“Seven” by Les Epstein
Les Epstein’s first book, Seven, was published in 2018 and consists of short plays he wrote in the early 2000s that have received productions. It ends with the libretto for the opera, Miss Lucy, which was produced at Community High School in 2011.
A cemetery in a rural area at the end of the 20th century. The cemetery is old and run over by nature. Vines and weeds curl over the headstones. A faded, white picket fence encloses the small cemetery. Kudzu consumes a tree that overlooks the headstone of Ruby Plumb. Her stone simply reads: “And Lord Taketh: Ruby Plumb, April 1, 1905 September 15, 1942.” As the lights come up we hear the voices of Jack and Esther Plumb an aging couple that have come to clean up the cemetery. They carry buckets, rakes, and paint. A second stone, looking rather new reads: “The Marvel of Montpelier, Mr. Charles Gregory, B 1884, D 1912. Actor, Humanitarian. The Marvel’s Still in the Crypt.”