A suburban family confronts an unfathomable mystery when friends and neighbors suddenly begin vanishing without a trace.
“Our Town” meets “Black Mirror” in the new play “It Happened on Mulberry Street.”
The best stories share a quality that transcends time: They entertain by engaging the audience’s imagination. This served as a north star while writing “It Happened on Mulberry Street.” I wanted to give audiences a rollercoaster ride – one that would make them laugh, lean forward in their seats with anticipation and, perhaps, by the end, find their hearts in their throats.
Set in the 1950s, the play opens with the Millers – Walt and Betty, and their children, Jim, Susan, and Alice – living an idyllic suburban life with their friendly neighbors on Mulberry Street.
Inspired by classic sitcoms like “Father Knows Best,” Act 1 grounds the audience in a familiar setting, celebrating small-town community and the nuclear family, before an outside threat rears its head.
Then the disappearances begin, and the domestic comedy takes an ominous turn into “The Twilight Zone” in Act 2. Suddenly, townspeople are vanishing without cause, without a trace and without witnesses.
As Mulberry Street residents grapple with the unimaginable, they learn the outbreak of disappearances has reached neighboring towns.
My favorite stories innovate, disrupt and provoke. Like Orson Welles’s legendary “War of the Worlds” broadcast, Rod Serling’s pop culture-defining “The Twilight Zone” and Charlie Brooker’s cerebral gut-punch “Black Mirror,” I aimed to defy conventions and subvert expectations.
“It Happened on Mulberry Street” holds a mirror to the “Age of Anxiety” and reflects our own modern fears: nuclear war, cancel culture…and what happens when mankind confronts an existential horror.
In Act 3, entire cities have vanished across the country and the world. Soon, the Millers are alone on Mulberry Street. That’s when the reason for the world’s annihilation is finally revealed…challenging everything they’ve ever believed about God, their fellow man and their very existence.
Here’s an exclusive excerpt from “It Happened on Mulberry Street.” Like it? Share it! And if you want to see a production, let your local theatre hear about it.
Jason Price is an American novelist, screenwriter and playwright whose work has been performed at Houston’s Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre and Stages. Jason’s prescient 2010 debut novel, “Republican Punk” – the gonzo travelogue of an ordinary man running for President of the United States – was hailed as “timely,” “relevant” and a “minor classic.” Jason has worked in movie marketing for 20 years, spearheading the local publicity and promotional campaigns of several major movie studios and hundreds of films, including 6 Best Picture winners.
ACT II
Scene 1
SETTING: Following morning. Outside the Millers’ house.
AT RISE: Identical to the opening scene: WALT closes the front door of his house and turns to greet the splendor of a new morning. He exchanges a friendly wave with ROGER, then moves to pick up the newspaper from the porch. This time, though, something is different: His grasp comes up empty. He meets ROGER between houses, while glancing back curiously to ensure he didn’t miss the paper (he didn’t).
ROGER
You look like a man with a mind that’s troubled. What’s troublin’ your mind, man?
WALT
Newspaper’s not here yet.
ROGER
Say, now that you mention it, I didn’t get my paper this morning either.
WALT
Maybe he’s late. (beat) Koufax lost.
ROGER
He got no help from the bats.
WALT
You think Ed forgot about the deal?
ROGER
Ed’s a man of honor. He doesn’t forget a bet he lost.
They both glance around the street suspiciously. They’re both unmoved by what they see.
ROGER
Nothing else unusual, far as I can tell. (beat) You know what we have here, Walt?
WALT
What do we have here, Roger?
ROGER
An old-fashioned small-town mystery.
WALT
Or—
ROGER
Mary likes to read those mystery paperbacks. Never thought one would land right here in Riverside.
WALT
Or a coincidence.
ROGER
Could be the Russians abducted them too. We shouldn’t rule anything out. We should phone the Sheriff.
