Their Plight

Play 1

Scene One:

Orang utans' cage

ORANG UTAN 1:
   It is great here. We get our food right here every single day! (Pats his big belly.) It used to be that us orang utans had to climb trees and search for food. I wouldn't give anything to go back in time!

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Yeah! But I kinda feel sorry for the humans. They're always walking back and forth inside that narrow cage. I wonder where they go?

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Oh, they have things to do. Didn't you know that they're our slaves? The creature who brings us our food every single day, he's a human, right?

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Oh, right! Hey, you're kinda quiet. Unusual for you! (Elbows the smallest orang utan in the ribs.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   I hate to burst your bubble, but we're the ones behind bars! (Mournfully:) I remember the good old free days.

ORANG UTAN 1:
   Pssshhh! You're always saying "the good old free days"! You know, I wouldn't give a million bananas for that life!

ORANG UTAN 5:
   May I ask, why can't we just go and unlatch that gate? (Points.)

ORANG UTAN 3:
   I agree. There is something queer about that. The humans seem to be able to open the gate to their cage.

ORANG UTAN 2:
   And they have an air about them. They seem to be going somewhere. And they're always stopping to stare at us and some of them comment on how we shouldn't be in a cage.

ORANG UTAN 1:
   That's what I was thinking. Something needs to be done. If we let them keep that air, they might break out and will stop serving us. Then we'd have to go back to the old free days.

ORANG UTAN 5:
   (Brightly:) That wouldn't be a bad thing!

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (Irritatedly:) I didn't say GOOD old days. (Kicks orang utan 5.)

ORANG UTAN 3:
   Yeah, something needs to be done.

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Agreed.

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Agreed. I have an idea. Tease them.

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (Mean "gotcha" tone:) Yeah! Bully them.

ORANG UTANS 1-4:
   (Laugh.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   (Soberly:) That's not funny.

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (Firmly:) It's 4 against 1. Shut up!

ORANG UTAN 2:
   We'll show them their place. You could keep us out of trouble, too. (Points at the largest orang utan.) You're fast and strong.

ORANG UTAN 3:
   Thanks for the compliment. Oh no, there goes the white-coated human!

ORANG UTAN 2:
   (Screams:) Hide, everybody! Hide!

Scene Two

Primate house

(The following dialogue is heard offstage; the people are not seen.)

VETERINARIAN:
   Okay, okay. Now which one did you say?

ZOOKEEPER:
   It's a small gibbet. We put him in isolation.

VETERINARIAN:
   Good. Where is that now? Could you show me?

ZOOKEEPER:
   I wish I could. But I have to feed these orang utans. You know how they are. They'll flare up and come at you if you're late with their supper. Isolation is the cage at the end on your left. Cage No. 257. It has a red card on the gate.

VETERINARIAN:
   Okay, okay. I think I can find it. (Enters. Hangs his coat on the doorknob. Puts his stephoscope around his neck. Carelessly leaves the door open and exits on other side of stage going left.)

ZOOKEEPER:
   (Calling after veterinarian:) I'll be along in a bit to see if you need anything, all right?

ORANG UTAN 3:
   (With a sigh of relief:) He has passed. It is not for us.

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Whew! No shots today.

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Hey, why don't you tease him? I bet you could reach his coat and steal it. (Points at an orang utan.)

ORANG UTAN 1:
   Sure, I'll do it! (Reaches a hand through the bars and grabs the coat by its hood. Pulls it in through the bars and hands it to orang utan 3.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   (Entreating tone:) No! At least don't hurt it!

ORANG UTAN 3:
   (Laughing, struggles into coat. Coat rips as he does so. The more he tries to put it on, the more it rips and the more orang utans 1-4 laugh.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   (Soberly:) That's mean.

ZOOKEEPER:
   Anybody hungry?! Come on!

ORANG UTANS 1-5:
   (Stampede to front of cage. Orang utan 3 is still struggling into coat.)

ZOOKEEPER:
   Hey! What are you doing with the doctor's coat on! Get over here, Baron! (Picks up a broom.)

ORANG UTAN 3:
   (Runs and shinnies up a tree, squeaking as she goes. The coat, which is now a pitiful bunch of rags, comes flying out from the top of the tree.)

ZOOKEEPER:
   You're not winning this one. You get no supper tonight! I hope that will teach you four-fisted fighters your place. Us humans own this zoo!

ORANG UTANS 1-5:
   (Orang utans groan. Orang utan 1, 2, 4, and 5 begin eating. Orang utan 3 tries to sneak up, but the zookeeper is standing guard over her place with broom.)

