CAST:
A group of Pythagoreans
Philolaus
Brontinus
Pythagoras
SCENE: A darkened room. A group of Pythagoreans are gathered around a smoking cauldron, chanting, arrhythmically and atonally, the numbers “3,” “5,” and “9.” PHILOLAUS and BRONTINUS are mixing ingredients into the cauldron.
PHILOLAUS sprinkles some white powder into the cauldron and chants “12” in a strange, disembodied voice. BRONTINUS does the same.
PHILOLAUS sprinkles some green powder into the cauldron and chants “27” in the same voice. The smoke suddenly becomes green. BRONTINUS does the same, and the green smoke intensifies.
PHILOLAUS sprinkles some blue powder into the cauldron and chants “4.” The cauldron’s smoke now has a slight bluish tint. BRONTINUS gives him a strange look before sprinkling some blue powder into the cauldron and chanting “7.”
PHILOLAUS looks up, sprinkles in some more blue powder, and chants “4,” a little more forcefully. BRONTINUS again responds with “7.”
PHILOLAUS takes much more powder than necessary and throws it into the cauldron, saying “4” through clenched teeth. BRONTINUS kicks over the cauldron and shouts “7!” The group of Pythagoreans behind them stops their chanting except for a couple who have to be prodded to realize a violent outbreak is very near.
PHILOLAUS and BRONTINUS shout “4” and “7” back and forth at each other.
PYTHAGORAS enters with a large book. The group of Pythagoreans scatters. PHILOLAUS and BRONTINUS look up at him.
PYTHAGORAS opens the book, silently reads a small passage, and then looks up and says, victoriously, “19!” He snaps the book shut.
CURTAIN
[NOTE: I wrote down the basic idea for this in a notebook sometime this semester during a lecture that touched briefly on the Pythagoreans. Philolaus and Brontinus are the names of two actual Pythagorean philosophers, but this play is not historically accurate.]