WALT
And tell him what, exactly? Mornin’ Sheriff, sorry to bother you, it’s Walt and Roger. We’d like to report a missing person. Two missing persons. You see, we didn’t get our newspapers this morning and our milkman didn’t hold up his end of a friendly wager. Our best guess? Glad you asked. We believe they’ve been abducted…by Russians…for a mind control experiment.
ROGER
I bet he’s been phoned for a lot less.
WALT
I’d take that bet and your money.
ROGER
Three.
WALT
(confused) Three?
ROGER
Three missing persons. You forgot Sally’s husband.
WALT
He walked out. He didn’t come home. That’s different.
ROGER
Is it? We don’t know yet. Three people are missing. By my count, that’s exactly three more than have ever gone missing in Riverside.
WALT
We don’t know the paperboy and Ed are missing. I’m certain there’s an explanation for this.
JIM, SUSAN and ALICE enter with their textbooks. They stop by WALT before exiting in high spirits (as high as can be headed for school).
WALT
(to ROGER) Sally’s husband leaves their house…on foot…on account of the firewater…
JIM
(hugs WALT) Bye, Pop.
WALT
(to JIM) Have a great day at school, slugger.
(to ROGER) He passes out…also on account of the firewater…and he doesn’t return home.
ROGER
It’s been almost two days. (beat) And the paperboy?
SUSAN
(hugs WALT) Bye, Dad.
WALT
(to SUSAN) Have a great day at school, princess.
(to ROGER) The paperboy, he runs into an aggressive doberman, or rather the doberman runs into him, he abandons his route.
ALICE
(hugs WALT) Bye, Daddy.
WALT
(to ALICE) Have a great day at school, kitten.
ROGER
Ed?
WALT
(struggles) Ed…
(exasperated) Ed…
(breathlessly) He’s in an accident, he finds a phone, calls his wife to let her know. (beat) I’m sure they’re fine. I’m sure they’re all fine.
BETTY enters and approaches the men.
BETTY
(calls out) Honey?
(joins the men) I just got off the phone with Ed’s wife. She’s frantic. She asked if we’d seen him.
ROGER
(curiously) Walt and I were just sayin’—
BETTY
She prepares him breakfast every morning. Except this morning she woke up, he was already gone.
WALT
Ed promised to stop by before the rooster crowed. He must have forgotten to tell her.
ROGER
Walt and I were just sayin’ we hadn’t seen him.
BETTY
How dreadful. That’s what I feared. (beat) I’ll call her back, try to give her this news as gently as I know how.
(returns to front door) I don’t know what else to do. (mumbles to herself) I wish there was more I could do.
Before BETTY exits:
WALT
And darling? Why don’t you phone Sheriff Bud.
BETTY exits. ROGER perks up at the development, and eyes WALT suspiciously.
WALT
(defensively) Better to alert the Sheriff and not need him, than to need the Sheriff and not alert him. (barely convincing himself) But I’m sure Ed’s ok.
ROGER
He said nothing stops the milkman. Remember? Except—
WALT
Except an act of God.
ROGER
Do you think that’s a lead, Walt?
WALT
You’d have to ask God.
ROGER
What’s God got against Ed? He’s the most upstanding guy I know…present company excluded. Maybe it’s not personal. You’re a religious man, Walt. More than I am. But I do believe everything happens for a reason.
BETTY hastily enters.
BETTY
The kids aren’t going to school, Walt.
WALT and ROGER peer off at the distance.
WALT
I’d say. Hey, Roger, are those the kids heading back?
BETTY
I spoke to the Sheriff. Harold called him in a panic. Edith went outside this morning to water the gardenias and didn’t return. When he checked on her, she was gone.
WALT
Gone?
BETTY
Missing.
WALT
That’s strange.
BETTY
There’s more.
WALT
(concerned, preoccupied by the kids off stage) More?
ALICE, SUSAN, JIM and CAL enter. ALICE walks past WALT.
ALICE
No bus, Daddy.
SUSAN walks past WALT.
