70 Best Adam Szymkowicz Monologues

Where You Can’t Follow (Josette)

Category: Play Role: Josette From: Where You Can't Follow

Josette says

Do you? Look, you are here how long?

A week at least?

After a week with me, you will want to marry me.

I need you to know now, I cannot marry you. I am a better lover than a wife.

I am giving you a gift, can you understand? The gift of my love.

But it is all I can give.

Now you say “okay” but later you will try to get me to marry you. I would suggest you not try this. It would be the end of us. When a man asks me to marry him I have to say goodbye. I am serious. Marriage is a death to me. Do you want me to die?

Then when you feel yourself want to ask for marriage with me, you must think twice. You understand?

You make jokes but it is not funny. I have to beat off my suitors with a tree.

Where You Can’t Follow (Josette)

Category: Play Role: Josette From: Where You Can't Follow

Josette says

People confuse love and romance. Romance is good, very nice. But love, love is necessary. See this? The moon, the stars, the lights over the water. The Pont Neuf. The Eiffel Tower. Candlelight there. Chocolates, small presents. All of this is romantic, no? But this is not love. I take a knife, I kill myself because you don’t love me. This is love. The most powerful love you feel will be after it has gone away.

It’s pain.

Yes, but love is also pleasure. The most pleasure there is in the world so when it leaves, you want to take a knife and kill yourself. No? You don’t know. It’s because you don’t know love.

Where You Can’t Follow (Josette)

Category: Play Role: Josette From: Where You Can't Follow

Josette says

I will tell you a story. I have. (an interjection of pleasure) Mmm. A ritual. I like to tell this story the first time -with someone. Yes! It is -the story of true love. It is harder in English, but I will try. Oooh. One day, a caterpillar was caterpillering along when she came upon a worm. Mmm. She had never seen such a beautiful sight before. She fell in love with the worm right then. The worm, he did not care for her. He was blind. Mmm. And he only cared about the dirt. He dug into the ground, but she followed him. Uuh. He said go away, but she would not. He said, I have no use for you. But still she followed wherever he went. Finally, she wore him down. Mmm. He started to see things about her that he liked. Like the stripes on her -OH -back and her many legs. He started to miss her when she wasn’t around. This is not normal love. This is a backdoor, surprise love. And no one was more surprised than the worm. AHH. Their affair was horrid. No. Torrid?

But then one day, when the worm…Mmm…awoke, she was gone. He looked everywhere. UUH. In the ground. Ahh. Somewhere else in the ground. Everywhere he could think. Oooh. But nowhere. This went on for a long time. Ahh. Every day he looked but she was gone. One day, while he was looking, a beautiful butterfly floated by. “Terrence,” the butterfly said, because that was the worm’s name. ” Terrence!” Ahh. But the worm ignored the butterfly. “Go away he said. I’m looking for my lover.” She said “I am your lover.” OOOOOoooh. Mmm. And he said, no. My lover can’t fly. My lover doesn’t look like you. Ah. And she said this is what I have become. So. Oh. They tried to get back in their routines. Mmmm. But she also wanted to fly. Hm. She wanted to be in the ground with him but she wanted to be floating on the wind too. Uunn. She was not at all happy. Then one day, AAhhh–a bird came down -Oooh–and plucked the worm from the ground. Aaaaa! “Terrence!” Aa! She said. Ooh. You can fly now. WOOO! And for a few seconds -EEEE—they both flew, UUUH– side side. It was the most beautiful MMM feeling MMM they had ever known. And then the bird ate the worm. AAAAAAGH! (She comes) And that is what love is.

Where You Can’t Follow (Josette)

Category: Play Role: Josette From: Where You Can't Follow

Josette says

The story of you is that mmm you came to find me because you wanted to find love. But you didn’t know what love was. Aahh. So I tried to show you all the important faucets of love. I showed you romance and you showed me pain. Ooh. I thought I could live a life with only pleasure and no attachments. You lived a life without pleasure. And we tried to help each other. But then, you were to die and leave me and I couldn’t mmm take it. So I ran away. But that is not love. Noooo. Running away. Love is staying. Being there while you die. So I am here for that. Aaah Even if I think I cannot take it. It is what must happen. Mmmm. Because you are showing me that I should not be selfish. And I become a better person and I learn better mmm. What love is. AAAHhhh.

(They come. He dies.)

Matt? Matt? No. Matt?

(But he is dead. She climbs off him. She bites her hand to keep from crying, if she can.)

You left me.

Where You Can’t Follow (Josette)

Category: Play Role: Josette From: Where You Can't Follow

Josette says

Over here it’s the cafe where I first kissed a boy. His breath was like a sleeping kitten. But his lips were nice. Over there, the school I went to as a child. Sometimes they made me cry, but sometimes I was the bully. You know? Here the corner I smoked my first cigarette. I hated it but I pretended. There, I scored my first goal. And also we played football. Soccer, yes?

Down the street my best friend, Jean slapped me on the face one Saturday.

It’s hard to remember. I do know, it hurts more to be slapped a friend. All of this, it is my home. For you it is tourism.

Where You Can’t Follow (Matt)

Category: Play Role: Matt From: Where You Can't Follow

Matt says

Say, um. You wouldn’t want to come with me, would you?

I know we don’t know each other. We might not even get along once we get to know each other but . . . I dunno. I just thought I’d take a shot in the dark. You seem nice.

