your permission, I'd like to kiss you goodbye.

(SlGHlNG) You would?

I'd like for you to kiss me, Bo.

I really would.

Well! Wait, Bo.

Don't you think when you kiss me this time,

it ought to be different?

Oh.

Well, golly, when you

kiss someone for serious, it's kind of scary, ain't it?

Yeah, it is.

Chris?

What's the matter, Chris? Nothing.

Uh...

Could we do that again?

Yeah. Sure. Okay.

Take it from ''Golly."

Okay, ''Golly."

Okay.

Ready? Sorry.

Golly, when you kiss someone...

Well, what?

What?

I think it's the...

The words... Maybe I need some air.

And some food...

Well, okay. It's been a long day.

We can stop.

Come back fresh, Chris. All right?

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

Michelle.

Phil.

Please. Space, remember?

And I'm really busy. You see?

I know. I know. No space.

I'm not here to take any space.

I just came by to tell you that...

I'm glad that you're volunteering. You know, participating.

And a play? Terrific idea. Really. Right up your alley.

Terrific? You don't think it's terrific.

Yes, I do.

You think it's boring.

Theater? Oh, an antiquated art form.

Gives you the creeps.

Hey, no. Hey, yes.

I know you, Phil. You'll say whatever it takes.

You just want me to come home, right?

Okay, okay! Is that so terrible?

Look, I can't sleep without you, Michelle. You know that.

I'm a physician. How am I supposed to function

if I'm sleep-deprived?

Sorry, Phil. It won't work this time.

Michelle?

Oh, you two. We were talking.

No, it's fine. Chris, come here. What's up?

It's about the play.

I'm gonna bail.

Bail?

At 1 :00 in the morning?

You can't quit, Chris. You mean quit?

He wants to quit.

Look, I'm not gonna do it, I just... I can't do it.

Can't do what? You were doing great.

'Cause it's that... It's that scene. The kiss.

I just... I hit this wall...

Okay, it makes you a little uncomfortable? Is that it?

No, it doesn't make me uncomfortable.

I've been swapping spit with babes

and doing the two-backed beast since I was nine.

Nine? Phil, please.

Well, what then, Chris?

It's that stuff, you know, scary, serious.

Just...

I can't relate. It doesn't feel right.

I... It isn't me.

Well, it isn't you, Chris. It's Bo.

Yeah, but I'm the one doing it.

He's got a point.

He's an actor, Phil. He's playing a part.

Those are the character's feelings. They don't have to be his.

I don't know.

That's the craft, Chris.

See, you know, the art of acting.

Forgetting yourself and becoming someone else.

There's techniques, Chris, exercises that you can do.

We will work with you. It'll be fine. You'll see.

Go home. Rest. Get a good night's sleep.

Trust me on this. Okay?

Okay. Okay.

And you, too, Phil.

Michelle... Try.

Just try.

MICHELLE: Okay, Shelly.

Let's take it from, ''Last fall,'' all right?

Last fall, I memorized the balcony scene from Romeo and JuIiet.

A boy from class played Romeo,

and we presented it for convocation one day.

Hey, I wish I'd been there to see it.

I wish I had been there... I wish I had been...

I wish I'd been there to see it.

Okay. Let's take five.

Marilyn, you said something about props. Let's do that.

Dr. Lyman's breakfast scene after I get back.

Holling? Prepared?

Me? Yes, ma'am.

Hayden, what's this?

Why, it's a trapdoor, Mrs. C.

A trapdoor? In Bus Stop?

You know, I saw Damn Yankees when I was a little boy in Tacoma.

The devil disappeared in this poof of green smoke.

It was like magic.

I almost peed my pants.

Here, let me show you how this works.

Hayden, no. We'll talk about that later.

Hayden, okay?

All right, Mrs. C.

Wow, look at all this. It's a cornucopia.

From flea markets and stuff.

Yeah.

Okay, these are our props.

Oh, this is very thorough, Marilyn.

Good job.

These brass planters are for the spittoons.

Oh, they're gonna read really well.

I'll bring cafe curtains from home.

