The Magician

By William Diaz

The Magician
by
William Diaz

This dark comedy is based on a true story. It is the fictionalized account of a 19th century European king whose conquest of a country led to the death of 10 million people. He used deceit, bribery, propaganda and murder to undermine democracy and retain power. Comedy and tragedy combine to create a unique and powerful drama.

• Language: English
• Publisher: William Diaz
• Release date: Aug 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476002538

William Diaz

Born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Enjoys time with his wife and child, watching MMA and reading, George RR Martin, Jack Whyte and Matthew Reilly among his favorites. William's first short story, Holy House was published by Dapper Press (click the link to read the interview). William's second short story, Scarlett, was recently published by Meizius Publishing's Grey Matter Sci-Fi Digest. His third short story, Pest Control: A Scarlett Mission was published by Meizius Publishing for their 3rd volume of Grey Matter; his latest short, Island of Toys has been published by Starving Writers. As of this writing William has completed a full length Scarlett novel titled, Codename: Scarlett. His first book titled "Inquisition", book 1 of the Blood Moon Chronicles and book 2 Agents of Chaos, is available in the following ebook distributors. Also check out the 5-star review! Inquisition (Blood Moon Chronicles #1) Check out this book on Goodreads: Inquisition (Blood Moon Chronicles #1) http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23377874-inquisition Amazon...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OARFNOC, iTunes...https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/inquisition/id952565562?mt=11, Kobo...https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/inquisition-10 and Barnes and Noble...http://m.barnesandnoble.com/w/inquisition-william-diaz/1120923506?ean=2940046460629. You can find more info on William at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/William-Diaz/1480236135588937

Book preview

THE MAGICIAN

by

WILLIAM DIAZ

The Magician

By William Diaz

Copyright 2012 William Diaz

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This play combines two historical events, the colonization of Congo by the Belgians at the end of the 19th century and the invasion of Iraq by the United States in 2003. As a result a fictional king in a fictional country is used to depict these events. William Howard Taft and Kaiser Wilhelm II are, of course, historical figures. Historians estimate that between eight and ten million people died during the brutal colonization of the Belgian Congo. Although this genocide is mentioned several times in the play, it is not the central focus. My main interest is war profiteering, propaganda by governments, political deceit, the use of armies to plunder the natural resources of poor countries, exploitation and disregard for human suffering. Despite this, the mood of the play is never to be allowed to become somber. Instead it should be lighthearted !  Imagine that George Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht had collaborated on a play and perform it that way. In other words, discussions of politics and social issues, plus farce, exaggeration, distortion, comedy, jokes and puns. This is the reason I call the play a comic tragedy. 

The main character is King Theodore II. He loves art, is a magician, an opera aficionado and speaks four languages. Despite this, he is not an intellectual. He delves in intellectual pursuits to compensate for his perceived inadequacy in comparison to his illustrious father. Theo is a man devoid of remorse or pity. Whenever he is informed of the genocide that is occurring in Africa, he is to discuss it calmly, almost casually. Yet when something affects him personally in a negative way, he sheds his calm and panics, almost to the point of hysteria. 

Sometimes there are elements of both tragedy and comedy in the same scene. The first half of the scene may be shocking, then the second half may be comical. Whenever I instruct for a character's voice to rise as he delivers a line, it is to be played for comic effect. The words in that line may be cruel, but they are to be to be played for comedy nonetheless. The first five scenes are devoid of comedy.  Theo is ruthless, but he is always to be likeable. He loves Clarisse very much and is always to be gentle and loving with her. He is genuinely fond of William Howard Taft. He is to have a father and son relationship with his Royal Counselor Rudolf. He is never to treat him as a mere aide.   

CAST OF CHARACTERS 

King Theodore II- King of Buscheleo 

Clarisse- Queen of Buscheleo 

Rudolf Hoft- Theodore's Royal Counselor 

Francois Deveraux- A Count 

Landon Matthews- An American reporter 

Marcello Modena- Ambassador from Liechtenstein 

General Edmund Kurpinsky- Military Commander of Buscheleo 

William Howard Taft- President of the United States 

Wilhelm II- German Kaiser 

(  The play depicts events between 1908 and 1912. The entire play takes place in Rimbaud Palace ) 

DEDICATED TO ELEENA DANILLE/ FE(LIX) NAMASTE', AN AMAZING PERSON REGARDLESS OF GENDER IDENTITY.

SCENE ONE 

( Theo's office. Rocks can be heard pounding against the walls of the palace and occasionally against the windows. As the attack continues, Theo and Rudolf remain seated, both looking dejected. Clarisse is pacing nervously around the office. King Theodore II is forty-five years old, tall and elegant. He walks with a military bearing although he never served in the Army. His hair is white and so is his Van Dyke beard. Rudolf is thirty-three years old, with short, blond hair. He is powerfully built and always wears rimless glasses. Clarisse is thirty-seven years old, beautiful, slim, and she exudes an air of confidence, bordering on arrogance. She is volatile and there is a nervous energy about her. ) 

Clarisse: (angrily) Theodore, why are you allowing the peasants to throw stones at the palace?  This is our home ! Order your soldiers to fire their rifles in the air, then if these radicals do not retreat, the Army should resort to force. 

Theo: (gently) If it were only peasants throwing stones, my soldiers would have resorted to force already, but there are merchants and factory workers amongst the mob. The Army can't shoot them. I do not intend to make the same mistake that Nicholas II made in Russia three years ago. Killing those protesters was a blunder he will always regret. I learnt a lesson from that debacle. The peasants still love Nicholas, but the students and workers despise him because of what occurred on Bloody Sunday. 

Clarisse: (insistent) If the Army can't be utilized, let the Royal Guards or the police use their batons to disperse the rioters. 

Rudolf: (to Clarisse) Your Highness, it is better to let them protest. It would not be wise to frighten your subjects further. The recent bombings by the revolutionaries have made people fearful about the nation's security. 

( She flinches. Long pause. ) 

Clarisse: I am still in a tremulous state from last week's assassination attempt. It is incomprehensible that an adolescent would try to kill a king and queen. My brother interrogated him personally. He told me that the anarchist is seventeen years old ! 

Theo: Clarisse, I agree with Rudolf. It would not be prudent to interfere with the protesters. I am allowing them to spend their rage throwing stones, rather than throwing a bomb at us, like that boy did. We're fortunate to be alive. If a policeman's horse had not absorbed the brunt of the blast, the assassin would have succeeded. 

Rudolf: (to Theo) Your Majesty, perhaps you should telephone the Kaiser and request that his state visit be postponed. Tomorrow is an inopportune day to engage in diplomacy. If the protests have not ceased, the Kaiser will be unable to come here. 

Theo: If I have to, I will meet him in the German Embassy. I need to speak to him as promptly as possible. 

Rudolf: This visit was not scheduled in your itinerary. Why is he coming to Buscheleo? 

Theo: His economic advisers believe there are ways to reinvigorate our economy, that financial opportunities exist which my kingdom is not exploiting. If I fail to improve the living conditions of the poor, they could join the revolutionaries and anarchists in armed rebellion. If such an alliance comes to fruition, the nobles will recognize my present weakness and vulnerability and begin the civil war they long for. If2 all those adversaries are aligned against us, we would be defeated on the battlefield. 

Clarisse: Count Deveraux has conspired to remove you from the throne since you imposed  taxes on the nobility. Can't you lower their taxes so he will abandon his plan to install a constitutional monarchy ? 

Theo: (somberly) My Finance Minister informed me yesterday that the Royal Treasury has funds