The stage area is bare except for a ramp or some risers making the upstage area higher than downstage. The 'Star Wars' theme music starts playing. The Narrator steps into position. Sign-holders pick up the signs, tilt them, and walk upstage (then offstage) as the Narrator reads.
NARRATOR
Long ago in galaxy far, far wider than our own. LARD WARS
Episode Ate: The Death Starch
Obesity is really widespread. The galaxy is filled with 60 Billion overweight people (of course those are round figures). The Empire is trying to put everyone on a diet. They've tried before: saccharine, Sweatin'-to-the-Oldies, and (of course) Imperial margarine.
But now Imperial forces under the command of Lard Evader plan to feed the ponderous rebels its newest weapon: Starch Blockers. Princess Leia Cake, a rebel sympathizer, has stolen the formula for the Starch Blockers.
If rebel scientists can analyze the formula, an antidote might be developed. But Evader has nearly caught up with the Princess as she flees the Imperial flagship
On the rebel ship
Enter Princess Leia and R2D-fruity. Leia is putting something into the robot. She speaks furtively.
LEIA
Take this message to Obese-One Kenobi. Make sure he gets the formula for the Imperial death starch. He's our only chance now.
Leia looks offstage.
LEIA (continued)
Oh no, someone's coming. Quick, R2, get going.
Leia shoves the robot toward the wings just as Lard Evader enters from the opposite side of the stage and grabs Leia's arm.
EVADER
All right, Princess, where is the formula?
LEIA
Well, Lard Evader, I might have known it was you when I smelled the Slim Fast. Get your skinny hands off me.
EVADER
Hand over those plans?
LEIA
Fat chance!
EVADER
You mean 'Slim chance'.
LEIA
No, Fat chance.
EVADER
Slim chance.
LEIA
Fat chance!
EVADER
Give me the plans. They aren't your plans.
LEIA
Yes, they are.
EVADER
They are not!
LEIA
Are too!
EVADER
Are not!
LEIA
Are too!
R2D-fruity squeaks and rolls back onto stage. Leia talks aside to R2.
LEIA (continued)
Get out of here, you stupid droid.
She puts on a big phony smile.
LEIA (continued)
What plans? I'm on a diplomatic mission.
EVADER
Not true. You have "rebel spy" written all over you.
She looks herself up and down.
LEIA
I thought it said "Goodyear".
EVADER
You're a fool! I would put an end to you...
Evader looks at her backside.
EVADER (continued)
...BUT you've beaten me to it. When I get through with you, you'll wish that your parents had practiced birth control.
Evader drags Leia offstage.
LEIA
Better 'birth control' than 'girth control', Licorice Stick. Your kind make me thick to my stomach.
NARRATOR
The little druid, R2D-fruity teams up with the daring young Luke Skywaddler. Together they find Obese-One Kenobi on the dessert (oops, that's desert) planet.
Inside Kenobi's home
Luke and Kenobi stand at opposite sides of a table. The table has a custard pie and big silver fork on it.
LUKE
The princess is in trouble. We've got to save her, but not on an empty stomach. First, a delicious custard pie.
Luke grabs a fistful of pie and stuffs it messily into his mouth (and face).
KENOBI
No, Luke, not like that!
LUKE
Huh?
Kenobi raises a large silver fork with a black handle.
KENOBI
Luke, use ...the Fork!
LUKE
The fork?
Luke finishes eating his handful of pie and towels himself clean.
KENOBI
The fork is the most powerful tool in all of gluttony. With the fork, a Red-Eye knight can eat anything. Your father was a Red-Eye knight. He never slept. He was too busy eating. Luke, your father wanted you to have this.
Kenobi pulls a can of Redi-wip from his pocket and hands it to Luke.
LUKE
What is it? A weapon?
KENOBI
Yes, it's a Red-Eye whip. Press that button (but only when going into battle) and a fluffy white whip forms at the end.
LUKE
Tell me about my father.
KENOBI
Ahhh, he was a Big man ...with a heart of cholesterol, but Lard Evader killed him.
LUKE
With the fork?
KENOBI
No, he gagged him with a spoon. You see, Evader was once a Red-Eye, too, until he was seduced by the dark side of the Fork.
Kenobi holds up the fork so that the handle is up.
LUKE
But no one could eat anything with that side of the fork.
KENOBI
Exactly! Well, we'd better get going.
LUKE
We can use my hover car.
Kenobi looks offstage toward the car, then sizes up the combined weight of Luke and himself.
KENOBI
Both of us? ...in that car?
