Darwin’s Folly
by
Bob Chubon

     Darwin’s Folly can succinctly be described as a reality play. The drama begins with a trilogy presenting three contrasting segments of society. The different survival issues with which they are confronted and the manner in which they cope are revealed. A tropical fish store serves as the catalyst to bring out their divergent worldviews. Scene one portrays a baglady who is mentally ill and struggles to preserve her freedom by living on the streets. Scene two presents a pair of gang-types who view the streets as "a jungle." Scene three centers around a young, middle class couple who are only superficially concerned with survival issues. Scene four brings home reality, first through the tropical store owner’s loss of a favorite fish, and then with his brutal murder. Before his murder, however, he has a dream in which Darwin’s Theory is turned upside down, setting the stage for the revelation of the injustice inherent in the "survival of the fittest" thesis about to come. The final scene focuses on the newfound reality of the middle class couple.

     Characters include a late middle aged street person (bag lady), Sting and Sharky, two teenaged gang members, Beth and Stan, a young middleclass couple who are in love, and Salvadore, the elderly Italian-American tropical fish store owner.

     Staging can be as minimal as some open partitions to delineate the store, a couple of aquariums on stands, and a small table with a couple of chairs.

     The reading time of the one-act play is 60-65 minutes.

.rachubon@sc.rr.com.