{"id":830,"date":"2017-03-03T17:10:05","date_gmt":"2017-03-03T17:10:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/?p=830"},"modified":"2017-03-29T12:46:07","modified_gmt":"2017-03-29T12:46:07","slug":"planet-jonathan-transit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/2017\/03\/planet-jonathan-transit\/","title":{"rendered":"Planet Jonathan: Transit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Transit<\/strong>
\nBy Jonathan Albert<\/em>
\nJonathan Albert is an adjunct professor of theatre at Union College. He teaches acting and playwriting. He is also the owner of Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs. We are happy Planet Jonathan is in concentric orbit with Planet Arthur.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo by Sarah Szot
http:\/\/www.sarahszotphotography.com\/<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sounds of crickets at night. Sounds of water slowly washing ashore. A distant foghorn.
\nTwo men sit alone on a bare stage. They are in a state of rest. Sam, the younger of the two, opens his eyes and picks up his head. He stands and looks around at the unfamiliar space. Sam walks downstage, kneels – and places his ear to the floor. Pat does not move.<\/em> <\/p>\n

SAM
\nTrain\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

Pat moves only what is necessary to speak.<\/em><\/p>\n

PAT
\nYou think so?<\/p>\n

SAM
\nFeels like it.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nYeah?<\/p>\n

SAM
\nSounds like it.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nThen it\u2019s coming.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nThat\u2019s what I said.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nAnd I heard ya.<\/p>\n

Silence. Sam steps back toward Pat.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAM
\nWell? Pat!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nWell what? Sam.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nAren\u2019t you going to check?<\/p>\n

PAT
\nI\u2019ll take your word for it.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nDon\u2019t do that!<\/p>\n

He waits for an answer.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAM
\nCome on! Don\u2019t take my word!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nFine!<\/p>\n

Pat moves. A lot. He starts downstage.<\/em><\/p>\n

PAT
\nI was comfortable, ya know? Sitting! It was comfortable. Content\u2026<\/p>\n

SAM
\nComplacent\u2026<\/p>\n

PAT
\nCon-tent.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nJust check!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nWhy?<\/p>\n

SAM
\nIt\u2019s important!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nSo is being comfortable.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nIt\u2019s important!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nUh-huh.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nIt is!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nWhy? Why is it soooo important?<\/p>\n

SAM
\nIt\u2019s important to get things right. It\u2019s important to know what\u2019s coming. It\u2019s important when change is about to come. It\u2019s important. So put your ear to the ground and check.
\n\"\"
\nPAT
\nWhat would you do without me?<\/p>\n

Pat places his ear to the ground. Sam looks around as if Pat has vanished. A wave washes over Sam as he is saddened by the thought of a life without Pat. He wells up. Pat picks up his head and notices.<\/em><\/p>\n

PAT
\nHey. Hey it\u2019s okay. I\u2019m not going anywhere. I\u2019m right here. Hey- it\u2019s okay…<\/p>\n

SAM
\nPromise?<\/p>\n

PAT
\nYes. I promise. I\u2019m sorry I said that.<\/p>\n

Sam wipes the tears from his eyes and slowly nods.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAM
\nOkay.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nAnd yes. I concur with your previous consideration. I support your educated conjecture calling that the train is indeed coming.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nYeah?<\/p>\n

PAT
\nYeah.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nHA! I knew it! I told you it was coming. I told you I heard it. I Told You. The train is coming! It\u2019s coming. I knew it. I said it was coming. I told you.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nI heard you\u2026<\/p>\n

SAM
\nYou heard it\u2026<\/p>\n

PAT
\nYes I did.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nI said it. You heard it! It\u2019s coming. Train train Mo Pain- Banana Fanna Foe Feign – sing with me Patti – Me My Mo Pain, Traaaiiiin!!!<\/p>\n

Singing.<\/em><\/p>\n

PAT
\nDrivin\u2019 that train, high on Amoxa-pain, Casey Jones you bettah watch yo speed. Trouble ahead, trouble behind, and you know that notion just crossed my miiiind.<\/p>\n

