BACK CARMEL 5'*m1f RT: Elijah vs 450 prophets of Baal (RT == Readers' Theater: requires little or no memorization, little or no rehearsal. An indefinite number of reporters are salted throughout the audience.) JEZEBEL -- (enters wearing royal robes, sandals and too much eye makeup, crosses to podium) Good morning. I am Jezebel, wife of King Ahab. The reason I called this press conference is to ask for the help of the press in apprehending a murderous criminal who is a threat to Ahab's kingdom. The criminal I'm looking for has never shaved his beard or hair. He wears a tunic made of camels hair... REPORTER -- ...Excuse me. JEZEBEL -- Yes? REPORTER -- This description sounds remarkably like the prophet Elijah. JEZEBEL -- It IS Elijah. REPORTER -- But you called him murderous. Who was he supposed to have murdered? JEZEBEL -- He is responsible for the death of several religious leaders here in the Kingdom of Northern Israel. REPORTER -- How many religious leaders were murdered in all? JEZEBEL -- Four hundred fifty. Now, you reporters tell your readers that if they see this loathsome criminal, they are not to approach him, but to report to me personally.... REPORTER -- Your Majesty, can you tell us how one man could possibly murder four hundred fifty men all by himself? JEZEBEL -- Well, he didn't do it by himself. He somehow hypnotized the crowd around him to round up the religious leaders, drag them to the Kishon Valley and murder them for no reason. REPORTER -- Your Majesty, Elijah himself is a religious leader. Why would he do such a thing? JEZEBEL -- Because he hates me. This is his way of embarrassing me in public. REPORTER -- But, how would murdering four hundred fifty religious leaders embarrass YOU? JEZEBEL -- Because I sided with THEM against HIM. Now, it's important that this murderer Elijah be brought to justice quickly as an example for others who think they can oppose the royal family and get away with it. REPORTER -- Can you tell us the identities of these victims? JEZEBEL -- Their identities? REPORTER -- Yes. Were they all Pharisees or Sadducees or Essenes or... JEZEBEL -- It doesn't matter. The important thing for you to impress upon your readers is that a murderer is on the loose! REPORTER -- Your Majesty, earlier you said that Elijah had the crowd "round up the religious leaders and drag them to the Kishon Valley". JEZEBEL -- That's right. REPORTER -- Where did he round them up from? JEZEBEL -- What difference does it make?! REPORTER -- My readers will want to know. JEZEBEL -- Alright, if you must know, he rounded them up on Mount Carmel. REPORTER -- All of them? JEZEBEL -- That's right. REPORTER -- Four hundred fifty religious leaders were on Mount Carmel? JEZEBEL -- That's right. REPORTER -- But Mount Carmel is a shrine to the foreign God Baal. JEZEBEL -- So what?! REPORTER -- So, it's likely that these RELIGIOUS LEADERS that Elijah had killed were all prophets of Baal. JEZEBEL -- What difference does it make?! They were rounded up and murdered! REPORTER -- I'm not so sure. REPORTER -- Your Majesty, did these deaths have anything to do with the challenge on Mount Carmel? JEZEBEL -- Challenge? I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. REPORTER -- Didn't Elijah challenge the prophets of Baal to a demonstration of whose god is the real god? JEZEBEL -- I can't answer that. REPORTER -- Can't or won't. JEZEBEL -- I don't think I like your tone. REPORTER -- According to eye witness accounts, the prophets of Baal sacrificed an animal and invited their God Baal to send fire from Heaven to burn it up. But no amount of begging or self-inflicted wounds caused Baal to respond. JEZEBEL -- They only had six hours. It wasn't enough time. REPORTER -- But when Elijah layed out an identical sacrifice and soaked it with water, the fire from Heaven not only consumed the sacrifice but also the water around the alter. JEZEBEL -- Luck. That's all it was. Dumb luck. REPORTER -- But what the demonstration clearly showed was that Baal is a false god and so, the prophets of Baal were false prophets. JEZEBEL -- They just needed a little more time, that's all. REPORTER -- According to the law of Israel, false prophets must be put to death. REPORTER -- Then, it wasn't murder. Elijah was merely enforcing the laws of Israel. REPORTER -- And since it was Queen Jezebel who erected the shrine to Baal on Mount Carmel, isn't she somehow liable too? JEZEBEL -- (exiting) Listen, I have some place I need to be.... ©2013 Bob Snook. Conditions for use: Do not sell any part of this script, even if you rewrite it. Pay no royalties, even if you make money from performances. You may reproduce and distribute this script freely, but all copies must contain this copyright statement. http://www.bobsnook.org email: [email protected] BACK |