These got mildew.

Okay.

Hey, what's this?

A tree. Yeah. I can see that.

Hayden painted it.

And these are wagon wheels back here.

Uh-huh.

Marilyn, this looks like a set.

OkIahoma!

What? You guys put on a musical?

Maurice.

Really? He did?

It's funny, he didn't say one word to me about it.

In fact, he didn't wanna have anything to do with this play.

It never opened.

OkIahoma? Uh-huh.

Really? Why? What happened?

I was still in high school.

Yeah?

We have a lot to do. We should check our props.

Okay.

Talk about method.

Sophomore year, we're doing OtheIIo.

Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith?

Leonard MaItin's gives that one four stars.

I love OtheIIo.

I was Othello.

Brutal rehearsal.

What else is new? Blah, blah, blah.

Anyway, the last scene with Desdemona, okay?

Where he strangles her.

Everyone's exhausted. Mmm-hmm.

Drama teacher's all over my case. Mmm-hmm.

''Emotional substitution, Erick.

''You must come up with emotional substitution."

I say, ''Emotional substitution?

''l've never murdered anyone,'' right?

There you are. Just a sec, I'm in the middle of a story.

Erick, we were supposed to lay the sisal in the Roosevelt room today.

Oh, damn. I'm sorry, Ron.

And yesterday you were supposed to make the dump run.

Are you smoking?

I'm just sneaking one, okay?

I'm telling the troupe about my drama teacher, you know. What a pip!

Uta Hagen straight-liner. All the way.

Right down to the black turtleneck and tights, okay.

Four Erick Hillmans. One, no mayo.

''Erick Hillmans''?

We named a sandwich after me.

No, seriously?

Ham on rye.

Come on, Ron, join us.

Yeah, do that. Pull up a chair.

We'll probably bore you to death.

Yeah. Yeah, you probably would.

Where was I anyway? Emotional substitution.

She says, ''Surely, you must have wanted to murder someone, huh?''

And I say, ''Only you."

And she says, ''Great. Use that."

Coffee, Dr. C?

Coffee? Caffeine? No. No way, Shelly. Thanks.

Thank you, Ruth-Anne.

You're welcome.

Hey, Maurice, hi.

Well, Mrs. Capra, a beautiful day in America, isn't it?

Yeah. You know, I was just in the barn storeroom

and I saw all these sets and these beautiful costumes.

You didn't tell me that you had staged OkIahoma!

That's where that stuff is, huh?

Yeah. You know and Marilyn said that you never opened. How come?

Well...

That's a long time ago. Water under the bridge.

I've gotta go. Dogs are hungry.

Ruth-Anne.

Michelle.

What a day! I am so exhausted!

We spent all afternoon working on my humility speech.

Sheriff Will.

Hezekiah Pearson.

That's really what Will's all about.

Deliverance from evil, redemption.

Hello, Erick.

I just hope that I can sleep tonight. I am so wound up.

I forgot what it's like to be there among my people.

You know, let's face it, I am a theater bum.

Mmm-hmm.

Well, I've been thinking

about Seattle.

The lntiman Theater. Seattle rep.

I'm older now. I think maybe that's good.

What are you talking about? Seattle?

I gave up too soon, Ron.

I think that maybe I was too sensitive.

My agent wouldn't return my phone calls.

I got no response to that mailing.

Losing that industrial film.

Like I couldn't fake running a lathe?

It just overwhelmed me.

So now you want to go to Seattle and be an actor?

Well, who will I be if I don't?

Half a person?

That's what you're getting now.

I'll be back, Ron. I'll be back so much you'll be sick of me.

Oh, brother.

Oh, well, that's supportive.

Erick, this is a Cicely production of Bus Stop, hmm?

Don't you think you're getting just a little carried away?

You don't think I can do it, do you?

You have never believed in me.

I believed in you, buddy.

I believed in you $750 worth.

$750? What is $750?

You're the sheriff, aren't you?

You didn't...

You bribed Michelle?

You gave her $250 so...

You bought this part.

