Cast of Characters

RAYMOND: A visiting gentleman

JACKIE: His wife

JUAN: Manuelas son

MANUELA: A woman in her 50s.

DAY OF THE DEAD REVELERS








SCENE

Manuelas modest Mexican bungalo, a makeshift seaside
restaurant.

TIME

November 2
nd
. Night. Could be the present.

1


The Last Night At Manuelas


SETTING: Manuelas small palapa structure,
which she has made into a
makeshift restaurant. The sound of
nearby ocean waves. RAYMOND and
JACKIE are sitting at a table.

AT RISE: JUAN stands in the back by a grill
where he cooks food. RAYMOND and
JACKIE are laughing. RAYMOND
stands and raises his beer bottle.

RAYMOND
Juan, come on out here for a minute!

JACKIE
Raymond. Youre drunk

RAYMOND
No! Honey, this is our last night here and I just want to
raise my glass Juan?
(JUAN comes and stands away from the grill.)
To you and to this lovely little place that has served as
our refuge during those awful daily downpours and where
we have had the great blessing of Manuelas feasts of
mariscos derived from el mar my Spanish is getting better
thanks to you This evening topped off with a most
exquisite pltanos con leche.

(They raise their beer bottles. Juan nods.)

JUAN
Muchas gracias, amigos! Salud! Salud!!

RAYMOND & JACKIE
Salud!!

JACKIE
Where is Manuela today, Juan?

JUAN
Mexico City. A family emergency.



2


JACKIE
Nothing too serious I hope.

JUAN
My uncle was not a good man

RAYMOND
Hes in trouble?

JUAN
He was killed A few days ago.

JACKIE
Oh for the love of God

RAYMOND
So sorry

JUAN
As I said, he was involved with dangerous things. But he
didnt deserve to die.

RAYMOND
I should say not!
(Two explosions nearby. RAYMOND ducks under the
table.)
Under the table, Jackie!
(JACKIE ducks.)

JUAN
Its okay dont worry

RAYMOND
What the hells going on, Juan?!!

JUAN
Its Day of the Dead

JACKIE
Day of the what?

JUAN
Its the day we honor our ancestors who have died.

JACKIE
I think Ive read about that.



3


(Two more explosions much further in the
distance. JACKIE comes out from under the
table. RAYMOND still hides. Intermittent
explosions throughout the rest of the play,
each one getting increasingly closer.)

JACKIE
Are you okay, Raymond?
(RAYMOND pops out.)

RAYMOND
I think so. It just took me by surprise.

JUAN
The celebrations will last all night.

JACKIE
Did you bring your medicine, honey?

RAYMOND
I left it in the room. (to JUAN)Ive got a tricky valve in
the old ticker.

JUAN
How about some tequila?

RAYMOND
Sounds good to me.

JUAN
It will relax you.

JACKIE
Just be careful, Ray. Im not strong enough to carry you
back to the room.

(JUAN brings tequila and shot glasses.)

JUAN
It will open your heart.

JACKIE
Hes already had open-heart surgery. I dont think he needs
it opened any further than that.

RAYMOND
Dont bring that up on our last night, Jackie! Remember the
doctor: No stress. No sarcastic remarks.

4



(JUAN pours the tequila.)
JUAN
A little is medicine too much poison. Salud!
(Explosion. JUAN and RAYMOND, almost as a
reflex reaction to the explosion, slam back the
shots. JACKIEs shot still sits on the table.)
Care to join us, Jackie?

RAYMOND
Come on, Jacks Live it up!

JACKIE
Oh hell why not? To the dead!
(Explosion. She drinks.)
Holy smokes!
(JUAN pours another round.)
What kind of tequila is this?

JUAN
It is very good tequila. Mescal actually. A gift from my
uncle. You want lime and salt?

JACKIE
Sure.

RAYMOND
Its from your uncle who was killed?

JUAN
Yes. My Uncle Bruno. Last year was a good year for him.
This year, not so good.

RAYMOND
And were drinking this gift from a dead man today.

JUAN
This of all days is the day to drink it.

RAYMOND
What about your mother?

JUAN
Shell be home. But she doesnt drink. Shall we?
(JACKIE licks some salt off her thumb.)

RAYMOND
Maybe we should toast this time

5



JUAN
NO!
(Explosion. They all drink. JACKIE chews a
piece of lime.)
Ha-Hah! The ancestors say no toasts.
(JUAN pours another.)

RAYMOND
Why arent you with your mother on a day like today?

JUAN
She had to take a bus all the way across the country. If we
closed, she wouldnt have enough money to go.

(Explosion. They drink. He pours another.)

JUAN
Uno mas!

JACKIE
How did you learn to speak English so well?

JUAN
I was a chef in Los Angeles many years ago.

