Here We Are: Plot Overview Act Two
Exterminating Angel
Plot Overview - Act Two (Exterminating Angel)
Act two opens with our cast luxuriating in the glorious study of the embassy, basking in post-dinner afterglow (Ent'racte). We start to hear the "road music" come in again, but rather than the combustion engine startup (or the sounds of the revolution), it begins with Leo belching - the group lazily reflects on the dinner, repeating the same inane banter twice verbatim - Marianne hangs a lampshade on it by extolling the virtues of doing something different for a change (Digestion), but quickly becomes frustrated with Fritz's insistence that her engagement with the world is superficial. The point of frustration isn't that she denies her superficiality - she flatly denies that it's a problem to be superficial - or as she puts it - "I like things to shine - shoot me / i like things to glow / Why can't I be free/ to like what I see/ and not what I know?" (Shine)
As Marianne finishes her paean to surfaces, Rafael begins to try to wrap the party up and ushers the group to the exit. One by one they choose instead to stay for reasons that are unknown to them The group settles into the room and Leo bids everyone a good night (Hesitation).. Fritz and the Soldier escape to have a private moment where they can get to know one another better, and they share their perspectives on the world. Despite the fact that they have nothing in common (Fritz likes places where people work, the Soldier likes places that are beautiful, etc etc), they agree that they were "made for each other" again. Fritz struggles with their desire to be with the soldier despite their complicity in the ongoing end of the world happening outside. We hear an explosion and a kind of reprise of the Soldier's dream begins - only this time "it's the actual end" We hear another explosion and Fritz awkwardly croaks out what sounds like the cadence of a new motif- they try out, exploratorily - "I sort of like where we are... ", and is delighted when the soldier picks it up with a "...me too." He then clarifies that he wants to get inside of Fritz and they hastily escape to a closet to consummate their relationship (Double Duet).
Marianne, somewhere in twilight between sleeping and awake remains tormented by the thought that there was something that she was supposed to do that day. A bear appears and begins dancing with Marianne as she laments about her inability to remember the many beautiful incandescent moments of her life she thought she'd remember forever. As the pair dance, Marianne sings a refrain of the "let it stay just this way forever..." motif and holds out hope that she'll remember "that maddening thing" tomorrow (Interlude 1 - Marianne and the Bear).
The group awakens to find Windsor has prepared an odd assortment of mainly leftovers for breakfast. He tells Raffael that the rest of the servants (apart from he and the Woman, here playing a nameless maid) had taken off in the night - to which Raffael insists he must be joking and they have this exchange:
"No, sir, that's reality."
"Reality? Here? Since when?!"
"Today..."
In fact, everything about the morning is "off" - Leo's feeling "a lot" worse and stranger still, the piano stopped working overnight.
As the group starts to prepare for the day Colonel Martin notices that while people approach the threshold leading out of the room, nobody crosses it. Quickly, it becomes clear nobody can cross it, though like the hesitation before, there's no immediate reason as to why. Claudia, distraught that her phone doesn't work, lets out a primal scream and turns to the proscenium she can't cross, out to the audience that (if she remembers the soldier's dream) she knows is there and cries out "What do you want from me?" and continues sobbing.
Colonel Martin swings into action and begins to systematically prepare for the long haul - the food will be rationed and a ming vase in the closet will suffice as a toilet. Meanwhile Leo and Claudia begin sniping at Rafael for their entrapment. Leo lets it slip he would rather be at a brothel, which is news to Marianne. She yells at him for his infidelity and his condition worsens though she refuses to believe it - dismissing his pain cries as 'the old routine'.
Rafael, attempting to ease Leo's pain, commands Windsor to bring Leo some brandy. At this point, "Windsor" drops the British accent he was using and embodies his "true" identity, Inferno - complete with thick New Jersey accent. Rafael is shocked to learn "Windsor" isn't British, to which Inferno replies:
Oh my gosh! Appearance and reality! Appearance and reality! Fuck you!
Inferno takes the food cart and announces he's taking control of the situation and that if anyone wants food they have to pay him - at extortionate fees, of course. Rafael suggests that Inferno should be grateful to him as his employer for years. Incensed, Inferno describes working for Rafael as being "herded like sheep" - which gives him the idea to force the group at gunpoint to get down on all fours and baa like sheep. Marianne remarks that she's "never done that before," and Inferno reminds her sarcastically that rich assholes like them thought they'd experienced everything.
A canon fires and Fritz reminds everyone that the end of the world is happening outside the doors. Panicked, Marianne asks Colonel Martin what they can do if it's the end of the world. "For a civilian?" he replies, " there are no options".