Erick, no, it wasn't like... Come on, Erick.

Oh, God. Oh, no.

Hey, man, don't! Don't do this. No... Erick!

Men.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

ERICK: Michelle? It's Erick Hillman.

What?

I need to talk to you. Could you open up the door?

Erick?

Well, shh, just a second.

I just need to ask you one thing.

Was it the money?

The money? What?

The money.

Did I get the part because of the money?

Oh, the money.

It's okay, you know.

He's... He told me everything.

So you don't have to pretend, just tell me.

Yes or no.

No.

Maybe.

I don't know, Erick.

Look, I have bigger fish to fry.

Well, no. Try.

The hatchery, you know.

I had a play to put on, Erick.

So, it's true.

Okay, maybe it did give you a little leg up there.

But you did really good at the audition, Erick.

And anyway, casting is subjective.

You should know that.

I was just relieved that you did as good a job as you did.

And, hey, look at Frank Sinatra in Here to Eternity.

He was great and people said they bought him that part.

So you think I'm Frank Sinatra?

I think you are doing a very good job, Erick.

Thank you. I am serious.

And your spirit, it's infectious.

And you're always so well-prepared. I appreciate that.

I appreciate that.

You've told me all I need to know.

Erick, wait.

Run-through tomorrow, remember?

Think of the play, Erick! Think of the benefit!

Think of the baby trout!

MARILYN: Would you keep still?

Sure, Maggie gets to wear the sequins and I'm wrapped in this sack.

How am I supposed to make tips?

Okay. We got the programs in finally.

They spelled lnge with an ''H."

We can white it out, I guess.

Mrs. C, I know where we can use the trapdoor.

Cheri's exit to the head in act two. Poof. It'd have such impact.

Hayden, this is a very naturalistic play.

I don't think so, okay? Thanks.

Can you take this, please? Thanks.

Okay! Where is everybody?

Ed'll be late. Shaman business.

But I wouldn't lay bets on Erick.

Holling took him out to his stupid still.

Still? Yeah.

You mean where-they- make-moonshine still? Yeah.

Okay. How can they do this?

They can't do this! This is our run-through! What am I gonna do?

Hayden, okay, you play Will.

Me? Yeah!

No, Mrs. C, I don't think so.

Hayden, you know all the lines. Please? I've seen you.

Can't do it. Don't ask me. I won't.

But...

Michelle, we could do our scene.

Your scene? Right. Your scene. Good idea. Your scene with Bo. Okay.

Wonderful. That's a lifesaver. Chris, can you do that?

CHRIS: It's now or never.

Okay. Great. Places. Wonderful!

We'll take it from Cheri's line,

''l'd like you to kiss me, Bo."

Ready?

Well, I'd like for you to kiss me, Bo.

I really would.

Oh, Bo!

Don't you think this time when you kiss me, it ought to be different?

Oh.

Oh, golly!

When you kiss someone for serious, it's kind of scary, ain't it?

Yeah, it is.

Come on, Chris.

I said, when you kiss someone for serious, it's kind of scary.

(SlGHlNG) I can't.

You can't?

You got to kiss her, Chris.

Bo kisses Cheri.

You're Bo. She's Cheri. So kiss her.

Look, will you just forget it?

Just get yourself another Bo, all right?

But why? What's the matter with you?

Why can't you kiss her?

Look, don't you get it?

It's her... It's...

It's Maggie. It's Maggie O'Connell.

Chris, Chris. Chris, please wait!

You picked her. Shelly!

Well, if everybody else is bailing, I'm pulling the ripcord, too.

Oh, Shelly, don't go.

I should've quit before I started.

It said right in the play, ''Cheri, around 20. Blonde!''

Well, you know, that's true, Shelly.

Maybe there wouldn't be such a mess.

Man, you gotta feel like dog meat.

Oh, I do. Ruining the play. I do.

The play?

No, I mean making a dude so creeped out

he won't even lay a wet one on you.

Chris isn't creeped out.

He's not?

No, he's scared.

You know, the way Bo is scared.

He's scared.