Singing.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAM
\nEverybody\u2019s doin\u2019 that brand new dance now, come on baby, do that LOCOMOTIVE!<\/p>\n

Singing.<\/em><\/p>\n

PAT
\nGood mornin\u2019 America, how are ya? Donchya know me, I\u2019m your native son. I\u2019m the TRAIN they call the City of New Orleans, I\u2019ll be gone five hundred miles when the day is done.<\/p>\n

Sam initiates the first lines of Quad City DJ\u2019s Cmon Ride It.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAM
\nCome on, ride that train!<\/p>\n

He points at Pat. Pat doesn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nCome on, ride that train! <\/p>\n

He points again.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nAnd ride it!<\/p>\n

Pat recognizes the song as Quad City DJ\u2019s C\u2019mon \u2018N Ride It. The two do a few bars together.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nCome on ride that train!<\/p>\n

PAT
\nAnd ride it.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nCome on ride that train-<\/p>\n

SAM \/ PAT
\nAnd ride it!
\n
\nSam begins to fatigue. Starts singing a different song.<\/em><\/p>\n

SAM
\nSmokes a pack a day, oh wait that\u2019s me, but anyway- she doesn\u2019t care a thing about that, hey, she thinks I\u2019m beautiful. Meet Virginia. I can\u2019t wait toooo… Meet Virginia, hey eee yaaay…<\/p>\n

PAT
\nWhat?<\/p>\n

SAM
\nWhat?<\/p>\n

PAT
\nWhat was that?<\/p>\n

SAM
\nMeet Virginia. By Train\u2026<\/p>\n

PAT
\nBit of a stretch\u2026<\/p>\n

SAM
\nNo.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nYou\u2019re ridiculous.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nI\u2019m ridiculous? You do better.<\/p>\n

Pat prepares himself. He takes as much enjoyment in singing it as Sam does listening to it.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nHello. I\u2019m Johnny Cash.
\n\"\"
\nSinging.<\/em><\/p>\n

PAT
\nI hear the train a comin\u2019, it\u2019s rolling round the bend… and I ain\u2019t seen the sunshine since… i don\u2019t know when… I\u2019m stuck inside this prison and time keeps draggin\u2019 on but that train keeps a rollin\u2019 down on down to San Antone… When I was just a baby my mama told me son, always be a good boy, don\u2019t ever play with guns, but I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die, when I hear that whistle blowin\u2019 I hang my head and cry…<\/p>\n

SAM
\nThat was a good one, Pat.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nThank you Virginia.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nVirginia and Patricia, together forever.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nYa know, there\u2019s a song in there somewhere\u2026 <\/p>\n

SAM
\nYeah?<\/p>\n

PAT
\nOr a play.<\/p>\n

SAM
\nOr a warning label on some pharmaceutical drug that makes your imagination disappear.<\/p>\n

PAT
\nWe should be writing this stuff down.<\/p>\n

The pair looks at each other\u2026 Then they look up\u2026 It rains\u2026 They don\u2019t react to the drops on their faces.
\n<\/em>
\n\"\" <\/p>\n

***************<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Transit By Jonathan Albert Jonathan Albert is an adjunct professor of theatre at Union College. He teaches acting and playwriting. He is also the owner of Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs. We are happy Planet Jonathan is in concentric orbit with Planet Arthur. Sounds of crickets at night. Sounds of water slowly washing ashore. A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,15,34],"tags":[120,36,118,119],"class_list":["post-830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","category-music","category-theater","tag-jonathan-albert","tag-theater","tag-train","tag-transit"],"yoast_head":"\r\nPlanet Jonathan: Transit - The Daily Planet Arthur<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/daily-planet-arthur\/2017\/03\/planet-jonathan-transit\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Planet Jonathan: Transit - The Daily Planet Arthur\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Transit By Jonathan Albert Jonathan Albert is an adjunct professor of theatre at Union College. 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