The Diners

 

Patsy                                                   19, acting student. As if written in the stars, Patsy has inspired a budding playwright to start adapting 12 Years A Slave to stage. She was promised to play the role of Patsey, which she eagerly responded to by starting her own research on the character when writing kicked off three years ago. A method actress herself, she is dedicating her time to living like a pre-Civil War slave in America, until the script is finalised and rehearsals start. She aims to deliver a fresh, new take on the character that is evidently different and more layered than Lupita’s Oscar-winning performance.

 

La Sahara                                            21, reluctant beauty queen. Of Portugese-Malay descent, she has been groomed by her parents since she was 5 years old, and later on, by her manager, when the family relocated to the Middle East, to be a universally renowned beauty queen. Her collection of sceptres and crowns date back to ten years ago, when, at 10, she won her first beauty title as Miss Fair Day in their small-town village. Her lucky streak went on until she was 20, when she pulled out from Miss Intergalactic on the eve of its coronation to follow her lifelong dream: to be a cactus whisperer.

 

Destinee                                               98, legendary fortune-teller. Known as “the only living gypsy”, she attributes her unwavering career to her 28-year old lover, Igor. They met ten years ago in Ibiza, when she was part-timing as an atmospheric character in one of the biggest clubs there. She tripped over an unconscious 18-year old reveller who was sprawled on the floor and covered in his own vomit, and rescued him. The following day, she discovered Facebook when he borrowed her laptop to let his friends know that he’s ok. It was then that they discovered how social media could help her make more accurate predictions. They have been together since then.

 

Cloroteiam                                           centuries-old, intra-biological fairy. Permanently residing in the human body’s gastroesophagael junction, her duty is to catch sweet, sugary particles from chocolates and other desserts before they reach the stomach to undergo intensive digestion. She turns them to happy vibrations, which she then sends to the heart. Unable to multitask and easily rattled, she tends to overshoot these happy vibes to the different parts of the body (particularly to the part of the brain that facilitates sleep) when faced with copious amounts of sugar, causing a person sugar-induced insomnia.

 

Gianna                                                 19, enterprising rocker chick. Her rise to fame was long and arduous. Despite her innate musical talent, she was always “just the girl living in her rockstar dad’s shadows”. At 15, she even resorted to broadcasting a live stream of her suicide attempt, in hopes of being controversial. Realising the global attention she has earned from that, she exposed family secrets to the press and was believed to have been paid 30,000 euros for it. She used the money to finance her own album and start up her own line of fur coats.

 

Maggie                                                38, showgirl. Coming from a very conservative family, she used to be ostracized by many for her clothing that left very little to the imagination, to which she defended herself by saying, “Just like the rest of you, I am real. Of flesh, cheekbones, and perky ass, I’m made. I’m a showgirl, not a fairy tale. Watch, do not imagine.” Adamant on showing off her caramel skin even in winter, she is now developing a type of fabric that she describes to be “as nude as your epidermis, as winter-proof as your mink coat”.

 

Rye                                                     33, performing artist.

 

Pamela                                                57, pin-up girl in the rut. A huge fan of the works of Alberto Vargas, Pamela dreamt of being one of his muses since she was 7. All her life, she strived to dress, look and live like a pin-up girl. In her 30s, she left her groom at the altar, whose offers for marriage she had declined four times prior to the botched wedding. To this date, long after the passing away of Vargas, she is still single and waiting for her big break.

 

Imelba                                                 48, abrupt socialite. Very little is known of this lady, considering she has been jet setting all over the world over the last five years, attending power lunches, cocktail parties, galas, fashion shows, diplomatic dinners, beauty pageants, the Olympics, and Mardi Gras. Her enamouring smile and enigmatic charm draw people in, without the need to ask her story. The only thing that’s certain about her is her penchant for stockings, nylons, tights and pantyhose. Her legs hold the evidence to her massive collection, which is suspected to have reached 2000 pairs.

 

Raymonda                                           22, lady in waiting par excellence. Known for her meticulous attention to detail, unprecedented speed in running stitch, and laudable skills in securing hair with bobby pins, Raymonda has become the most sought-after lady-in-waiting in all of the world’s history. She has graced castles, estates, and presidential residences, giving awe-inspiring first class service that only she can deliver. She has also trained more than 50,000 service industry professionals from all corners of the globe and is credited for bringing glamour into this career.

 

Karmencita                                         36, the habitual widow. At 19, she married her first husband, a policeman. On the night of their third anniversary, while sharing a cotton candy with her on a ferris wheel, a stray bullet- not one that was fired directly at him- struck him in his left shoulder and hit his heart, which caused his demise. Two years later, she married her first husband’s autopsy officer who was eventually poisoned by contaminated blood while working on a cadaver. Eighteen years after her first wedding, she has had 7 matrimonial ceremonies, with men who have ended up going before her. She and her current fiancé are now planning their wedding (her eighth), which will take place on Christmas day of this year.

 

Maxine of Made by Marion                  31, underrated stage actress turned costume designer. After seeing her best friend portray Maid Marion in their school play, for which she operated the follow spot when she was 7, she vowed to work hard to play that role someday. Eleven years later, she bested 16 other hopefuls who were invited to the callbacks and was cast as Maid Marion in a touring production of Robinhood. Unfortunately, the financier of the show pulled out on the night of the opening, after seeing that it was not a panto, as he had expected. None of the glowing reviews and accolades she received helped keep the show afloat, which made it close after only 3 performances (preview, Opening Night, Closing Show). Heartbroken, but the spirit intact, she decided to never play any other role and devote her time and passion to the development of the Maid Marion costume instead. She painstakingly designs costume pieces with dramaturgical and character details which are said to be very intricate that actors need not deliver their lines when they wear them and still be convincing in their portrayal.

 

Lola                                                     52, fading femme fatale. Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl with yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there. She would merengue and do the cha-cha, and while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar. But that was 30 years ago, when they used to have a show. Now Copacobana a disco, but not for Lola. Still in dress she used to wear, faded feathers in her hair, she sits there so refined, and drinks herself half-blind. She lost her youth and she lost her Tony, now she's lost her mind.