The rest of the play occurs in staccato character sketches that show how these people pass their time stuck in the room with each other - light background music frame these sketches. One of them is simply Claudia sobbing in front of the proscenium. One is the characters playing charades (pretty sure this one's a reference to Sondheim's infamous love of parlor games - charades in particular gets a lot of ink in D.T. Max's "Finale")
Leo's off to the side becoming increasingly ill (and ill-tempered) the longer they stay. The game of charades reveals some long-simmering resentments. Claudia throws Marianne's earlier desire (in "Shine") to live life in the room in her face. She begins to worry more about her children the longer they stay - imagining a conversation with her daughter through her dead phone. The group is unsure of the fate of the world outside. Paul also throws something in the Brinks' faces - their plan to clone their dogs (discussed in act one) - Leo assures him that it was just a thought and that nobody has been cloned - everyone's real "until further notice".
Meanwhile, Fritz, worried for Leo's health tries to get water for him from the soldier. He requisitions it through the Colonel, which Fritz is upset with him over. As the group become more desperate for food Marianne finally eats the bouquet of flowers that were brought in for dinner and Paul discovers that Inferno's cart has been cleaned out. Paul calls Inferno an asshole, which completes the shift in power dynamics.
Inferno reveals that Fritz is "Apocalypse" - a member of PRADA - and the reason that Inferno had the money to trap all of the "rich assholes" in the first place. He offers Fritz his gun and explains that the king of oppression is right there, and all they have to do is shoot him. Fritz refuses, and Inferno calls them unnecessary - another sheep amongst the group that's just there because he "loves to see [them] suffer".
Leo pulls Fritz aside and explains to them that although they chose to bring about the apocalypse based on their own set of principles, everybody "has those". "Torching stuff is easy - incinerate the world - no big deal, but you better have some idea what you're going to do with the ashes." Fritz insists that Leo's world needs to end, to which he scoffs "and you think I'm ruthless". Fritz, trying to justify their actions, insists that Leo's existence requires exploiting people. Leo finally points to the elephant in the room- Fritz's hypocrisy. He points out that Fritz gets together with the group twice a week for dinner - they're "sucking on the tit of the bourgeoisie" while complaining about it.
Rafael confides in Paul that he's been hanging on to some cocaine and they're trying to decide whether or not to cut Leo in since he appears to be on death's door. Claudia interrupts the conversation and accidentally spills the cocaine to which Marianne dryly replies that she just spilled about "50,000 semolinas worth of pumpkins" - she knew about the drug deal, it turns out "from square one". Colonel Martin, finally able to finger the cartel, places Leo, Rafael and Paul under house arrest.
Marianne entreats the group to let go of their secrets. Her attempts to get the group on board rhyme with the Bishop's song looking for takers on "truth". They finally run out of water. Fritz confronts the Colonel and leads the group in a protest to demand water. The group's frenzy reaches a fever pitch - until they bust a pipe and relieve that stress.
One evening, Marianne discovers the Bishop alone eating what appears to be bowl of popcorn. It turns out it's crumpled up pages of "A Tale of Two Cities". "The classics - " he observes - "always nourishing". Marianne lets the bishop in on the fact that it's her birthday. She's taking it as a sign to think about important things. The meaning of life feels like too big a bite, but she'll settle on a conversation on "being" - philosophically speaking. According to the experts. The bishop agrees to help her but only if she lets him hold her slippers that he's had his eye on since he first met her. Marianne cheerfully acquiesces and sits in to hear what the Bishop has to say.
"Well first of all, you might say we are here, on earth... most likely. though perhaps not, as are other people and objects like these very beautiful satin slippers "
"Yes, and?" "
"And that means.. something. that we're here. We mean something.. apparently. we're what you might call "matter that matters" - or not, depending on who you read. So we're here, on possibly Earth. For a time. With these very soft slippers. and other people. et cetera. and we live our lives, and then we die. and then we spend eternity with God. Or go to hell. If there happens to be one. Or else, we pass into complete nothingness a total void forever and ever that we actually are unaware of because we're not here any more. the end. "
"i really enjoyed that. what a world. with being, and everything."
"well thank you for these. very inspiring."
It then begins to snow. The bishop wonders if perhaps its manna - but no, it's snow.
"So just to be clear, if all of that is being, what are we supposed to do about it?"
"I suppose, be here. Until we're not. "
"To be continued."
"Exactly! To be.. continued. Until otherwise notified."
"(laughing) amen. Thank you father"
"Mrs Brink? Happy birthday. Make a wish. " ( Interlude 3: Snow )
A new interlude begins and tensions are ratcheting up even further. Fritz notices the clock appears to be ticking faster, prompting Inferno to shoot it. The gunshot wakes Leo up. He was he was dead - until he noticed someone taking shots at him from "6 feet above his grave". "That'd be me!" Inferno chirps.
