from Shangri La

Scene 3

Club Carousel. The Look-Alikes step off the carousel. Singing:

Shame on you
Shame on you
Shame on you
Now, Baby—
Baby, look at what you
Made me do

Shame on you
Shame on you
Shame on you
Didn't you hear me say,
Shame on you
'Cause now—'cause
I have to tear down
This dreamhouse,
Pack up and leave town,
And start all over again.

David runs across the stage, talking on his cell phone.

Shame on you
Shame on you
Shame on you
'Cause I believed every word you said
When you were lying low
And playing dead
Shame on you
Shame on you
And shame on me, too.

The song ends. The squealing of tires; the sound of a crash. Everyone rushes off the floor, out the door. The voice of the Barker is heard. The stage is empty. John Wong walks in—a lone figure on the stage.

John Wong

The science of numbers?
Why the statue of Buddha?
Everyone had to rush out and see
David like an effigy
Wrapped around the Buddha
Fenced-in to keep tourists off,
To stop them from climbing up
And having their photos taken.

Where did you go wrong?

Paradise cannot corrupt
Anyone. But we can corrupt
Paradise. We're the serpent
And the angel in a house of cards.
David wasn't only shaking down the till
But he was also shipping silk tablecloths
Soaked in the purest heroin money can buy.

Over here, he never wore
His white button-down shirts.
But he didn't know how
To unplug himself
From the past and the future.

The dancers trickle back in, forming the Men/Women Chorus.
At first, they stand spellbound, unmoving, silent.

John Wong

Paradise is always
Present tense.

Men/Women Chorus

Paradise is always
Present tense.
Eat the lotus blossoms,
Taste the fruit and the dreams
And smell the incense of time
Beyond any recompense.
Paradise is always
Present tense.

Lights Fade.

Scene 4

Alee writes a letter, reading it aloud.

Dear Gunter,

How are you? It was good
To receive your lovely letter
All the way from Germany. Yes,
I have been thinking about you.
I hope you can understand
My English on paper.
I wish you wrote a week ago.
I waited for over three weeks,
But a girl here in Bangkok
Can't spend so much time waiting.
Her heart grows into a butterfly.
I was sad and broke. Maybe if I painted
Nails for a living, I could wait for
Two months.
But I'm only a make-you-feel-good girl.
I have a new boyfriend now,
And can't come to Heidelberg
To work in your friend's bar. But
My best friend, Pidang, she would
Go overseas if you sent her a ticket.
I saw you looking at her many
Many times. She's more beautiful than me, and they
Call her a man-killer here in Bangkok. She is
More girl-girl than I am, Gunter.
She says that she would work
For 50-50. You can trust her.
She makes every man happy-happy.
I am so sorry to write this letter.
I hope I am still sweet as a bowl
Of leechee, and I wish I didn't have
Someone else.

Sincerely,

Your loving Noe

Alee puts a few drops of perfume on the pages before placing them in an envelope and sealing it.

The lights fade.