Complete Works, Volume I (2 page)

The Birthday Party

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
was first presented by Michael Codron and David Hall at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge, on 28 April, 1958, and subsequently at the Lyric Opera House, Hammersmith, with the following cast:

Directed by Peter Wood

ACT
I
A morning in summer

ACT
II
Evening of the same day

ACT III
The next morning

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY
was revived by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre, London, on June 18th, 1964 with the following cast:

Directed by Harold Pinter

Act One

The living-room of a house in a seaside town. A door leading to the hall down left. Back door and small window up left. Kitchen hatch, centre back. Kitchen door up right. Table and chairs, centre.

PETEY
enters from the door on the left with a paper and sits at the table. He begins to read
. MEG’S
voice comes through the kitchen hatch.

MEG
. Is that you, Petey?

Pause
.

Petey, is that you?

Pause
.

Petey?

PETEY
. What?

MEG
. Is that you?

PETEY
. Yes, it's me.

MEG
. What? (
Her face appears at the hatch.
) Are you back?

PETEY
. Yes.

MEG
. I've got your cornflakes ready. (
She disappears and reappears.
) Here's your cornflakes.

He rises and takes the plate from her, sits at the table, props up the paper and begins to eat.
MEG
enters by the kitchen door.

Are they nice?

PETEY
. Very nice.

MEG
. I thought they'd be nice. (
She sits at the table.
) You got your paper?

PETEY
. Yes.

MEG
. Is it good?

PETEY
. Not bad.

MEG
. What does it say?

PETEY
. Nothing much.

MEG
. You read me out some nice bits yesterday.

PETEY
. Yes, well, I haven't finished this one yet.

MEG
. Will you tell me when you come to something good?

PETEY
. Yes.

Pause
.

MEG
. Have you been working hard this morning?

PETEY
. No. Just stacked a few of the old chairs. Cleaned up a bit.

MEG. IS
it nice out?

PETEY
. Very nice.

Pause
.

MEG
. Is Stanley up yet?

PETEY
. I don't know. Is he?

MEG
. I don't know. I haven't seen him down yet.

PETEY
. Well then, he can't be up.

MEG
. Haven't you seen him down?

PETEY
. I've only just come in.

MEG
. He must be still asleep.

She looks round the room, stands, goes to the sideboard and takes a pair of socks from a drawer, collects wool and a needle and goes back to the table.

What time did you go out this morning, Petey?

PETEY
. Same time as usual.

MEG
. Was it dark?

PETEY
. No, it was light.

MEG
(
beginning to darn
)
.
But sometimes you go out in the morning and it's dark.

PETEY
. That's in the winter.

MEG
. Oh, in winter.

PETEY
. Yes, it gets light later in winter.

MEG
. Oh.

Pause
.

What are you reading?

PETEY
. Someone's just had a baby.

MEG
. Oh, they haven't! Who?

PETEY
. Some girl.

MEG
. Who, Petey, who?

PETEY
. I don't think you'd know her.

MEG
. What's her name?

PETEY
. Lady Mary Splatt.

MEG
. I don't know her.

PETEY.
No.

MEG
. What is it?

PETEY
(
studying the paper
)
.
Er—a girl.

MEG
. Not a boy?

PETEY
. No.

MEG
. Oh, what a shame. I'd be sorry. I'd much rather have a little boy.

PETEY
. A little girl's all right.

MEG
. I'd much rather have a little boy.

Pause.

PETEY
. I've finished my cornflakes.

MEG
. Were they nice?

PETEY
. Very nice.

MEG
. I've got something else for you.

PETEY.
Good.

She rises, takes his plate and exits into the kitchen. She then appears at the hatch with two pieces of fried bread on a plate.

MEG
. Here you are, Petey.

He rises, collects the plate, looks at it, sits at the table.
MEG
re-enters.

Is it nice?

PETEY
. I haven't tasted it yet.

MEG
. I bet you don't know what it is.

PETEY
. Yes, I do.

MEG
. What is it, then?

PETEY
. Fried bread.

MEG.
That's right.

He begins to eat.
She watches him eat.

PETEY
. Very nice.

MEG
. I knew it was.

PETEY (
turning to her
)
.
Oh, Meg, two men came up to me on the beach last night.

MEG.
Two men?

PETEY
. Yes. They wanted to know if we could put them up for a couple of nights.

MEG
. Put them up? Here?

PETEY
. Yes.

MEG
. How many men?

PETEY
. Two.

MEG
. What did you say?

PETEY
. Well, I said I didn't know. So they said they'd come round to find out.

MEG.
Are they coming?