JACKIE
I thought Manuela was the chef.

JUAN
She taught me. But I perfected it in the States a very
expensive place. Besides, Manuelas Kitchen sounds better
than Juans Kitchen. Am I right? [laughs]

RAYMOND
But now youre here.

JUAN
For my mother. Shes just a healer here. There is not much
money in that.

JACKIE
Your mothers a doctor?

JUAN
Of sorts.


6


(Louder explosion. They drink. Cries and
laughter of people in the streets are heard.)

RAYMOND
It sounds like its getting closer.

JACKIE
Maybe we should get your medicine, honey

JUAN
Its best you remain here until most of the revelry is
over.

JACKIE
I dont think I can move anyway! (She sits.) Holy Christ,
Raymond! Im spinning. Did we bring any aspirin?

(A crowd of revelers is heard outside
approaching the restaurant. They come in. They
are dressed in traditional Day of the Dead
skeleton outfits, carrying bottles of tequila.
They laugh and carry on and pass the bottle to
JACKIE, JUAN, and RAYMOND, who all take a swig.
They slowly move out of the restaurant and
continue on down the street. JUAN moves to the
back. JACKIE slumps onto the table. RAYMOND
stares catatonically into nowhere.
Silence.
Music is heard approaching from afar Que Te
Parece by Los Tigres del Norte. It gets louder
and louder until it breaks RAYMONDs trance and
JACKIE lifts her head, quizzically. As it
reaches a deafening pitch, it settles right
outside the restaurant. JUAN comes out and
tries to explain whats going on, but they only
see his lips moving. RAYMOND tries to respond,
but no one can hear him. JUAN disappears into
the back. RAYMOND and JACKIE look to where he
disappeared to. Suddenly, the music stops.
Silence.)
RAYMOND
Where did he go?

JACKIE
Juan? Are you okay?
(No answer. Silence.)
Maybe you should go and see if hes okay, honey. Honey?


7


RAYMOND
Its okay. Its all gonna be okay.

JACKIE
Something is not okay. I dont like this at all.

RAYMOND
Lets just relax, okay?
(A door closes.)
Juan?

(A giant explosion. MANUELA appears at the door
in a grand skeleton costume. RAYMOND gasps and
collapses. JACKIE falls to the floor by him.)

JACKIE
Oh my god! Raymond?!!!

(JUAN enters.)

JUAN
Its my mother. My cousin drove her all the way from
Mexico! [He notices RAYMOND on the floor.]

JACKIE
Oh my GOD! No! Raymond. I think his heart stopped. I dont
think hes breathing. Raymond! Please, no. Somebody do
something!!

(Everyone freezes. Lights dim. The skeletons
come in, this time luminescent. MANUELA moves
among them, but not part of them. They dance
around RAYMOND, swallow him up, and spit him
out. The lights come up. Silence. Dogs start
barking. JACKIE weeps over RAYMOND. RAYMOND
begins to stir.)

RAYMOND
What happened?

JACKIE
Raymond! Thank god! I thought you were dead!



RAYMOND
I must have fainted. How long was I out?


8


JACKIE
It seemed like an eternity!

(MANUELA looks RAYMOND over, and begins to
speak with JUAN in Spanish.)
MANUELA
Este hombre ha sido frecuentado por el muerto.

JACKIE
What did she say?

JUAN
She says that your husband was visited by the dead.

MANUELA
Vinieron y lo pasaron por encima de y tomar consideradolo.

JUAN
They came and passed over him and considered taking him
back to the other side with them, but

MANUELA
No fue su tiempo de ir.


JUAN
It was not his time.

(MANUELA places her hand over RAYMONDs heart.)

MANUELA
El corazn de este hombre estuvo enfermo.

JUAN
His heart was sick, she says.

MANUELA
Fue atado arriba en el fro del norte, como una piedra.

JUAN
Bound up in the coldness of the north, like a stone.

MANUELA
Pero ahora es curado. Fluye otra vez libremente como debe.

JUAN
Now it is healed. It flows again freely as it should.


9


JACKIE
Thats impossible! You almost died, Raymond.

RAYMOND
Its true, Jacks! I feel it.

MANUELA
Es verdad!

JUAN
She says its true. And my mother is never wrong about
these things.

MANUELA
Trigame algn chocolate! He estado manejando todo el da
y yo debo cerrar este da con alguna celebracin. Ha sido
tan grave.

JUAN
Si, Mama. She wants hot chocolate. The day has been somber,
and she wants to close with something happy.

(JUAN brings hot chocolate from the stove.)

Would you like some? It will help keep your hearts open.
(They all take a cup)

JACKIE
Ill believe anything at this point.

JUAN
Salud!

JACKIE, RAYMOND & MANUELA
Salud!

(Blackout.)


END OF PLAY