Laura Wingfield: A woman in her early thirties, but still full of life & vitality & feels she has a lot to be happy about. Like her mother, she tends to cling to the past. The only thing that saddens her is that her brother Tom has been missing for some years. She is also the happy homemaker who wants things to be perfect.

Amanda Wingfield: A bitter old woman, who can never forgive Tom for leaving the family when they needed him most.

Tom Wingfield: Tom left the family many years & has been wracked with guilt because of it. He is looking for redemption & forgiveness from his family.

Jim O’Connor: A successful man in his early thirties, on his way to becoming a leader in the budding radio/ television field.

Two Doctors: Two psychiatric doctors who appear at the end of the play.

Scene: The living room of the home of Laura.

Amanda: (knocking on door) Laura! Are you in there girl! (Knocks again) Laura! (Tries the doorhandle. It is unlock. Amanda enters, carrying some groceries). Laura! Where is that girl? She knew I was…(Notices Laura on the floor). LAURA! (Runs over and starts tring to wake Laura up). Laura, wake up now. C’mon Laura, wake up.

(Laura starts to come to)

Laura: (groggily) Mother, is that you.

Amanda: Laura! Now don’t going scaring you poor old mother like that. What happened to you? If anything were to happen to you…

Laura: I’m fine Mother. (Slowly starts to get up) I just got a little electric shock when I tried to move the lamp.

Amanda: I don’t know why you keep this old lamp around. Look at it, old & frayed. You should just toss it & get a new one. You certainly can afford it.

Laura: Mother! You know I don’t like spending money on frivolous things. Why should I buy anything new as long as this old one works fine? Besides, this was a wedding gift sent to me by Tom….

Amanda: (angrily) Don’t ever mention that name again!

Laura: Mother, when are you going to forgive Tom…

Amanda: That boy is too much like his father. Just when we needed him the most, he takes off. Not even a note. At least your father sent us note when he left. But your brother…he will never earn forgiveness from me.

Laura: But mother, have you tried looking at things from…

Amanda: (starting towards the door) I do not wish to carry on this conversation a minute longer. If you keep insisting on bringing up that no good brother of yours, I’m just going to have to leave…

Laura: Nooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Amanda: (rushing back over to Laura) Laura! Are you all right, dear? What’s wrong?

Laura: I don’t know what came over me. (Pause) I’m fine now, mother.

Amanda: (Taking Laura’s hand) No, you are not all right. You come over here to this couch & lie down. What would your husband say if he came home & found you all fainted on the floor. No, you just lie there and I'll take care of everything.

Laura: Mother, you don’t have to…

Amanda: Shush girl. What are mothers for but to take care of their kids? You just lie down there and I’ll whip up a fine meal for you and your man. Now, what to make? Oh, I’ll think of something.

(Amanda exits to the kitchen. Laura lies down on the couch. She puts her hand on her head, checking for a fever. Amanda can be heard in the kitchen going through cupboards, looking for dinner to make. A figure approaches the door & knocks on it).

Amanda: (from offstage) Laura, would get that door for me.

Laura: (Getting up wobbly) Yes, mother.

(Laura starts making her way towards the door again, barely staying up. The door knocks again. Laura opens the door).

Laura: TOM! (Laura faints)

Tom: (rushing in the door) Laura!

Amanda: (entering from Kitchen) Now Laura, I told you not to mention…(sees Tom)

Tom: Hello mother.

Amanda: Don’t you hello mother me. You are no son of mine!

(Tom bends down to pick Laura up. Amanda crosses over to stop him).

Amanda: Don’t you go and touch my daughter like that. After what you done, you should have no right to even enter this house.

(Amanda picks up Laura and carries her to the couch)

Tom: I didn’t come here to fight mother.

Amanda: And why did you come here, Tom Wingfield, if that is even your name!

Tom: Why wouldn’t that be my name?

Amanda: After leaving me & your sister all alone and you claim to be a Wingfield. You just say, "I’m going to the movies!" walk out our door, and never return. Until now.

Tom: That’s why I am here, mother. To apologize…

Amanda: Apologize. You want to apologize! Do you know how much we had to struggle! Do you know how hard I had to work to make sure your sister & I could live. Do you have any idea! Do you!