And you’re beautiful and Paris is a city to fall in love in and I’ve never fallen in love, I’m sad to say.

And I look at you and think maybe I could fall in love with you. Is that ridiculous? Is that too much? I’m sorry. I just -my life is changing and I don’t have time to fool around any more. So what do you say? Will you come to Paris with me?

Where You Can’t Follow (Matt)

Category: Play Role: Matt From: Where You Can't Follow

Matt says

I guess I haven’t done as well as I wanted. In life. My time is ending.

And I didn’t mean to be an asshole. It just sort of happened. But I don’t want to die an asshole.

So I want to apologize. I’m sorry for living such a stupid wasteful useless life. I’m sorry for being selfish and for the all the times I didn’t care about other people. I’m sorry for not appreciating the good things in front of me. I’m sorry I didn’t go after what I wanted. There were no good reasons. I was just afraid and it’s stupid to live your life afraid. I’m sorry for the times I was mean and petty. I’m sorry for lying for so long to myself and to other people. I wasted my life not ever really being alive. She made me live finally. And I should have told her right away. Of course I should have. It was cowardly. It was selfish. I just wanted her. And I didn’t think she felt how I felt. But I guess she did, didn’t she? And now, it’s too late.

Where You Can’t Follow (Matt)

Category: Play Role: Matt From: Where You Can't Follow

Matt says

Hey! (They ignore him.) Hey! Hey! You! You two! Why are you kissing?

Why do you get to kiss each other?! I don’t get to kiss anyone.

Everyone wants me to go away. I’ll be dead soon. I’ll be away for good then. Will that make you happy? Hey! I said, will you be happy when I’m dead? Don’t stop talking to me. This was good. It was a conversation.

Are you in love? Hey! Are you in love? Hey! Hey! What’s your name? Hey, there! Hi! Hey! Are you in love? Are you in love? Are you in love?

I was in love.

I’m dying! Hey everyone! I’m dying! Are you going to hit a dying man?

You’re a tough guy. I could have been a tough guy. But then I wasn’t. I should have been a tough guy.

You gonna hit me? You gonna hit me?

You don’t know anything. You don’t have some kind of secret. You’re just fucking each other. That’s easy.

That wasn’t love.

Thank me.

You’re welcome.

ubu (Ubu)

Category: Play Role: Ubu From: ubu

Ubu says

How I became King of the Great Expanding Universe. Yes. Yes.

I was not always King of the Great Expanding Universe. My father was not the King of the Great Expanding Universe. In fact, back then, there was no King of the Great Expanding Universe. The universe was just a series of unrelated non-governed or socialist, communist, anarchist, hedonist, neo-realist or vaguely democratic republican principalities, which is to say, oligarchies. How then did I ever become the King of the Great Expanding Universe? Surely not being elected. No, the secret, is -I feel like I can tell you the secret -can you keep a secret? Well, YOU BETTER. The secret is I did it all through misinformation, intimidation, brute force, deceit, murder, bribery, theft, breaking laws, changing laws, murder . . . did I say murder? Misinformation, teaching the people to blame themselves for their own misfortune.

First you create a corporation. It can even be a small corporation. But it must be profitable. Then you buy up another corporation. You don’t need to have all the money to do so. Be sure to outsource the labor to children and those in poverty so that your profits will be high. Then you buy your first politician. I remember the day I bought my first politician. That was a good day. The pride I felt. Buy more politicians and more corporations. Diversify. Don’t just own an oil company. Own the phones and the newspapers and the television and housing and the grocery stores and the cable and the cars and the internet and the small countries. Continue ad infinitum. And don’t be afraid of brute force. You can start a war to make money. You don’t even have to win. You can do anything as long as you own enough politicians. What is important is you must never back down. Crush them. You must crush them. Crush them! Crush them! Crush them! Crush them! Aaaaaahhh.

ubu (Ubu)

Category: Play Role: Ubu From: ubu

Ubu says

Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine! Wine!

(The SERVANT brings UBU wine. UBU drinks.)

A very good vintage. I would offer it to you, of course, but it would ruin you.

What else can I tell you before I fire you? Ooop. Did I say that out loud? Were you paying attention? Forget I said that. Maybe I won’t even do it. Who knows. I meant to say, what else can I tell you for your edification to help you continue to work for me?

When I was a child . . . nononono. Don’t look at me like that. I’m not some kind of animal. I’m not some kind of -I was in love once. Is that what you want to hear? It was a blemish on my career. A black spot on my rise to fame and fortune. All the profits I tried to make, she tried to take away. She wanted me to use my money to clothe people and feed people and house people and help them farm and get them clean water and give them small loans and artist grants. And I did everything she wanted. Because of love.

(The memory of the woman he loved comes out. Played a servant? A life-sized marionette? UBU and she dance together. It is haunting and strangely beautiful.)

She was…

She was…

beautiful.

heavenly.

Her feet never touched the ground.

She made the most powerful men self conscious.

She was put together like no other.

Just meat and bone, but better. More human. Like she was built from sunlight and air.

Her existence was proof of God.

She had my heart in her hand.

And then she died.

Cancer.

(Marionette or Actor falls to the ground.)

People told me to fund Cancer research. Fuck that. I’m not giving up any more to cancer. CANCER ALREADY TOOK EVERYTHING!