126

ACT 1 • SCENE 10

CHURCH—NIGHT

Mary Jane is outside church. She checks her cell phone. Looks around. No one here...yet. She walks into church.

MARY JANE: Dear God.

CHORUS:
Ooh ooh

I’m sorry I haven’t been here in a while. (sniffing) Smells the same. Frankincense and Murphy’s oil soap. And all the votive candles. Just twenty-five cents to light one and make a wish. That’s all prayers are, aren’t they?

She puts a quarter in the box. She puts a couple more quarters in the box.

MARY JANE: I have a few if that’s okay. My marriage isn’t working. I don’t know if Steve loves me anymore. In fact, I’m not even sure he likes me. Not sure you can fix that one.

She kneels down, trying to pray.

MARY JANE:
Please bless my daughter
Frankie. I named her Mary
Frances after the Blessed
Mother. That has to count
for something. I love her so
much, but I never know what
to say to her. And please
bless my Nick. He’s the only
thing I’ve done correctly.

CHORUS:
Ooh...
Ooh...
Ooh...
Ooh...
Ooh...
Ooh...
Ooh...

She sits down in a pew.

One more thing...I don’t ask you for much. The last time I asked you for something was...well, you remember, back in college—

even after that night, well, that was my fault— I trusted that—somehow—it was your will.

A VOICE:
Ooh...

Ooh...

I remember thinking to myself: really? Is this what God wants for me? But I held it together. I powered through. Now I need your help.

We hear the drum beat of “FORGIVEN” beginning.

MARY JANE: My medicine stopped working. It got so I needed more and more. I’m sure you saw how bad it was getting. (hopeful) So I’ve started tapering! I’ve been taking a little less every day. But it’s really hard. And I’m not myself. I need you to help me get through this. It’ll be over soon. I’ll be back to normal. And no one will know. (desperate) Please—it’s Christmas. I’ve come back home.

Mary Jane sings “FORGIVEN.”

MARY JANE: You know how us Catholic girls can be / Aye yi aye yi yi yi / We make up for so muchtime a little too late / I never forgot it, confusing as it was / No fun with no guilt feelings / The sinners, the saviors, the lover-less priests / I’ll see you next Sunday / I sang alleluia in the choir

Al, alleluia-luia
luia
I confessed my darkest deeds
To an envious man

My brothers they never
went blind
For what they did¹
But I may as well have
In the name of the father,
the skeptic
And the son
I had one more
Stupid question
I have my reason to be here
I still have a thing
or two to learn
I still needed something
to cling to
So I will²
What I learned
I rejected
But I believe again
I will suffer
the consequence

CHORUS:
Al, alleluia-luia
luia

To an envious man

No! No!

Ahh

Oh, oh

One more
Sinner!
Witch!
Whore!

Ooh you will
What I learned
I rejected

I will suffer the
consequence

1 “Within religion, men could be these powerful sexual beings, and if women even think about it, they’re judged as whores and dirty, damaged goods.”

2 Says Kitt, “Compared to the original version, the chorus comes late—by design. I wanted to avoid having MJ land in the catharsis of the chorus right away, so she could explode after the second verse. I suggested it early in the development process, and it seemed to work on a number of levels.”