SUSAN
No bus, Dad.
JIM walks past WALT.
JIM
No bus, Pop.
CAL walks past WALT.
CAL
No bus, Daddy-O.
BETTY
Reports of buses missing their stops. That’s when the Sheriff had to let me go.
MARY enters.
MARY
Peggy Sue brought the twins to school. She said it was chaos. Teachers who hadn’t shown up. Students who never got dropped off. They’re canceling school today. But more importantly, no one can seem to figure out what’s going on.
JIM
You hear that, Pop? No school! Isn’t that swell?
WALT
(sarcastically) Real swell, Jim. Real swell. (beat) Why don’t you go inside now, take care of your sisters.
JIM
Everything ok?
WALT
(unconvincingly) Yes…Maybe…I’m not sure.
JIM
Well, don’t be long. There’s a limit to how long I can keep those two alive. (to SUSAN and ALICE) C’mon…I guess.
JIM and CAL lead SUSAN and ALICE inside the house.
WALT
Are the teachers on strike?
MARY
I hadn’t heard, if they are.
ROGER
And if they are, she would’ve heard.
STANLEY calls from off stage.
STANLEY
(shouts from across the street) Morning Walt.
WALT
Morning Stanley.
STANLEY
You heard about all these folks gone missing?
WALT
It’s the darndest thing. We can’t make heads or tails of it.
STANLEY
I’ll bring the radio.
STANLEY enters with a transistor radio, turning the dial until the active static lifts.
RADIO ANNOUNCER
…The operator is having trouble managing calls to the Sheriff. It’s unclear if the increased call volume is related to recent reports of missing persons. We’ve arranged an interview with Sheriff Bud and will bring that interview to you momentarily. Until then…what hijinks will Fibber get into this time? Let’s find out, as we return to our Fibber McGee and Molly marathon. Your daily forecast calls for a high of 76 and a low of 65. Not a cloud in the sky…
STANLEY lowers the radio volume.
ROGER
Consider the sheer volume of calls…
WALT
Nothing bad can happen on a bright day, can it?
STANLEY
Only time phone lines were jammed, when the whole town called to wish Bud a happy birthday.
BETTY
Do you suppose this is coordinated?
ROGER
I sure hope it is.
WALT
How do you figure?
ROGER
Because if it’s not coordinated, that means it’s random. And if it’s random, what’s to stop it from happenin’ to any of us, at any time? Or to any of our children.
BETTY
I shiver at the thought. In fact, I’m going inside right now to check on the kids.
MARY
I’ll do the same. And leave it to you three to get this cat down from the tree.
BETTY and MARY exit to their respective houses.
WALT gives ROGER a frustrated glare.
WALT
You scared off the ladies.
ROGER
Like I’m back at the punch bowl at prom.
WALT
At least some things never change.
STANLEY
I’m certain the Sheriff will have a reasonable answer for all this, and the town will be back to normal soon. That’s what the Sheriff wants, too…
WALT
No kidding!
STANLEY
…when the biggest concern was Old Man Wilson’s habit for running stop signs…
WALT
…or the Carson Brothers’ moonshine racket. (beat) I just hope everyone is ok…
ROGER
…wherever they are.
JIM and CAL enter and join the men.
JIM
Ma’s inside with the girls. She doesn’t want them getting worried…but she says I’m old enough to stay out here.
RADIO ANNOUNCER
Ladies and gentlemen…
STANLEY raises the radio volume.
RADIO ANNOUNCER
Ladies and gentlemen…following up on our last bulletin, we have Sheriff Bud on the phone. Thank you, Sheriff, for speaking with us this morning. Know you’re busy, and we’ll be mindful of your time. How many people are missing?
SHERIFF BUD
We are actively investigating several reports, but I can confirm, at this time, 19 credible cases…starting with the disappearance of Bill Hendricks some 32 hours ago. This figure also includes fireman Dale Eggers, paperboy Tommy Watts, milkman Ed Shepherd, telephone operator Edith Baxter, school bus driver Mark Calloway…I don’t have my list with me, I apologize. We spoke with deputies from nearby counties Rockwell and Andersonville and cases appear to be isolated to Riverside, which I understand serves as no consolation to those with missing loved ones.
