ELIJAH (African Ameican) takes MARIN (a white woman) captive to remedy an injustice that’s been done to him by her husband. Though they both are very frightened and mistrustful of each other, they nevertheless start to bond though their common love of poetry. When things begin to get especially tense, however, and the stakes are raised, their arguments about what constitutes a victim and what a victimizer begin to get personal. ELIJAH challenges MARIN to a “poetry striptease”—i.e., If she can recite Langston Hughes’ poem “As I Grew Older,” he promises to un-tie her. As the crisis ensues, each of them is required to make a life and death decision that involves not only their own life, but also that of the other person.
Cast:
ELIJAH KING: A black, charismatic (brilliant) ex-con; approaching forty. He mixes “street” rhythms and “street” intonations with his vast, intellectual knowledge and myriad poetic references.
MARIN APPLEGATE: An affluent, white, “literary do-gooder;” early fifties. She’s a non-fiction travel writer and both highly anxious and agoraphobic.