PETEY
. Well, they said they would.

MEG
. Had they heard about us, Petey?

PETEY
. They must have done.

MEG.
Yes, they must have done. They must have heard this was a very good boarding house. It is. This house is on the list.

PETEY
. It is.

MEG.
I know it is.

PETEY
. They might turn up today. Can you do it?

MEG
. Oh, I've got that lovely room they can have.

PETEY
. You've got a
room ready?

MEG
. I've got the room with the armchair all ready for visitors.

PETEY
. You're sure?

MEG
. Yes, that'll be all right then, if they come today.

PETEY
. Good.

She takes the socks etc. back to the sideboard drawer.

MEG
. I'm going to wake that boy.

PETEY
. There's a new show coming to the Palace.

MEG
. On the pier?

PETEY.
No. The Palace, in the town.

MEG
. Stanley could have been in it, if it was on the pier.

PETEY
. This is a straight show.

MEG
. What do you mean?

PETEY.
No dancing or singing.

MEG
. What do they do then?

PETEY
. They just talk.

Pause.

MEG
. Oh.

PETEY
. You like a song eh, Meg?

MEG.
I like listening to the piano. I used to like watching Stanley play the piano. Of course, he didn't sing. (
Looking at the door.
) I'm going to call that boy.

PETEY
. Didn't you take him up his cup of tea?

MEG
. I always take him up his cup of tea. But that was a long time ago.

PETEY
. Did he drink it?

MEG
. I made him. I stood there till he did. I'm going to call him. (
She goes to the door.
) Stan! Stanny! (
She listens.
) Stan! I'm coming up to fetch you if you don't come down! I'm coming up! I'm going to count three! One! Two! Three! I'm coming to get you! (
She exits and goes upstairs. In a moment, shouts from
STANLEY,
wild laughter from
MEG. PETEY
takes his plate to the hatch. Shouts. Laughter.
PETEY
sits
at
the table. Silence. She returns
.) He's coming down. (
She is panting and arranges her hair.
) I told him if he didn't hurry up he'd get no breakfast.

PETEY.
That did it, eh?

MEG
. I'll get his cornflakes.

MEG
exits to the kitchen
. PETEY
reads the paper.
STANLEY
enters. He is unshaven, in his pyjama jacket and wears glasses. He sits at the table.

PETEY
. Morning, Stanley.

STANLEY
. Morning.

Silence,
MEG
enters with the bowl of cornflakes, which she sets on the table.

MEG
. So he's come down at last, has he? He's come down at last for his breakfast. But he doesn't deserve any, does he, Petey? (
STANLEY
stares at the cornflakes.
) Did you sleep well?

STANLEY
. I didn't sleep at all.

MEG
. You didn't sleep at all? Did you hear that, Petey? Too tired to eat your breakfast, I suppose? Now you eat up those cornflakes like a good boy. Go on.

He begins to eat.

STANLEY.
What's it like out today?

PETEY
. Very nice.

STANLEY
. Warm?

PETEY
. Well, there's a good breeze blowing.

STANLEY
.
Cold
?

PETEY
. No, no, I wouldn't say it was cold.

MEG
. What are the cornflakes like, Stan?

STANLEY
. Horrible.

MEG
. Those flakes? Those lovely flakes? You're a liar, a little liar. They're refreshing. It says so. For people when they get up late.

STANLEY
. The milk's off.

MEG
. It's not. Petey ate his, didn't you, Petey?

PETEY
. That's right.

MEG
. There you are then.

STANLEY
. All right, I'll go on to the second course.

MEG
. He hasn't finished the first course and he wants to go on to the second course!

STANLEY
. I feel like something cooked.

MEG
. Well, I'm not going to give it to you.

PETEY
. Give it to him.

MEG
(
sitting at the table, right
)
.
I'm not going to.

Pause.

STANLEY
. No breakfast.

Pause.

All night long I've been dreaming about this breakfast.

MEG
. I thought you said you didn't sleep.

STANLEY
. Day-dreaming. All night long. And now she won't give me any. Not even a crust of bread on the table.

Pause.

Well, I can see I'll have to go down to one of those smart hotels on the front.

MEG
(
rising quickly
). You won't get a better breakfast there than here.

She exits to the kitchen.
STANLEY
yawns broadly
. MEG
appears at the hatch with a plate.

Here you are. You'll like this.

PETEY
rises, collects the plate, brings it to the table, puts it in front of
STANLEY,
and sits.

STANLEY
. What's this?

PETEY
. Fried bread.

MEG
(
entering
). Well, I bet you don't know what it is.