But, you know, he isn't Bo.

And, I don't know, maybe it's not fair of us

to expect him to act like Bo, you know?

I gotta go.

Well, not without me.

Wait. Shelly. Shelly.

Like I'm an Elma?

No! Shelly, casting is against type.

It's bold theater.

It's nobody-left- in-the-theater theater.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

Yeah. Yeah. Just a second.

Oh, Michelle, come in.

Maurice, I don't understand!

My play, it's in shambles.

Everybody quit!

They just quit and walked away!

Trouble, huh? Here. Let me take your coat.

I was just sitting down to some tea. Would you care to join me?

What did I do, Maurice?

No, I didn't do anything!

I was very supportive! Very energetic!

What's the matter with your neck?

Oh, I can't move it.

Please, Maurice. I... You've got to tell me.

I have to know. What happened to OkIahoma?

What went wrong?

Well...

Please, Maurice. What happened?

Nothing, right at first.

They were all supportive during the casting sessions

and during the early rehearsals.

Everybody was very happy.

Uh-huh.

I brought in a keyboard player.

A vocal coach from the University of Alaska.

Treated 'em all like professionals.

Was there a blue pinafore in that basement?

I think so. Yeah.

Shirley Jones wore that in the film version.

What?

What happened, Maurice?

Michelle,

the theater

is like a virus.

It changes people.

It alters them.

In a place like Cicely,

where you've got so many independent spirits,

it's even worse, more virulent.

There are petty jealousies, creative differences,

all kinds of little spats.

Then finally

there's a suspicious fire

in the barn of the leading man.

God.

You see, Michelle,

people come up here

to reinvent themselves.

To rewrite the book, so to speak.

They're not the kind of people who easily take direction.

Now I know that Bo may have some intimacy issues,

but I'm here to ask you, what's the big deal?

What's he afraid of?

Love. He's afraid of love.

I am not afraid of love.

Nobody said you were.

Let me tell you two something right now.

I might not have an under-one-roof

kind of thing going on in my life,

but you call any of 'em,

you call any of the women I've been carnally involved with,

and they will tell you not a peep

about whether I had to look 'em in the eye.

They didn't care if I looked 'em in the eye.

Now, I gotta look 'em in the eye.

I'll tell you what.

Ron was right there with me. Colluding.

Letting me live in my own little bubble.

Letting me blame him. Is that love?

Love, like an inheritance due,

that we had to wrangle about with angry relatives

in order to get our share.

There! There, you see?

I can say the words perfectly in here.

That was pretty good, Holling.

Come on, Chris, we're talking.

That stunk.

You stink.

Fellas, nobody said I was an actor.

Yeah. Well, lucky you.

(RON CLEARING THROAT)

RON: I guess I got everything I need here.

Just the birdseed and calcium stick, Ruth-Anne.

Okay.

Erick hadn't bothered to feed those finches of his for days.

Well, now that the play's off, he'll have lots of time, won't he?

Yep. If he ever does come home.

It's so Erick.

Ego gets a little bruised

and he heads for the high country.

After what you did, you can hardly blame him.

What, try to protect him? Try to look out for him?

Since when did that become such a crime?

You patronized him.

The man needs a little confidence.

A few successes under his belt, that's all.

Yes, as long as they're his successes. Ruth-Anne...

I still think that Ed should have had that role.

Fine, Ruth-Anne.

Do you want to trade places with me over at the Sourdough? Hmm?

Do you want to try living with Erick for the next six months?

Head injustice collector. You talk about drama?

What'd she cast him for? Is she deaf? Is she blind?

Nobody appreciates me around here.

I'm rotting in this hell hole.

Then he wouldn't clean the house for a week.

I thought you said you were looking out for him.

I was.

Looking out for yourself, if you ask me.

Well, I didn't.

Klonopin. Klonopin. Klonopin.

I'm so tired, I can't even see straight.

Okay. Here we are.

Half a tablet every four hours.

It's a muscle relaxant. Very strong.

You know you with even just aspirin.

You know, name the last time I had muscle spasms.

