THE AVATAR MEHER BABA CENTER OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEWSLETTER & CALENDAR FOR WINTER 1990
Sanskaras, Love 'Em or Leave 'Em by Jeff Maguire (A play performed at the L.A. Sahavas in 1984) EUNICE, our main character, is surrounded by five people who clutch and sm?ther her as our play begzns. They are all frozen whIle the narrator speaks. The five people each wear a sign. There is GREED, ANGER, LUST, GOODNESS, and a girl called VANITY PRIDE.
EUNICE Thanks, but who are you? VANI1Yl'm Vanity Pride. He's Anger. , . ANGER Why don t you Just shut up! VANI1Y See? He's sooo obnoxious! She sticks her finger in her mouth, as if gagging.
NARRATOR One typical American morning, a typical American girl named Eunice Saberha~en awakes with a startling sense that something IS wrong. For no apparent reason, five of her sanskaras have come to life. Poor Eunice, she never even heard of sanskaras before. But what's worse is that she has a vague sense that something is missing from her life...something very important. But she's about to find out because today, while her friends are go off to school, Eumce will be making a detour through....the Baba Zone...
ANGER What are you gaggin,r for? You get a look at a mirror or somethin' . LUST C'mon, Eunice, we could be at the beach right now, scoping some major bods, if you know what I mean? GOODNESS Don't listen to her, Eunice. She's Lust. She'll lead you down the road to ruin.
The SANSKARAS look at the audience and hum the "Twilight Zone" theme. After perhaps five seconds of this, they, along with Eunice come to life, everyone talking at and pawing Eunice. EUNICE Yuchhh! Who are you? Or should I say what are you? ANGER What do you think, you dumb ignoramus! You created us! VANI1Y (pulling EUNICE away) Don't mind him...He's such a twirp! And you, you're too fabulous to let anybody get you down...You look marvelous darling.
LUST At least I won't bore her to death. EUNICE (to Goodness) Who are you? GOODNESS I'm Goodness. ANGER She's enough to make a maggot gag. The SANSKARAS are still smothering EUNICE. EUNICE Look, could you guys back off a little? GOODNESS I'm afraid you've gotten us wound pretty tight around you, Eunice. VANI1Y But you're handling it very well, so much better than most people...You're really a special person, Eunice. ANGER (to VANITY) Don't ycfu ever stop? EUNICE (to ANGER) I was just going to ask you the same thing.