Franken-Lies-And-the-Lying-Liars-Who-Tell

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The Waitress and the Lawyer: A One-Act Play
In a radio address on February 3, 2001, President Bush said:
Picture a diner in one of our cities. At the table is a lawyer with two children. She
earns $250,000 a year. Carrying her coffee and toast is a waitress who has two
children of her own. She earns $25,000 a year. If both the lawyer and the waitress
get a raise, it is the waitress who winds up paying a higher marginal tax rate. She
will give back almost half of every extra dollar she earns to the government.
Both of these women, the lawyer and the waitress, deserve a tax cut. Under my
plan, both of these women, and all Americans who pay taxes, will get one. For the
waitress, our plan will wipe out her income tax bill entirely.
On May 30, 2003, Al Franken's The Waitress and the Lawyer was presented at the Belasco
Theater in New York. It was directed by Mike Nichols, with the following cast:
DONNA Drew Barrymore
ALLISON Helen Hunt
URBAN COWBOY Brian Dennehy
Scenery and lighting by Alex Jones, costumes by Edie Holway. The action of the play takes
place in a diner in Houston, Texas, on April 14, 2003. It was performed without intermission.
The Waitress and the Lawyer
A One-Act Play
by Al Franken
(from an idea by George W. Bush)
Set. A clean, well-lit diner. It's eleven at night. ALLISON, a slim, well-dressed
lawyer in her middle thirties, sets herself down at the counter. DONNA, a plump
waitress in her late twenties, approaches with a pot of coffee and a friendly smile.
DONNA: Can I help you, sug?
ALLISON: Yes, please. Double cappuccino and a bisootti.
DONNA: Sorry. How 'bout coffee and a slice a pie?