LUKE
You're right. Let's take the bus.
NARRATOR
Luke and Kenobi set out to find a fearless man with a fast starship. Naturally, they start their search in a sleazy cantina.
Inside the cantina
Luke, Kenobi, Han and Chewfasta at a table. Kenobi introduces Han to Luke.
KENOBI
This is Han Sandwich. He has a ship that can get us out of here fast.
LUKE
But he has such a shady background.
HAN
You cast a pretty big shadow yourself, Kid.
LUKE
Who is that?
Luke points to Chewfasta.
HAN
That is Chewfasta. He's a Cookie.
LUKE
He looks like a ferret with a thyroid problem.
CHEWFASTA
Arrrooo Nnerrr Brrreh Baaahh, Butthead.
HAN
It's not wise to upset a Cookie. Cookies have been known to dunk people in milk and eat them alive. [Aside to Luke] And this one has a chocolate chip on his shoulder. What did you say your name was? Puke?
LUKE
Not Puke. Luke.
HAN
A natural mistake. You look a little bulimic to me.
LUKE
How did you guess? I'm partially bulimic. I binge. I just don't purge.
HAN
Well, keep annoying Chewfasta, and you'll have your Cookies toss you.
KENOBI
Enough! Stop your bickering. How much will it cost to get us out of this place?
HAN
It'll cost plenty. It'll take half the fuel on this planet to lift you two tubs into orbit. Let's say ...twenty thousand.
KENOBI
Twenty thousand? A ridiculous figure! [aside to the audience] Not the only one in this show. [to Han] It's a deal. Let's go.
NARRATOR
And so they set off across the galaxy to save the Princess who is wasting away in a jail cell on the Imperial flagship.
Inside the Imperial flagship.
Leia is banging a tin cup against the bars of the prison door. She shouts for the prison guards.
LEIA
Hey, when's suppertime in this hole? I haven't eaten in (what?) [checks wrist watch] 20 minutes. I'm not on a hunger strike, you know.
Leia makes a little mock banging of her head with the heel of her hand. She realizes that she has a cinnamon roll on her hair. She removes it and starts to eat it.
LUKE
[Calling] Princess, Princess, where are you?
LEIA
[Calling back] Luke, you're getting warmer.
HAN
Ha! Luke warm! Outta my way, Kid. I'm gonna blast the door down.
Han pushes in front of Luke. Shoots pop gun at jail cell. Door falls open. Leia steps in front of bars and asks Han...
LEIA
Who are you?
HAN
My name is Sandwich.
LEIA
You're my hero, Sandwich. What took you so long?
HAN
We got caught in the garbage dump. Luckily we had Chewfasta with us. He ate all the garbage.
CHEWFASTA
Aaarrrggghh rrrooaarr rrraarrgghh
LEIA
What did he say?
HAN
Oh, that was just his stomach growling. He's hungry again.
LEIA
Okay, so what's the plan?
HAN
Let's split up.
LEIA
We haven't even been on our first date, and you want to split up!?!
Luke steps in and takes Leia's arm like at an old-fashioned dance.
LUKE
Don't worry, Leia. He and Chewie can go back through the garbage dump. You and I can take the romantic way across the bottomless chasm.
Han slips into the jail cell and removes a pillow from the cot. He stuffs it into his pants/shirt front.
LUKE
What are you doing?
Han shrugs and answers meekly.
HAN
Padding my part.
Everyone nods and exits.
NARRATOR
Elsewhere on the Imperial flagship.
Somewhere on the flagship.
Evader senses the presence of his old mentor.
EVADER
Obese-One Kenobi is here somewhere. I can feel the vibrations in the fork ...and in the floor, and the walls, and everywhere.
Kenobi enters warily with his Red-Eye whip in hand. Evader recognizes him.
EVADER
And so we meet in battle. I will win easily. How can I miss a target like you?
Evader raises his Red-Eye whip can and shoves a 3-foot white fluffy stick out from the end of the can.
KENOBI
Let me get my Red-Eye whip.
Kenobi aims his Red-Eye whip at Evader and pushes the button. Instead of a solid whip coming out, a stream of Silly String squirts onto Evader.
EVADER
A little limp, don't you think, Kenobi? Is that why you've never had children?
KENOBI
I'm twice the man you are.
EVADER
In volume perhaps. Now, prepare to die.
Kenobi raises a hand to delay Evader until he has said his little speech.
KENOBI
If you strike me down, I'll become fatter than you can possibly imagine. My molecules will spread throughout the universe.
