Ben's Play

Characters:

Character 1 - [ Ben Dantzic ]

[A quiet boy who dreams of being an Avenger.]

Character 2 - [ The Avengers ]

[You know ‘em]

Character 3 - [ Lizzo the Lizard ]

[A royalty-free villian bent on making the Avengers smell like fish]

Setting: St. Louis, Missouri 

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Scene 1:  [ A Humble Beginning ]

(Ben looks out the window of his bedroom as Captain America bashes Whiplash with his shield. Whiplash collapses to a knee.)

[ Captain America ]: Give it up Whiplash, you’re whipped!

(Thor superhero-lands around the kneeling Whiplash.)

(Falcon swoops in with Black Widow they fist-bump)

[Falcon]: Mission accomplished

[Black Widow]: Yeah.

[ Thor ]: Nice throw Cap. You’re the best Avenger on our team.

(Suddenly a rumble is heard as The Hulk lands next to them, sending asphalt into the air like confetti)

[ Hulk ]: RAHHHHHHHHHHH!

[ Thor ]: See Cap, even Hulk agrees.

(Ben holds his Thor action figure in his hand.)

[ Ben ]: I wish I could be a good Avenger like those guys.

[ Captain America ]: All that fighting is making me hungry. Let’s go get some steak.

(The Avengers walk down the street as the police put Whiplash into cuffs. Ben follows them to T.G.I Friday’s. The Avengers walk in and the place is empty except for a set table in the middle with 5 plates of the finest filet mignon.)

[ Thor ]: Filet mignon! Perfect!

(Ben watches them sit at the table and begin cutting into the steak.)

(SUDDENLY, metal bars erect around the table, erupting through the tile floor and arcing over the table. The Avengers are TRAPPED in the metal cage, which plummets through the floor and splashes into the sewers below.)

[ Captain America ]: Holy mackerel!

[ Thor ]: We’re trapped! Cap, do something!

(Captain America grips the bars and strains to pull them apart, but they don’t budge.)

[ Captain America ]: I can’t break them. They’re too strong.

[ Lizzo ]: Nice try Avengers. But it’s futile for you to try and break the stinky metal of my cage. MUHAHAHAHA!

(Out of the murky water, a giant Lizard rises, standing over 7 feet tall. He smiles revealing 12 rows of razor-sharp teeth.)

[ Lizzo ]: My name is Lizzo. And I can make anybody stinky. Even you, Avengers. Why are Avengers great till they gotta be great?

Scene 2:  [ The Last Hope ]

(As Lizzo makes his evil speech, Ben sneaks down the hole into the sewer. He hides behind the cage.) 

[ Captain America ]: Who’s this kid? You shouldn’t be here. This is for superheroes only!

[Ben]: Have no fear, Benjamin Dantzic is here!

[Captain America]: Do you even have any powers?

[Ben]: Not yet, but I will.

[Thor]: Leave him alone Cap. Hey kid, do you think you can find the key and get us out of here?

[Ben]: I don’t need a key to break metal!

(Ben grips the bars with both hands and strains against it, but it was too strong. Ben puts his hands on his knees and catches his breath.)

[Captain America]: See Thor, I told you he couldn’t do it.

[Black Widow]: Kid, if you can’t help, then just leave.

[Ben]: Fine, but when you really need to call me, I’ll be back.

(Ben climbs out of the hole, as he looks down, he sees Lizzo wheeling a big machine to the cage.)

[Lizzo]: This is my stink gun. Once it is powered up, you’ll smell like filleted fish FOREVER! MUHAHAHAHA!

(The Avengers begin to cough)

[Black Widow]: Oh no! I can’t smell like fish forever!

[Falcon]: Me neither, I’ll die in here.

[Hulk]: Hulk no like fillet fish. Fish stinky!

(Ben stops at the top of the hole and looks down one last time.)

[Ben]: Oh no, the Avengers really need my help, I have to believe in myself!

(He drops back down behind the cage while Lizzo is distracted)

[Lizzo]: I do my tail toss, check my scales… Baby how you feelin’?

[Black Widow]: We feel terrible! We need help!

[Ben]: How can I help to get you out

[Thor]: You have to break the cage

[Ben]: But I couldn’t

[Thor]: You just got to try. You got to believe in yourself. I break things with Mjölnir, my hammer, all the time. Now it’s your turn.

[Hulk]: Hulk trapped. Ben smash cage. Then Avengers free!

(Ben closes his eyes and grips the bars once again. He breathes out slowly and begins to pull on them. The metal creaks under the stress, but does not break.)

(Lizzo notices Ben and laughs)

[Lizzo]: What do we have here? You can’t break that cage. Not even the Avengers could break that cage.

[Black Widow]: Keep on trying kid. You can’t give up. We Avengers never give up.

[Ben]: Yes I can, Lizzo, you big reptile! I...AM... METAL-BREAKER!!!

(In a sudden display of superhuman strength, Ben rips the bars clean off, sending them clattering against the stone walls on either side.)

[Lizzo]: Uh oh.

Scene 3:  [ The Rise of Metal-Breaker ]

(The Avengers break free and they begin to fight the stinky lizard. They make short work of him and have him defeated in no time.)

[Captain America ]: Hey kid, that was pretty good.

[Ben]: My name is Metal Breaker.

[Captain America]: Ok, Metal Breaker, how would you like to be the New Avenger in the world?

[Ben]: Sure I’m in.

[Black Widow]: Welcome aboard.

[Falcon]: Welcome to the team.

(Thor pulls out an action figure)

[Thor]: They even started making Metal-Breaker action figures. I already bought one!

(Captain America points at Lizzo on the ground)

[Captain America]: What do we do about this guy?

[Lizzo]: It ain’t my fault. Now I want to make a truce. Gotta blame it on my juice! Gotta blame it on my juice! Yeah yeah.

(Lizzo holds out a juicebox defensively. Ben swats it aside.)

[Ben]: You can blame it on your juice when you’re in prison!

End Play

Read about Ben's experience writing the play here.