It was when I interviewed for the lifestyle section of LA OutIook.

Oh, well, that was a fiasco.

No kidding.

You didn't leave the house for 10 days.

The house. The bedroom!

Remember that ratty, old, blue robe of yours?

Look at you.

I think you're enjoying this. You're enjoying this. You are.

What? No. Yeah! I knew I shouldn't have come here.

Your baby robin, fallen out of the nest again.

You fixing it's little wing.

So familiar.

So admit it, this is making you happy.

No. It's not making me happy.

It's making me sleepy.

Oh, God!

Mrs. Capra! Mrs. Capra!

Maggie sent me over. She wants you to read this.

What? What is it?

It's the play. She's rewriting it.

She's rewriting Bus Stop?

Well, just the end with Bo and Cheri.

She can't do that.

Well, she thinks that the kiss

is a little bit much for Chris right now.

So she's making things turn out different at the bus stop.

She said she hopes you like it.

Michelle. Your neck. Please.

Get some rest, okay?

I'll look at those, Ed.

I'll run back home and see if she's done with the rest of 'em.

Potatoes, potatoes everywhere, not a drop to drink.

Very funny.

Yet untrue.

The still.

There's a reason they call it that.

Man can hear himself think.

(KNOCK ON DOOR)

RON: Erick? Erick, it's Ron.

lnevitable.

MICHELLE: Chris? Holling? Come on, it's Michelle.

I need to talk to you guys, all right?

CHRIS: We ain't buying whatever you're selling, right, Ricky?

ERICK: Ditto.

Just hear me out, okay, guys?

Listen, Erick...

What's that all over your trousers?

That's puke.

That poor bastard.

Oh, don't apologize. You did me a favor. Both of you.

Listen, Erick, I'm sorry, she's sorry.

We're all sorry.

Mistakes were made...

All right, I made them.

She really wants you in this play.

That's right, Erick. I do.

Nope.

But you have to.

Do not. Hell with the trout.

I am not talking about trout.

I know you, Erick. You're theater people.

There's an audience out there waiting.

And you have signed that unwritten contract,

the show must go on.

You have no idea what you're asking of me.

Well, you can have him.

But you can't have me.

I ain't going back. I ain't doing it.

You don't have to, Chris. Good.

No, no, no! I mean, you don't have to kiss Maggie now.

See, she's rewritten the script.

She what?

Yeah. I mean at least we won't have to refund tickets.

Right. Kind of a Bus Stop for the '90s, you know.

See, here, Cheri doesn't fall for Bo.

She doesn't want to enter into another dependent relationship.

So she goes back to Kansas City,

hones her singing skill.

And Bo, he goes back to the ranch to be Bo.

To Montana, where being Bo is all right.

''lt was probably your parents' fault, Bo.

''They didn't express affection, so how could you?''

The sins of the fathers.

''Thank you, Cheri, for being so supportive."

No!

No, we can't do this.

I know it sounds crazy.

Wrong, maybe, to rework an American classic.

But if you think about it... No!

We can't send Bo back to the ranch!

What'd that be, huh?

What kind of life is that?

Never finding a meaningful, personal, loving relationship?

I don't think so.

I'm not gonna let that happen to Bo.

He's gotta face it, man.

What are you saying, Chris?

I'm saying he's gotta kiss her.

He's gotta kiss her right.

I'm gonna make sure he does.

Oh, yeah! All right.

Michelle.

The doctor.

Hey, Holling. Hey, Holling.

Wake up, buddy. Play's on.

We're back on.

The play?

You can take me to dinner and then perhaps

we can go to lunch together.

See?

He'll be fine.

Everything will be fine.

(PEOPLE CHATTERING)

Well, here's the tables and the chairs.

The sugar dispensers. Just like a diner.

Well, it is a diner.

It's Bus Stop.

Oh, hi, Marilyn! How are you?

Somebody ate our props. We had six powdered donuts.

Oh, they ate our props.

I'll get another box. Okay.

BOY: Mrs. Capra? Yes. Hi.

The roses for Maggie,

well, they froze in my car last night. I'm sorry.

