The Great Houdini

By Alan London and Stacy Tanner

THE GREAT HOUDINI
A Play in Two Acts

The newspaper headlines are being barked, "Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Houdini dies! Death ends career of the King of Magic". At least that's what the headlines read. What they didn't tell you is that on this very day, the Eve of Halloween, as his body is being prepared for his final resting place, the irate spirit of Houdini wanders the stage of his last performance before his untimely death. He's not expecting much - after all he's dead. But a scruffy young runaway he encounters is not. The lad is evading a thug he swindled while performing a con. Houdini's last challenge is to unlock the young boys imagination and set him on the straight and narrow. He must do this in order for him to be united with his dearly departed mother, which for years he had attempted to do by attending séances. However, the boy has other ideas. Houdini takes the boy through his struggles from early childhood, to performance in seedy vaudeville shows, to meeting and performing tricks and escape with his wife, and finally leading up to his final performance. The boy finally learns from his mentor, thus allowing Houdini to be united with his mother. The boy turns out to be another prominent figure that is only divulged at the end (OrsonWelles).

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Apr 15, 1999
• ISBN: 9781626757301

Book preview

9781626757301

CAST OF CHARACTERS

(In Order of Appearance)

ACT ONE

SCENE BREAKDOWN

ACT TWO

SCENE BREAKDOWN

ACT I

Scene 1

GEORGE

Inky, dinky, parlez vous, tell you what I'm gonna do! A little

game from hanky poo, two for me and one for you. Five'll get you

ten, and ten'll get you twenty! Step right up and see if you can

follow the little pea! A winner every game! Guaranteed!

(THUG rises, swigs from almost empty bourbon

bottle)

THUG

Bring dat over here, kid.

GEORGE

Yes, sir!

(sets up Shell Game)

All you gotta do is tell me...

THUG

Yeah, yeah, I heard ya.

GEORGE

Five cents to start.

THUG

Hows about a sawbuck.

(THUG tosses five dollar bill onto the tray. A few

moments later, THUG doubles his money.)

THUG

How about five bucks?

GEORGE

Yes, sir! I've never had anyone win so fast! You must be pretty

smart, sir.

(Tries to hand him his winnings, George wants out of there.)

THUG

Got dat right. Lez go. Double er nuthin'.

GEORGE

Golly, I don't think that I can -

THUG

Whad I jess say, huh? Huh? Double er nuthin'!

(GEORGE reluctantly complies. Moments

later, THUG has lost his ten bucks.)

THUG (Continued)

Yer cheatin'!

GEORGE

No cheatin', mister. Just a game of chance.

THUG

Yer a crook!