My Monologue

The style model I used was a monologue from ‘The Fantasticks’ called ‘Don't Let Me Be Normal’.

http://www.stageagent.com/Shows/MonologuesView/1014

Set in the American West. Two neighbouring fathers trick their children, Luisa and Matt, into falling in love by pretending to feud. The fathers hire travelling actors to stage a mock abduction, so that Matt can heroically seem to save Luisa, ending the supposed feud. When the children discover the deception, they reject the arranged love match and separate.

MATT: Oh god. Please, please, please don’t let this be happening. I had her. I had her so close and now everything’s gone. She’s gone. She was so special. But in a good way. A marvellous way. So much that it made me feel strange to the point where I didn’t even know where my mind wandered too. (Pause.) She spoke to animals sometimes, and it was really quite strange but then when I think about it (subtle smile), it was rather funny. There was always something quite…different about her. (Pause.) Everyday she would be different, interesting. I could never tell whether she was putting on an act or whether she was true and it still frustrates me because I think I really do like her. (Deep breath.) Still like her. Still want to be with her. Quite a lot actually. But my father. Her father. Our fathers. Why? It was all so stupid and pointless. I HATE how they tried to fix something that wasn’t already broken. Something that really could have gone somewhere, but no, not anymore, it’s ruined. I feel like such a fool. I trusted him, who wouldn’t trust their own father, your own flesh and blood? He said, ‘it wasn’t supposed to end that way, Matt, you were supposed to be happy’, ‘I hope you’re proud of yourself, Dad, you’ve taken the only thing I care about away from me’, I said – a bit dramatic I suppose but I wanted him to feel the same pain I did, losing someone you truly cared about. (Long pause.) Her hair had a shade of deep blue when the sun hit it. I remember when she asked me to brush her hair that one time because it made her more relaxed. She told me how she usually brushed it two hundred times exactly every morning to make sure there was absolutely no knots or tangles left. (Subtle smile.) I can’t remember how many times I had brushed through it though – to tell you the truth, I lost count. (Laughter.) She used to get in such states some nights where she would cry and cry…About the silliest things too, but I guess that was all part of how unusual she really was. She said she didn’t mind getting her makeup down her face either because she liked the taste of her tears, she’d always say ‘I cry till the tears come down and I can taste them. I love to taste my tears.’ It was the most peculiar thing. ‘Please god, please, don’t let me be normal!’ was what she'd say, pretty much every night. I miss that about her. Never wanted to fit in with everyone else around here, you know, us normal folk. (Pause.) I still wonder whether she still thinks of me from time to time. (Long pause. Deep breath.) Probably not.