Oh! Look, they lost their little heads.

Well, that's all right. They look fine to me.

Everybody likes to get flowers.

Mrs. Capra?

You all right, Mrs. C?

(GROANING)

Oh, right. Forced perspective.

I was gonna talk to you about that, wasn't I?

Oh, well, they'll just have to duck.

Oh!

MAN: Heads up!

(GLASS CRASHING)

(GRUNTING)

Oh, Michelle, you all right?

Hi. Let me see.

I must have dozed off. Oh, hey, where is everybody?

Ah, they went home to get ready for opening night, Michelle.

Yeah, performance, right?

You never get used to it.

Butterflies, huh?

I get nervous when I'm not nervous.

Just think,

in a couple of hours, all those seats are gonna be filled

and the houselights are gonna dim and the audience...

The animal in the dark.

The animal. Yeah.

Us and them.

Richard Burton thought that it was a beast

that he had to tame like a tiger.

But what is theater, really,

but a group of people gathered together

to sit bravely and quietly,

and try to solve their humanity?

That's beautiful, Erick.

And who are we?

The actors?

We are a conduit of change.

People come here to be altered

and we send them away knowing something

or feeling something that they have never known or felt before.

(THUDDING)

Michelle?

Michelle, are you all right?

Michelle?

HOLLING: Where am I? Oh, it's you.

Dear girl, what a sweet awakening.

SHELLY: How do you feel?

That is an impolite question.

How long have I been asleep?

Oh, a couple of hours.

Nature has blessed me sometimes with total blackouts.

I seem to remember absolutely nothing after we started our performance.

How were we? Marvelous.

Oh, I'm glad.

Can I get you something to eat?

Uh, no. Nothing to eat.

Dr. Lyman, you must have something to eat, really.

Must I? Oh, yes! Please!

Well, for your sweet sake, I'll have a couple of

three-minute eggs and some toast and some orange juice.

But I'm doing this for you, mind you.

Just for you.

(WHlSPERlNG) Way to go, babe.

Well, Bo, I'm gonna go out and help the driver with the chains.

You stay here and take care of your hand.

Cheri,

would I be molesting you if I said something?

No.

Well, you was so pretty,

and warm-hearted and sweet,

well, I felt like I could love you and I did.

Bo...

You think you really do love me?

Well, Cheri, I couldn't be familiar with a gal I didn't love.

How you feeling now, cowboy?

I ain't the happiest critter that was ever born.

Yeah, well, just 'cause you ain't happy now

doesn't mean you ain't gonna be happy tomorrow.

Feel like shaking hands now, cowboy?

Pretty good, huh? Mmm-hmm. Not bad.

Well, go on, Bo. He's only trying to be friends.

I don't mind.

I just want you to remember there's no hard feelings.

So long.

CHRIS: So long.

ERICK: I'm going home now, Grace.

I'll see you Monday.

Montana's not a bad place, miss.

Nice fella.

Well, better be boarding the bus, Bo.

Cheri.

Hi, Bo.

Well, I promised not to molest you,

but if you was to give your permission,

it'd be all right,

I'd like to kiss you goodbye.

You would?

I'd like for you to kiss me, Bo. I really would.

Wait, Bo!

Don't you think this time when you kiss me, it ought to be different?

Oh.

Well, golly,

when you kiss someone for serious,

it's kind of scary, ain't it?

Yeah.

It is.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

MAN: Bravo!

Hey, good night, Cheri.

Oh, night, Virgil!

Real nice, Maggie.

Oh, thank you, Holling.

Good night. Night.

Maggie,

I just wanted to tell you.

You really slam-dunked it out there.

Well, thank you, Shelly. You were really good, too.

No, I mean, with Cheri.

I mean, I probably couldn't do it any better if I had done it.

Thanks.

Well, just wanted to tell you.

Oh, okay. Night. Night.

Hey. Hey!

That was a lot of fun.

Yeah.

It was.

Well, I guess, I'll see you tomorrow night then.

Okay.

Okay.

Bye.

All right.