One by one the characters indulge in lamenting their lives. Paul reflects he "always wanted things to be over before they were over", like when he went to the Louvre, he'd stop at a painting and think my god what are you doing stopping, there's more paintings to see, and so he'd keep on going and never really see one thing except a gift shop. In an attempt to maintain order, the soldier is fastidiously arranging the furniture. Claudia laments her life wasted on her job checking Variety - Marianne scoffs - 'ha ha ha, but i was an interior decorator without an interior'. Paul laments his job as a plastic surgeon was "making everyone look like everyone else". Rafael wanted to do something noble, make a mark and what's he done? sex. with 4768 women. Inferno wanted the end of the world. "at least you got your wish" Claudia observes. "No, “ Inferno shouts back “ you're still here. I'm still here. years and years of trying to exterminate you types... totally futile." The woman, silent all act, finally pipes up: you know, I've had quite a good life'.
Leo roars to life...
"I say fuck you all. grow up. you know what - I've wasted my life, and i say 'so the fuck what' - don't tell me about the meaning of life. - non-itemized credit derivatives! are they meaningful? no. did they make me a lot of money? yeah, and i say bring 'em on. I'm gonna die and go to hell? bring that on too. I'll go to hell and turn it into condos." fritz: "Leo, you're feverish" "no I'm not! I'm sane! I'm sane and I do not apologize for anything, is ay screw this stinking room, screw this filthy universe, I'm just glad i wont' be here to see the extermination - to hell with food, to hell with friends, to hell with restaurants and menus and beef bordelaise to hell with it all"
Leo collapses into a heart attack and entreats Marianne to talk to him. the rest of the group entreats Marianne to take it seriously. "I am not talking to that man! He is not dying! he is not sick! he is not anything but a great big baby!" The bishop takes over and asks if Leo has anything to say - to Marianne "if I go anywhere, she's the only thing in this entire stinkin' asshole of a world i'll miss" He then confesses to murdering the owners of a house in Utica in new york in order to get the money to make his first trade. It was the colonel's parents. Leo admits he wronged him. The colonel blows up on Leo, and demands the gun from Inferno so that he can kill him. While they argue , Paul realizes that Leo has died.
Marianne rushes over. "Oh no, he can't be dead! he was just faking!" she exclaims as her final illusion shatters. "He was.. I was going to say he was a good man, but i don't know if he was a good man..." They all try to say a few words. "Leo Brink was never small," Fritz offers. "He had all the knowledge" "he was necessary" "he was a part of all of this. a part of history for some time. a part of us and we don't know why."
Claudia resignedly says to the bishop "We're next you know...." and she begins speculating who will be first or last and implores Paul to kill her now and get it over with. Marianne wonders where they went wrong. "brunch." Rafael offers. "that was the fatal mistake. as always." After some consideration he realizes that it was coming to the consulate that was a mistake, it's where the net descended on them. He then suggests a blood sacrifice to appease the gods. The bishop butts in - god doesn't work this way - Rafael : I'm not talking about your god, I'm talking about THE gods. Rafael suggests "Windsor" do it - Inferno insists he can't because the gods wouldn't even notice him as a sacrifice. "you gotta give up somebody significant - somebody who's somebody... your excellency," he adds as he hands Rafael the gun. As he moves across the room, Marianne tells him to wait - she's realized something. They had "moved around 1000 times like pieces on a chess board" but now, they're as they were before they were leaving. just before they decided to say. "We're at square one."
"Leo was on the sofa! Alive.. but on the sofa." they all try to say the thing they said just before choosing to stay. and... they skip over Leo's part. it doesn't work. Leo roars back to life. "I must have blacked out" . They try again, this time Leo says his part - "back to square one!" and ..... they break through. their phones all begin chirping like when a plane lands. "A miracle! a true miracle!" the bishop observes . (Hesitation (Reprise)) "Did all of that really happen?" Leo asks. "Well something must have - look at us," Marianne responds.
The lieutenant and the colonel leave with a "Signing off, until further notice". The lieutenant apologizes to Fritz, who responds "No need, i was in there too." A beat, and then to the audience, "Funny. i never did learn his name". The bishop leaves saying "i know what i am now. a priest. it just took a little time." Marianne gives him her slippers.
Windsor's gone, out there somewhere... and the what a lovely day motive comes in and the cast delivers an epilogue where each character reflects on what the room was like for them... Fritz will miss the room, it's now big outside. Rafael enjoyed the memory of masturbating in the ming closet. Claudia wont' miss the room but will miss a moment on the first night when everyone was around her she was nervous and Paul stroked her arm until she fell asleep. Paul knew about the affair, but what he'll miss about the room is Claudia's weakness, her fragility made him valuable. Leo reflects that he started in life with nothing, the room was right back to it. He wanted to escape that when he was 15, but there he savored the deprivation, the sweet fuck-all that brought him pleasure. Marianne reflects on her time as a "what a splendid adventure!" and recounts a moment in the room when looking at someone, she remembered what she was supposed to do. Only, she didn't tell a soul what it was - she just did it.
Fritz splits off from the group to find their own path.. Back to square one, Leo announces to the rest. A beat later, Fritz runs back on and rejoins the group. We hear the combustion-engine/startup sound from the road songs and Leo asks the group, "where do we want to eat?" FIN.