Scene: Middle-Aged Divorced Couple, Country Club Types

This is a scene excerpt from BLUE SKIES YONDER by Peter Fenton for the roles MARYBETH and PRESTON, a middle-aged couple who is recently divorced. BLUE SKIES YONDER is an Agatha Christie-inspired dark comedy murder mystery play currently seeking a world premiere. This copyrighted monologue is free for use in audition and educational settings. The full play can be read on New Play Exchange or read a sample on this website.  © 2024 by Peter Fenton. All rights reserved.

About the Characters:

MARYBETH FOWLER (50s, female-presenting, any ethnicity), an Ivy League English professor and highly selective literary agent who recently went through a financially damaging divorce. A ruthless negotiator with a cool head and a sharp tongue, Marybeth keeps close tabs on who owes her favors and what exactly she owes. She represents Harrison—and she’s also his mother. Her instinct, always, is to protect.

PRESTON FOWLER (50s, male-presenting, almost definitely white), a New York City real estate mogul who is hosting the launch party for his son Harrison Fowler's novel, BLUE SKIES YONDER, at his recently-acquired luxury mountain cabin. An aspiring author himself, Preston knows his son’s secrets and keeps a close eye on Harrison’s budding career and those he rubs elbows with—and he’s no stranger to a good old fashioned backroom handshake.

About the Play:

Full-length. A contemporary Agatha Christie-inspired locked room murder mystery in the shadow of late-stage capitalism. At his lavish book launch party, a promising young author spirals under the weight of a mismanaged manuscript and the deadly ambitions of his colleagues and loved ones. In the cutthroat world of publishing, the real killer might be whoever tells the best story. A dark comedy about queer survival, creative ownership, and the stories we tell to stay relevant—even if it kills us.

MARYBETH

We’re fighting an uphill battle, Press. The fact is, he knows what you want. And he understands that nobody gets anywhere in life by themselves.

PRESTON

Didn’t I?

Marybeth laughs.

PRESTON

What’s so funny?

MARYBETH

Do—did I not put you in the room with Corey just now? Was I not faithfully by your side for twenty-nine years?

PRESTON

Are you sure you want to pick a fight with me?

MARYBETH

Are you sure you want to pick a fight with me?

She draws his attention to her left hand. She’s wearing her wedding ring.

PRESTON

Is that my ring?

MARYBETH

This old thing? On the day you gave it to me, you said till death do us part.

PRESTON

And then you left me.

MARYBETH

I agreed to represent your novel today on the condition of permanent financial stability. What part of “permanent financial stability” did you understand to mean anything other than renewing our marriage?

PRESTON

I’m not marrying you again.

You’re not seeing a penny from me until you sell my book.

MARYBETH

Do you know why nobody wants your book? It’s not because you’re a straight man in your 50s. It’s because you wrote a bad book.

PRESTON

A bad book.

MARYBETH

It had potential. It always did. But when I open a manuscript that I did line edits in back in 2008 and I see you never changed a damn word—that’s when it became a bad book.

Preston Fowler built his business all by himself. But he’ll never write the Great American novel.

PRESTON

There’s nothing my son can do that I can’t.

MARYBETH

Our son.

HARRIS

Wait. Mom... invited me to query right after she left.

MARYBETH

As a woman of business, I recognize you’re a gifted writer.

As a woman of literature, I appreciate the irony.

PRESTON

(to Marybeth.)

Go to Hell.

MARYBETH

You first.

***

That's the end of the excerpt! If you want to read more from this play, go over to the plays page on this website. If you want to check out more monologues by Peter Fenton, there are a few on the blog.

Want to use it in an audition or in a classroom setting?

Be my guest! This material is free to use for those settings only. While I'd love to know that you resonated enough with my words to use it as part of your audition or class, you do not need to ask me permission. All I ask is that you credit me as the author and the play that it came from.

Want to perform it publicly or use it in a different way?

Please contact me and explain your situation. We'll come up with an agreement that makes sense and is fair to us both.