Scene Three:

Primate house

(There is a horrible popping noise. Suddenly black water comes rushing down the aisle of the primate house in front of the orang utans' cage. The zookeeper starts, drops his broom and runs out. Exits on a run. Orang utan 3 comes back to his bowl and finds it picked clean. All of them are holding their noses and dodging the water.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   See?! In the good old free days, there was no such thing as busted sewer pipes!

PLUMBER:
   (Enters wearing rubber boots and carrying a coil of tubing. Runs through rushing water up aisle.)

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Quick! Get him!

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (reaches a foot through the bars and grabs the coil of tubing as the plumber rushes past. Exasperated, plumber slaps orang utan's foot. Surprised, it is withdrawn back into cage with a yelp. Plumber runs on and exits other side.) I'll never forget that! OOOOWWWWWWWWW, I say! Revenge!

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Let the big guy do it.

ORANG UTAN 3:
   I'll be honored.

Scene Four:

Orang utans' cage

ZOOKEEPER:
   (Enters and begins to clean the cage, replacing the straw on the floor. Orang utan 3 keeps going to look out the gate.)

ORANG UTANS 1-4:
   (Cheer.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   No! (Covers his eyes.)

ORANG UTAN 3:
   (Lifts the latch and opens gate and runs into plumber. She begins to beat the plumber with four fists. Zookeeper freezes a moment, then grabs broom and runs out. Orang utan sees zookeeper coming and runs back into cage and shinnies up a tree.)

ZOOKEEPER:
   Are you all right? (Helps frightened plumber up.) I'm sorry. I don't know why that monkey got so mad at you.

PLUMBER:
   (Shakes head.) He grabbed my coil of tubing when I went by here earlier and I slapped his foot. Just can't win, huh?

ZOOKEEPER:
   Yeah. Them orangutans flare up easy. I'm going to have to get a better lock on that gate. 

(They exit, talking as they walk out.)

Scene Five:

Orangutans' cage

ORANG UTAN 3:
   I have something I have to tell you. This little guy is right. (Points at smallest orang utan.) The humans own this zoo, not us.

ORANG UTAN 5:
   (Mournfully:) Oh! The good old free days.

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (Covers ears and sticks out tongue.)

ORANG UTAN 2:
   (Kicks orangutan 1.) How do you know?

ORANG UTAN 3:
   I was out there. I got to see what was on the other side of that door. Guess what I saw?

ORANG UTAN 5:
   Blue sky?

ORANG UTAN 3:
   Exactly. And snow. And tall, towering, bare oaks, not little skinny green ones like we have here.

ORANG UTAN 5:
   (Mournfully:) If only I could feel the warm sunshine before I die!

ORANG UTAN 1:
   I still like it here. I wouldn't give a million bananas to have to climb a tree to get one!

ORANG UTAN 2:
   (Emphatically:) Fine! Just stay here! I'm going out!

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Me too! I just can't understand why them humans would go to so much work to make a big cage with little trees and all and put us in it? Why do they want us here when we don't do anything for them?

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Who knows? Humans are strange.

ORANG UTAN 5:
   So true. And you are strange, too. (Points at orang utan 1 who still has her hands over ears and tongue out..)

ORANG UTAN 3:
   How do we get out though? The zookeeper will be watching us now, and he said he's going to put on a new lock.

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Boycott! Don't eat a bite of the food they offer!

ORANG UTAN 1:
   What! Oh, nevermind. More for me.

ORANG UTAN 5:
   Pretty good idea. I'd just rather starve here. Nice ending. Either way young Banana Eater here will end up all lonely. (points at Orang utan 1.)

ORANG UTAN 2:
   More likely, the zookeeper'll send the white-coated human in after us. I don't know if I can take that!

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Well, we could refuse a couple meals and act real weak. They're likely to get careless.

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Yeah! Then we can perk up and get outa here!

ORANG UTAN 3:
   And, of course, we'll leave her in here all alone! (Points at orangutan 1.)

ORANG UTAN 5:
   And lonely! Approved!

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (Cocks head, rubs hands together, and grins an evil smile.)

ORANG UTAN 2:
   Approved.

ORANG UTAN 4:
   Approved.

ORANG UTAN 3:
   (Flops on floor.) I've already missed a meal.

ORANG UTAN 2, 4, 5:
   (Laugh.) That's the way to do it!

ORANG UTAN 1:
   (Groans, turns back.) Goodnight. Forget you!