Tom: Do you think it was easy for me, mother. It was hard leaving you & Laura…

Amanda: Hard! You always wanted out of that place! You were always dreaming of being elsewhere! Dreaming of being like your father! He never returned, so why have you?

Tom: If you want to know the truth…

Amanda: Truth! You don’t know truth! You were always lying, boy! Going to the movies! More like going to bars & getting drunk, JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER!

Tom: THAT"S ENOUGH, MOTHER!

Amanda: How dare you raise your voice…

(Laura stirs)

Laura: (groggily) Tom…

Amanda: Don’t worry, dear. I won’t let him back into our lives just so he can ruin them again.

Tom: I’m here to make amends, not ruin your lives.

Amanda: You hear that, he wants to make amends. I think that you are a little late…

Laura: Shut up, Mother.

Amanda: What was that?

Laura: You heard me mother.

Amanda: But Laura, you know…

Laura: Mother, this is my house and Tom is welcome here.

Amanda: (indignant) Fine! I’ll go make some extra dinner then.

(Amanda gives Tom a cold stare and then exits back to the kitchen, leaving Tom & Laura alone).

Tom: Hello Laura.

Laura: Hello Tom. How have you been?

Tom: Alright. (Laura fixes a stare at him) Not very good.

Laura: Tom, why did you go?

Tom: (pause) I’ve been thinking a lot about that lately. I was in a motel just a few days ago, trying to write a book. There was a storm outside, not unlike the storm that happened the night…(pauses)…the night I left. Mother had raised her hopes so high that Jim could be the gentleman caller, & when it fell apart…well, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get out of there. That place was suffocating me…draining the life out of me. So, I ran. I ran as far as I could. I kept running, but no matter how far I ran, you were always there. You were always there to remind me. Remind me of what I had done. How I had abandoned you and mother. Left you to fend for yourselves. Every night I would be wide awake, thinking about what had happened to you & mama.

Laura: Did you find adventure, Tom? Did you find your movie?

Tom: No, all I found was pain & suffering. Nobody has lives like the movies. I never go to them anymore.

Laura: Oh Tom (hugs Tom). I’m so glad you are back. Now we can make everything right.

Tom: I don’t think Mother wants to make everything right. I think she is determined to hate me for the rest of her life.

Laura: She’ll come around, you’ll see.

Tom: I wish I had your optimism, Laura.

Laura: You just wait & see. Everything will be all perfect again.

Amanda: (Looking towards door) Where is that husband of yours, Laura?

Laura: He probably had to work late. Nights like these keep him very busy. Something about disrupting the radio waves.

Tom: So, has he been treating you well.

Laura: Oh yes, like a princess. I never dreamed life could be this good. And now that you are back, everything is perfect!

Amanda: Probably turns tail & leave at the first sign of trouble…

Laura: Mother!

Tom: Told you she’ll hate me til the day she dies.

Amanda: I bet you are looking forward to that day. The day you will be free of me forever. Well, let me tell you something, you won’t. I’m never going to forgive you, and you’ll be haunted by me for the rest of your days. You’ll be wishing you were dead.

Laura: That’s enough, Mother!

(There is a long silence at the table, as no one speaks a word. From outside, the thunder grows louder. Someone is heard at the door, and keys are heard rattling the lock)

Amanda: About time he got home.

(The outside door opens & Jim O’Connor enters).

Laura: Jim! You are home dear!

Jim: Hello dear. (Kisses Laura)

Laura: Look who is here, Jim.

Jim: (looks over & sees Tom) Shakespeare! Where have you been? Laura has been worried sick about you.

Tom: I’ve been…away.

Jim: Well, you are back now. So, I bet you have lots of stories to tell us about.

Tom: Some.

Jim: I look forward to hearing them, but first some dinner.

Amanda: I hope you like it, Jim. I made it extra-special tonight (cold glance over at Tom).

Jim: Awww, Mrs. Wingfield. You didn’t have to go through the trouble.

Amanda: Its no trouble, Jim. And please, its mother. Nothing is too good for a son of mine (Glances over at Tom). It’s so good to have such a responsible, supportive son like you, Jim.

Tom: Mother, you’ve made your point.