RADIO ANNOUNCER
Why is this happening to our town?
SHERIFF BUD
That’s the $64,000 question. I aim to find out, and won’t rest ‘til I do. At present, we have folks disappearing without reason…without cause…without a trace…and, well, that just don’t add up. Listeners are encouraged to remain aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity. In the meantime, deputies from Rockwell will begin aiding in the investigations. This will help Mabel manage calls and reduce the number of folks lining up outside my office. (beat) Now, more peculiar news on an already peculiar morning. We’ve also received unconfirmed reports of public statues that have vanished, including Rodin’s The Thinker outside the town library. It’s still too early to determine if this is all connected or coincidence. Needless to say, but I’ll say it nonetheless… this is nothing we have ever experienced…or could ever conceive, for that matter. The hours may be uncertain now as we confront the unknown. But our town is strong. And our town is resilient. So I urge everyone to remain calm…exercise caution…and hold to their faith.
RADIO ANNOUNCER
Thank you for taking the time, Sheriff. We’ll check in later…
STANLEY lowers the radio volume.
WALT
Are you worried, Jim?
JIM
A little bit.
WALT
So am I, champ.
JIM
Isn’t Mrs. Baxter the little old lady, sits on the front pew with her Bible every Sunday?
ROGER
If it’s coming for the old ladies at church, I’m a goner.
STANLEY
Land developers removed the statues, right? Can we all agree that’s the only reasonable explanation here?
ROGER
Land developers…who didn’t alert the city first?
STANLEY
For every action there’s a cause and effect. We’re witnessing the effect. We just can’t see the cause yet.
ROGER
What if it’s the Russians. They have an A-bomb, and a hydrogen bomb, and a ballistic missile. What if they developed something that can make folks disappear.
FRANK enters.
FRANK
Had to take a walk, y’know? Clear my head. No way to live, inside four walls of fear and anxiety.
WALT
Maybe this is all a practical joke.
STANLEY
Like that Orson Welles program “War of the Worlds,” had everyone losing their marbles. After all, people can’t just vanish.
WALT
That’s right. People can’t just vanish.
JIM
Unless, of course, this is the work of aliens who have the power to zap us up…(snaps finger) …like that!
ROGER
It’s as good a guess as any.
JIM
And what if all those missing persons are on another planet or another dimension?
STANLEY
(jokingly) No one’s seen any UFOs or monsters, Jim. Do you know the odds of aliens traveling light years across the universe, leaving no trace, and no eyewitnesses?
JIM
Maybe they aren’t green guys with antennae. Maybe it’s a microbe…
CAL
Yeah, a microbe that drives people mad!
WALT
I think we’re all going a little mad.
FRANK
Your knowledge of science may be great, Stanley, but perhaps what we have here is a failure of imagination. Humor me. We live on Earth…suppose they live a million light years away. We’re alone in the universe without any chance of meeting, until the day we do. Then all bets are off, see? It’s impossible right up until it isn’t. If you were a caveman and I brought you a newspaper, it would flip your lid. Like magic. Maybe whatever is behind this is more akin to a magician.
ROGER
That’s one evil magician, I’d say.
STANLEY
There’s no evidence for an alien life form.
ROGER
There’s also no evidence against it. Can’t rule anything out. What’s happening to our town is seemingly random, possibly widespread, and quite obviously destructive. If it’s random, how do we stop it? If it’s widespread, how far? And how much longer do we have until it draws our number? (beat) If the schools are missing their teachers…and the buses are missing their drivers…and the victims are merely the result of some cosmic game of chance…and you multiply that across the whole population…numbers, gentlemen, are about to soar. I don’t think any of us are prepared for what’s coming.
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