Summary
Act I
The Petrified Forest unfolds within the rustic walls of the Black Mesa Filling Station and Bar-B-Q, nestled in the arid expanse of eastern Arizona on a crisp autumn day in 1934. As the curtain rises, the diner serves as a stage for a spirited debate between two telegraph linemen over lunch. The First Lineman passionately argues that the Russian Communist revolution is an inevitable tide set to engulf the world, while the Second Lineman questions this vision. Their intellectual sparring is interrupted by Jason Maple, the resolute owner of Black Mesa, who informs Boze, his employee, about a car waiting outside for fuel. Gramp Maple—Jason’s father—enters the fray, regaling the linemen with tales of his arrival in the desert fifty-six years ago, peppered with anecdotes of meeting historical figures such as Billy the Kid. Annoyed by the First Lineman's communist sympathies, Jason storms off. The First Lineman ominously alludes to a massacre in Oklahoma, hinting at Duke Mantee’s jailbreak; a shadow that looms large over the scene as talk of the Mantee gang's impending arrival becomes a recurring theme.
In a quieter moment, Jason confides in Gramp about his plans to sell the Black Mesa to fund a new venture—a motel in Los Angeles. Jason departs to prepare for an American Legion meeting, leaving his daughter, Gabby, alone with Boze. Once a famed football star, Boze is brash and self-assured, yet his attempts to win Gabby’s affection fall flat. He dismisses the poetry she cherishes, flaunting newspaper clippings of his collegiate athletic triumphs, which fail to impress her.
A weary hitchhiker, Alan Squier, steps into the diner, ordering a meal. Gramp engages Squier with stories of Mantee and the legendary Billy the Kid. Gabby, captivated by Squier's presence, shares her dream of traveling to France to pursue painting, sparked by his interest in her French poetry. Squier reciprocates with tales of his own—a writer who penned a single novel and then spent eight years in France, entangled with a publisher's wife he had spirited away. Gabby, feeling a kinship, unveils her paintings to Squier, which she has shown to no one else. Their conversation deepens, and Gabby boldly suggests they flee to France together, asking, "Wouldn't you like to be loved by me?" Though intrigued, Squier declines, yet she arranges for him to hitch a ride with the Chisolms, a wealthy couple whose chauffeur had paused for refueling.
Just before Squier departs, he requests a kiss from Gabby, only to be interrupted by Boze. Boze's demeanor turns menacing when Squier reveals he cannot settle his thirty-cent bill, prompting Gabby to urge his departure while slipping him a dollar. With Squier gone, Boze tries once more to persuade Gabby, who, spurred by Squier's encouragement to seize life, consents to join Boze outside. Their plans unravel as Duke Mantee and his gang burst in, corralling them back inside the diner.
The stage directions paint Mantee with "one quality of resemblance to Alan Squier; he too is unmistakably condemned." Chaos ensues as the workers are gathered: Boze seethes with hostility, while Gramp enthralls the gang with tales of Wild Bill Hickock's gunslinging prowess. Mantee commands the cook to prepare food and insists on drinks for all, even Gramp, despite Gabby's protests. The act concludes dramatically as Alan Squier returns, declaring the Chisolms' vehicle commandeered by Mantee’s crew, and revels in the thrill of finding himself "among the living... Hooray!"
Act II
Act II picks up thirty minutes after the tumultuous end of Act I. Gramp weaves more yarns of infamous killers he has known, while the radio crackles with news of...
(This entire section contains 1205 words.)
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the "greatest manhunt in human history," searching for Duke Mantee. Reports buzz of a secondary getaway car, manned by three men and a woman, having stopped at Black Mesa Bar-B-Q to regroup with the rest of the gang and the mysterious woman, Doris.
Boze confronts Squier about the liquor consumption, questioning how he intends to pay for it, given his earlier financial shortfall. Squier admits Gabby's generosity with a dollar, sparking Boze’s ire. Boze nearly reveals Gabby’s willingness to leave with him before Mantee's intrusion but is silenced by her intervention. The tension escalates as Boze professes his love, countered by Gabby’s declaration of affection for Squier. Yet, Squier nudges her toward Duke, "There's your real mate—another child of nature." His own inebriation acknowledged, he muses that both he and Boze are rendered impotent by the gang's dominance over their fates.
The Chisolms and their chauffeur, Joseph, arrive, having awaited Squier's return for assistance after their car was stolen. Boze seizes a machine gun, attempting to overpower Mantee, but Mrs. Chisolm's scream at the sight of armed men breaks his concentration, allowing Mantee to shoot Boze in the hand. As Boze is led away for medical attention, Squier is inspired by his bravery. He produces a $5,000 life insurance policy, naming Gabby as beneficiary, and persuades the Chisolms to witness the act, ensuring its legitimacy. Squier then implores Mantee, already condemned, to end his life, to which Mantee consents, sealing Squier's fate in a grim pact.
The air crackles with unease when Pyles, the lone black figure in the notorious Mantee gang, extends a drink toward Joseph, the Chisolms' dutiful chauffeur. Joseph, hesitant, seeks a nod of approval from Mr. Chisolm before daring to accept. Pyles, with a mix of disdain and mockery, challenges Joseph's deference: "Ain't you heard about the big liberation?" he taunts. "Come on—take your drink, weasel." Only when Mr. Chisolm grants his tacit consent does Joseph raise the glass to his lips.
As the liquor loosens her inhibitions, Mrs. Chisolm's demeanor shifts, revealing a simmering resentment towards her husband. Gabby's idealistic notions stir the embers of her own stifled dreams—dreams of treading the boards as an actress, crushed by a family insistent on propriety. Her marriage to Chisolm, the staid banker, was merely a means to an end, a bid for respectability. In a brazen moment, she propositions Duke Mantee, but he remains unmoved, while her husband squirms with humiliation.
Jason Maple bursts into the Black Mesa, flanked by his comrades from the American Legion, only to be swiftly overpowered by the ruthless criminals. The Legionnaires bring grave news: the rest of Mantee's crew has been apprehended, and Doris, the woman among them, has betrayed them to the federal agents on Mantee's trail. Urgency grips the scene as Mantee's men urge their leader to flee without delay. Yet Mantee falters, his mind tangled in thoughts of vengeance, until Squier's voice cuts through, urging him to cast aside revenge and embrace freedom.
The diner becomes a crucible of chaos as the local sheriff and his deputies close in, guns blazing. A fierce battle ensues, claiming the lives of some gang members. Mantee and his remaining cohorts resort to desperate measures, taking hostages to ride the car's running board as shields of flesh and bone. In a final, fateful gesture, Mantee turns and fires at Squier before fleeing. The sheriff's men seize Jason's car to pursue the fugitives, while the remaining ensemble, including Boze and Gramp, gather around Squier, honoring him with their profound respect as he draws his last breath.