Amanda: I told you, you are no son of mine. No son of mine would’ve run off like you did, leaving his sister & poor mother in the kind of lurch you left us in. It is a good thing Jim here came to his senses & married my dear Laura. I don’t know what we would’ve done or what would’ve happened if we had to fend for ourselves.

Tom: I had to leave, mother.

Amanda: Why did you have to leave, Tom. I told you you could leave after we had found a man for Laura. A man that can take of her. But, you renege. You left us in a lurch. To do what! Live out your fantasies of being in a movie! Well, how was your movie, Tom!

Laura: Mother…

Tom: No Laura. She’s right. I have no good reason to leave. Just pure selfish reasons. I wanted out of the hell my life became. But, what you don’t know is I went from one hell into another. Life as a Merchant Marine was not all I thought it would be. It was just like everything else. It was nothing like the movies. I look back on those times, and I can find nothing to write about. Just loading ships up, followed by many long boring days looking at flat oceans, & then unloading ships in sleaze hole ports. When I sit down to write, I can only think about you, my family.

(Tom starts to exit)

Laura: Tom, don’t go.

Tom: I’m just getting something from my bag.

(Tom exits)

Laura: Toooooooommmmmmmm! Don’t go!

(Tom reenters)

Tom: Are you ok, Laura?

Laura: I don’t know. I’ve been feeling strange all…

(Crack of Thunder & Laura screams)

Tom: Laura!

Laura: Make it stop! Make it stop!

Tom: Make what stop, Laura?

Laura: I don’t know, I’ve been feeling uneasy all day.

Amanda: Why don’t you go lie down on the couch. We’ll take care of things here.

(A couch becomes apparent downstage. Laura crosses down to it & lies down. Upstage, Amanda & Tom start to clear the table. Jim hands stuff to Tom & Amanda. Amanda whispers something to Jim & hands Jim a bottle of wine & a candelabrum. Thunder sounds again & Laura screams. No one reacts to her. Laura sits up, not having much strength. Jim crosses down to her).

Jim: Hello there, Laura.

Laura: (faintly) Hello Jim.

Jim: How are you feeling now? Better?

Laura: Yes, thank you.

Jim: This is for you. A little dandelion wine. (He extends the glass towards her with extravagant gallantry)

Laura: Thank You.

Jim: Drink it, but don’t get drunk!

(He laughs heartily. Laura looks at him strangely.)

Jim: Where shall I set the candles?

Laura: Candles, why do we need…

Jim: How about here on the floor? Any objections?

Laura: There is no need for candles. Why…

Jim: I’ll spread a newspaper under to catch the drippings.

Laura: What is happening here?

Jim: I like to sit on the floor. Mind if I do?

Laura: Yes! What is going on here!

Jim: Give me a pillow?

Laura: (to Jim) You are not acknowledging me!

Jim: A pillow!

(Jim takes a pillow from the couch)

Laura: This shouldn’t be happening. We are married.

Jim: How about you?

Laura: Mother lives with us.

Jim: Don’t you like to sit on the floor?

Laura: Tom is back.

Jim: Why don’t you then?

Laura: Everything is perfect.

Jim: Take a pillow!

(Thunder sounds really loud. Laura screams & falls to the floor, grasping her head in pain).

Jim: I know, but that’s not fair. I’m in the limelight.

Laura: Perfect.

(Another Thunder crash & Laura screams again)

Jim: Good! Now I can see you! Comfortable?

Laura: Perfect!

(Another thunder crash & the lights go out while Laura screams. It is silent for a moment).

Jim: (in the darkness) So am I. Comfortable as a cow! Will you have some gum?

(A circle of light comes up on Laura. She is on the floor, quivering. She keeps repeating "Perfect" over and over. Two doctors come on and stand just outside the light.)

Doctor 1: Name: Laura Wingfield. Family: Mother died of a heart attack several years ago, working herself to a state of exhaustion. Father left family while she was still young. Has one brother whom left as well. His whereabouts are unknown. A case of total withdrawal from reality. She has created a delusional world where everything is good. Where she got her high school crush to marry her. Where her mother is still alive. Where her brother returned to her.

Doctor 2: Treatment.

Doctor 1: Electroshock therapy, but it is showing little effect. She keeps withdrawing more & more. All she does is lay there curled up in a ball saying "perfect" over & over again.

Doctor 2: Recommendations.

Doctor 1: Lobotomy.