The play opens with a upper class middle age couple, Ouisa and Flan Kittredge. They talk about what happened the night before. Flan and Ouisa invited a wealthy friend, Geoffrey, for dinner. Flan, an art dealer, planned to ask Geoffrey for two million dollars that he needed to purchase a Cezanne; a double painted piece of art. In the midst of their conversation, there is an interruption, someone knocking the door. It is the doorman, accompanied by a young African-American man who has been beaten up. The young man introduces himself as Paul, a friend of the Kittredges' children. He has been jumped and robbed in Central Park. They took his money and, briefcase, with his only copy of his thesis. Now he has no money until he meets his father. His father is Sidney Poitier, a famous actor; he was supposed to meet his father the next day at their hotel.
Six degrees of separation: Artistic visualization....
Degrees of Separation Calculation
PAUL GALLENOuisa and Flan toke care of Paul's wounds, give him a clean shirt, and invite him to go out to dinner with them. Instead, Paul fixes everyone an awesome dinner. He tells them about his theories about the imagination and talks about his thesis; it was related to The Catcher in the Rye. Paul get everyone's attention, without any doubt he is a skilled story teller and a charming person. Everyone has a pleasant dinner, including Geoffrey, who thanks to Paul agrees to give Flan the money ( two million dollars).
Entry Journals
"Six Degrees of Separation"
42-63
Ouisa and Flan insist that Paul spend the night at their home and give him fifty dollars. Paul did not want to accept the money, but in the case that he would have to wait for his father without any money, he took it.
The next morning Ouisa knocks on the door to wake Paul up so he can go meet his father. When she opens the door and turns on the light, a naked hustler is in Paul's bed. Ouisa calls for Flan, who tried to kick out the man. Paul tries to explain, he ask the Kittredges to don't tell his father, but despite his apologies, they make him leave.
In the next scene, another middle age couple appeared, they are Kitty and Larkin; they have a similar story to tell. Paul had shown up at their apartment on Friday night, mugged, and they had also invited him to spend the night. That evening, they awakened to hear someone yelling "Burglar." Paul was chasing a naked thief down the hallway. They believed that Paul saved their lives, until Ouisa and Flan tell their story. The couples try to get in touch with Sidney Poitier, but they are unable to do so. They call the police. A detective comes to the apartment but, upon finding out that Paul did not steal anything, leaves. He ask to come up with charges, then he will do something.
Entry Journals
"Six Degrees of Separation"
63-81
Later, the Kittredge's kids came back home to find out what happened in their house. Flan and Ouisa received a phone call, it was the detective who tells them about another man who had a similar run-in with Paul. The man told his son about meeting Paul, and the son says he knows no such person. Paul is an impostor. Paul went to the Doctor's clinic saying that he knew his son, the doctor gave Paul the house keys and tell him to make himself comfortable; when he found out about Paul being an impostor he went to the house with the police, but Paul left without being arrested. Is here when Flan, Ouisa, Kitty, Larkin, Doctor Fine and their kids tried to make the connection between Paul and them. The kids felt harassed by their parent when they were asked to trace Paul. The only connection between the children is their school. It turns out that Paul learned all about the families from a high school classmate, Trent Conway, Trent found Paul, he became Paul's lover and told him everything about the people on his address book; names, address and secrets.
Entry Journals
"Six Degrees of Separation"
82-94
Flan and Ouisa didn't have any news or hear anything about Paul for a while. Then one day their doorman spits at Flan and said "The Negro son you deny." They found out that Paul had met a young couple in the park. Rick and Elizabeth who came to New York from Utah to be actors. Paul made up a story about his father, Flan; who denied his existence. He told them that he was the son of Flan's hippie days. Under their urging, Paul agrees to try and reconcile with his "father." He tells them that he has been successful and that Flan finally wants to introduce him to the family, only he needs money to travel up to Maine to meet his father. Against Elizabeth's wishes, Rick takes all the money out of their bank account and gives it to Paul. Paul takes Rick to celebrate, they went to the Rainbow Room had some drinks and the being kick out for being noisy. They took a carriage ride in Central Park, and Paul asked Rick to have sex. Later on Rick tells what just happened to Elizabeth, she turned disturb and points that he is a looser. Upset at what he has done, Rick commits suicide. Elizabeth goes to the police with her story, and the police swear out a warrant for Paul's arrest for theft. Flan gets the paper to run a story about Paul's pranks.
Entry Journals
"Six Degrees of Separation"
94-120
Flan gets the paper to run a story about Paul. Thereafter, Paul calls the Kittredges. Ouisa picks up the phone and talks to Paul. He said that he didn't meant to hurt anybody, he didn't steal the money from Rick, he gave the money to him voluntarily. Ouisa convinced Paul to turn himself in. She promised to visit him in prison and help him start a new life when he gets out of jail. He wanted her and Flan to come with him to the police station and turn himself in. Ouisa says that they will come pick him up. In the way to the meeting point they found a lot of traffic and not having another option, they call the detective and tell him were Paul was. The police arrived and arrest Paul before the Kittredges gott there.
Later on Ouisa is unable to track down Paul, she doesn't even know his real name. She fantasizes about what happened to Paul, even imagining his suicide. Though Ouisa is unable to help Paul, she recognizes that her connection with him has been meaningful.
Paul
English: Actor Sidney Poitier receives the Preside...
Original poster by James McMullan