“THE BOYS OF ‘76”
A Play in One Act
by
John Ladd
(Copyright © John Ladd 2020)
CHARACTERS
(In Order of Appearance)
JOHN ADAMS
THOMAS JEFFERSON
SETTING
Somewhere in the hereafter. There is a table and two chairs at center, downstage. On the table there is a full- and open- bottle of red wine and two glasses.
AT RISE
Enter from stage-left, JOHN ADAMS. He is dressed in pajamas, a bathrobe and is wearing slippers.
JOHN ADAMS
(calling out, semi-softly)
Tom?
(pause to listen, then a bit louder)
Tom?
(pause to listen)
You awake?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(from right, off-stage)
I am, John
JOHN ADAMS
(walks to a chair and pulls it out)
Why don’t you join me?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(calling out)
Sure, be right there.
[Enter THOMAS JEFFERSON from right-stage. He, too,
is dressed in sleep clothes. As he walks toward the table, he is yawning,
shaking the cobwebs out of his head and rubbing his eyes.
JOHN ADAMS and THOMAS JEFFERSON sip and pour wine
throughout the play.]
JOHN ADAMS
(indicating to the other chair)
Please, have a seat.
[JOHN ADAMS sits down as THOMAS JEFFERSON makes his way
to the table.]
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(pulling out the other chair, sitting down and stretching)
After all these years, I’m still trying to get used to the way that time passes.
(pause)
Anyway, so, what’s up, what’s on your mind?
JOHN ADAMS
(nodding knowingly, but with concern)
You been watching what’s been going on down there?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
How can I not?
JOHN ADAMS
Disturbing?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Of course it is.
(pause)
How about you?
JOHN ADAMS
I am- to say the least- bothered-
(pause)
very bothered.
(pause)
I feel like they’re undermining our grand design.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(with a stifled laugh)
That’s being kind.
JOHN ADAMS
What?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Your choice of words-
(pause, then with slow emphasis)
undermining.
JOHN ADAMS
How would you describe it?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(with great certainty)
With a word somewhere between abusing and destroying.
[Both JOHN ADAMS and THOMAS JEFFERSON become engaged
a silent process of trying to determine what word might be the most
appropriate.]
JOHN ADAMS
Corrupting?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Debasing?
JOHN ADAMS AND THOMAS JEFFERSON
(together in an insightful and self-satisfied tone)
Desecrating!
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Yes, desecrating-
JOHN ADAMS
(interrupting)
What we gave them.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
This beautifully splendid opportunity-
JOHN ADAMS
(interrupting)
Almost a birthing.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
A child brought into the world.
JOHN ADAMS
Your child that you brought into the political world.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(quickly to make a point)
Our child- John.
JOHN ADAMS
(acknowledging the point)
Yes, our child.
(pause)
They are desecrating our child- the child that all of us created!
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(thinking, then, finally)
We did, we did- they are, they are.
JOHN ADAMS
And, as such, what they are bringing down upon themselves is almost Biblical in nature.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
You are referring to the plagues?
JOHN ADAMS
Indeed, but specifically, the plagues-
(pause)
the plagues of these United States of America.
JOHN ADAMS
Distrust!
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Dissension!
JOHN ADAMS
Greed!
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Intolerance!
JOHN ADAMS
Mayhem!
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Violence!
JOHN ADAMS
Hatred!
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(sitting up straight and pausing)
John-
(pause)
-maybe-
JOHN ADAMS
(quickly interrupting)
Here’s a thought-
(pause)
-that part in the Declaration that extols life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(waiting)
What?
(pause)
What about it?
JOHN ADAMS
(a slight laugh)
Well, maybe it should have been presented the other way-
(pause)
-sort of in reverse-
(pause)
Maybe they should have been told what to avoid.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Like?
JOHN ADAMS
Like-
(pause)
So, instead of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness-
(pause)
How about wording that told them to avoid death, confinement and the pursuit of
revenge?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(smiling and thinking)
You know, seeing as we have the vantage point of eternity, maybe you’re right.
(pause)
Maybe- historically- they would have had a better time of it if we had spurred them to
work at avoiding the pitfalls.
(pause)
Then, again, maybe they just can’t handle the freedom.
JOHN ADAMS
Which puts them where?
(pause)
Huddled-down in small-mindedness?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(shrugs)
Maybe.
(pause)
What you just said, would- could- possibly mean that they have so much freedom, so
much information and freedom of thought that instead of it all making them have open-
mindedness- just the opposite is happening.
JOHN ADAMS
Close-mindedness.
(pause)
Resentful-
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(interrupting)
Ungrateful.
JOHN ADAMS
Itching for a fight.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Of course, maybe we shouldn’t have put those lines in there about the government
becoming destructive-
JOHN ADAMS
(interrupting)
And we unwittingly went on to tell them that they had the right- the Right of the People-
to alter or abolish it-
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(interrupting)
…and institute new government.
JOHN ADAMS
(reflectively)
Do you really think they’re that smart?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
They- all– don’t have to be very smart at all- just a few of them.
JOHN ADAMS
(a pause to acknowledge the subtlety of the point)
Like the few of us.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Yeah, exactly.
JOHN ADAMS
Wow!
(pause)
What a mess.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
But you know, they have a way out.
JOHN ADAMS
(nods knowingly)
You mean-
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(interrupting)
Yes, all they have to do is go back to what we created- back to the Declaration itself.
JOHN ADAMS
Well, that’s the solution, but, in the meantime they still have this mess.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Speaking of a mess-
(pause, then pointing out and down)
the “successor-in-chief” is going to be having a press conference before long-
JOHN ADAMS
(interrupting to change the subject)
You hungry?
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(shrugs)
I suppose, sure.
JOHN ADAMS
(standing up from the table)
All right, I’ll make a deal with you.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Like what?
JOHN ADAMS
I will make us breakfast, if you-
(pause)
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(interrupting in a suspiciously)
Should I not like where this is all going?
JOHN ADAMS
(laughs)
No, no- it’s a small little thing between old friends.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(even more suspicious)
John, are you going to tell me?
JOHN ADAMS
(with certainty of conviction)
I will make us breakfast, if you break out one- or two- of those bottles of
Chateau Haut-Brion you’ve stockpiled.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
(standing up from the table, pleasantly surprised)
That’s it?
JOHN ADAMS
Yep! That’s it.
THOMAS JEFFERSON
Done deal! I’ll get the wine!
JOHN ADAMS
I’ll get cooking!
[JOHN ADAMS exits at stage-left. THOMAS JEFFERSON
exits at stage-right.]
CURTAIN
BLACKOUT
END OF PLAY