Kenobi holds his Red-Eye whip in both hands, against his chest, and awaits the crushing blow from Evader. Evader wields his Red-Eye whip up into a round-house swing to cut right through Kenobi's torso. As the whip reaches Kenobi, lighting effects flash and Kenobi pivots back behind the leg (or other screen) just behind and upstage of where he was hit. As Kenobi disappears behind the leg, an accomplice off stage releases one or more large (untied) balloons that sputter and scatter across the stage (hopefully). He then drops a karate gi on the floor where Kenobi was previously standing. Evader picks up the garment, shrugs, and exits.
Somewhere else on the flagship.
Luke and Leia run in with Luke in the lead. He pulls up abruptly near center stage to avoid falling in the chasm that crosses their path. She bumps into him and almost knocks him over the edge.
LEIA
Whoa. That was a close call. That nearly scared 20 pounds off my life.
LUKE
They're still behind us, and there's no bridge across this chasm. We'll have to swing across.
He takes a rope and grappling hook (imaginary) from his belt. He swings the hook a few times and throws it up at a structure above them. He tests the rope.
LEIA
Whatever you say, Chubbo. I'd kiss you if I could get within three feet of you.
Leia is barely able to get her arms around his neck.
LUKE
Ready? Here we go-o-o-o.
They pretend to swing across, but they don't make it all the way. They swing back and forth until they dangle over the chasm.
LEIA
Oh no. We missed the other side. Now the rope is probably going to break.
LUKE
I don't care. It doesn't matter anyway. I can barely hold on. Why don't you let go, and maybe I can get a better grip.
LEIA
No way, Fatso. I'm hangin' in there.
NARRATOR
Will our heroes get over the chasm? Will they get over the sarcasm? Will the rope break? Will they fall and squash someone?
Luke looks over at the narrator standing at the side of the stage.
LUKE
Hey, who are you, anyway?
NARRATOR
My name is Cliff. I'm the narrator.
LEIA
And what does the narrator do?
NARRATOR
I'm a cheap theatrical device to explain things that the playwright was too lazy to write into dialogue.
Cliff gets a funny look on his face. He reaches up to the back of his neck and removes a clothes hanger from his coat. He holds the hanger up and looks confused to see it.
LUKE
Aren't you gonna save us?
NARRATOR
No, this is a Cliff hanger.
LEIA
[groaning] I've changed my mind. I am going to let go.
Blackout. The narrator goes back to addressing the audience.
NARRATOR
Be sure to join us next time when we find our friends on the ice planet Hoth Fudge Sundae.
Ice planet Hoth Fudge Sundae.
Lights come up revealing Luke, Leia, and Han against a white backdrop.
HAN
The Empire is attacking. We have to get off this giant ice cream sundae!
LUKE
Sunday? It's only Tuesday now. Can we stop for dinner?
HAN
You don't seem to get the picture, Turkey.
LEIA
Turkey sounds good to me.
HAN
Listen, the Empire's attacking. We've got to go now.
LEIA
You want us to go out there? It's 90 degrees below zero out there, and that doesn't even consider the Wind Chill factor.
LUKE
Speaking of 'wind chills', can we stop for donuts?
Blackout. Han and Leia exit. Evader enters.
NARRATOR
Later, our heroes visit Lardo Calorie-Sin in a city floating on cotton candy. Han is freeze-dried into a TV dinner as Luke offhandedly fights Evader.
Somewhere in Cloud City.
Luke and Evader have Red-Eye whips extended. They are having a sword fight. They make sound effects with their mouths as they swing (vvvveeeeyooommm) and strike with their whips (kkkkahhh). After a few hits, they cross 'swords' into a close deadlock.
Note: Luke has a phony right hand as his fighting (upstage) hand
EVADER
Luke, I am your father.
LUKE
No, I don't believe it!
EVADER
Well, in a way I'm your father. I ate your father, and "you are what you eat".
LUKE
Oh, what a can of bull!
EVADER
Join me, and we'll rule equally as father and son.
LUKE
Never!
Evader's blade cuts off Luke's hand. Luke drops the phony hand and weapon. He holds up his arm to revel a long sleeve pulled over his right hand.
LUKE
Argh!
EVADER
I'm willing to shake on it.
Evader offers to shake hands.
NARRATOR
Join us for the next exciting episode of Lard Wars, and until then, may the Fork be with you.
Sign holders hustle in from the wings with 'LARD WARS' signs and walk them upstage as Luke and Evader exit. 'Star Wars' music up and out.
End of play.
Copyright © 2002 William Armstrong
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