The Collected Shorter Plays (23 page)

Authors: Samuel Beckett

BOOK: The Collected Shorter Plays

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GORMAN	They reared her well then just the same bled themselves white for her so they did, poor Mary used to tell us all we were very close in those days lived on the same landing you know, poor Mary yes she used to say what a drain it was having the child boarding out at Saint Theresa’s can you imagine, very classy, daughters of the gentry Mr. Cream, even taught French they were the young ladies.
CREAM	Isn’t that what I’m telling you, reared her like a princess of the blood they did, French now I ask you, French.
GORMAN	Would you blame them Mr. Cream, the best of parents, you can’t deny it, education.
CREAM	French, French, isn’t that what I’m saying. [ Roar of engine .]
GORMAN	They denied themselves everything, take the bits out of their mouths they would for their Nelly.
CREAM	Don’t be telling me they had her on a string all the same the said young lady, remember that Holy Week 1912 was it or 13. [ Roar of engine .]
GORMAN	Eh?
CREAM	When you think of Simon the man he was don’t be telling me that. [ Pause .] Holy Week 1913 now it all comes back to me is that like as if they had her on a string what she did then.
GORMAN	Peace to her ashes Mr. Cream.
CREAM	Principles, Gorman, principles without principles I ask you. [ Roar of engine .] Wasn’t there an army man in it.
GORMAN	Eh?
CREAM	Wasn’t there an army man in it?
GORMAN	In the car?
CREAM	Eh?
GORMAN	An army man in the car?
CREAM	In the Crowther blow-up. [ Roar of engine .]
GORMAN	You mean the Lootnant St. John Fitzball.
CREAM	St. John Fitzball that’s the man, wasn’t he mixed up in it?
GORMAN	They were keeping company all right. [ Pause .] He died in 14. Wounds.
CREAM	And his aunt Miss Hester.
GORMAN	Dead then these how many years is it now how many.
CREAM	She was a great old one, a little on the high and mighty side perhaps you might say.
GORMAN	Take fire like gunpowder but a heart of gold if you only knew. [ Roar of engine .] Her niece has a chip of the old block wouldn’t you say.
CREAM	Her niece? No recollection.
GORMAN	No recollection, Miss Victoria, come on now, she was to have married an American and she’s in the Turrets yet.
CREAM	I thought they’d sold.
GORMAN	Sell the Turrets is it they’ll never sell, the family seat three centuries and maybe more, three centuries Mr. Cream.
CREAM	You might be their historiographer Gorman to hear you talk, what you don’t know about those people.
GORMAN	Histryographer no Mr. Cream I wouldn’t go so far as that but Miss Victoria right enough I know her through and through we stop and have a gas like when her aunt was still in it, ah yes nothing hoity-toity about Miss Victoria you can take my word she has a great chip of the old block.
CREAM	Hadn’t she a brother.
GORMAN	The Lootnant yes, died in 14. Wounds. [ Deafening roar of engine .]
CREAM	The bloody cars such a thing as a quiet chat I ask you. [ Pause .] Well I’ll be slipping along I’m holding you back from your work.
GORMAN	Slipping along what would you want slipping along and we only after meeting for once in a blue moon.
CREAM	Well then just a minute and smoke a quick one. [ Pause .] What did I do with those cigarettes? [ Pause .] You fire ahead don’t mind me.
GORMAN	When you think, when you think. . . . [ Suddenly complete silence. 10 seconds. The tune resumes. The street noises resume and submerge tune a moment. Street noises and tune together crescendo. Tune finally rises above them triumphant .]

COME AND GO

A dramaticule

For John Calder

Flo

Ru
(Ages undeterminable)

Sitting centre side by side stage right to left Flo, Vi and Ru
.

Very erect, facing front, hands clasped in laps
.

Silence
.

VI	Ru.
RU	Yes.
VI	Flo.
FLO	Yes.
VI	When did we three last meet?
RU	Let us not speak. [ Silence . Exit Vi right . Silence .]
FLO	Ru.
RU	Yes.
FLO	What do you think of Vi?
RU	I see little change. [ Flo moves to centre seat, whispers in Ru’s ear . Appalled .] Oh! [ They look at each other. Flo puts her finger to her lips .] Does she not realize?
FLO	God grant not. [ Enter Vi. Flo and Ru turn back front, resume pose. Vi sits right. Silence .] Just sit together as we used to, in the playground at Miss Wade’s.
RU	On the log. [ Silence . Exit Flo left. Silence .] Vi.
VI	Yes.
RU	How do you find Flo?
VI	She seems much the same. [ Ru moves to centre seat, whispers in Vi’s ear . Appalled .] Oh! [ They look at each other. Ru puts her finger to her lips .] Has she not been told?
RU	God forbid. [ Enter Flo. Ru and Vi turn back front, resume pose. Flo sits left .] Holding hands . . . that way.
FLO	Dreaming of . . . love. [ Silence . Exit Ru right. Silence .]
VI	Flo.
FLO	Yes.
VI	How do you think Ru is looking?
FLO	One sees little in this light. [ Vi moves to centre seat, whispers in Flo’s ear. Appalled .] Oh! [ They look at each other. Vi puts her finger to her lips .] Does she not know?
VI	Please God not. [ Enter Ru. Vi and Flo turn back front, resume pose. Ru sits right . Silence .] May we not speak of the old days? [ Silence .] Of what came after? [ Silence .] Shall we hold hands in the old way? [ After a moment they join hands as follows: Vi’s right hand with Ru’s right hand. Vi’s left hand with Flo’s left hand, Flo’s right hand with Ru’s left hand, Vi’s arms being above Ru’s left arm and Flo’s right arm. The three pairs of clasped hands rest on the three laps. Silence .]
FLO	I can feel the rings. [ Silence .]

Curtain

NOTES

Lighting

Soft, from above only and concentrated on playing area. Rest of stage as dark as possible.

Costume

Full-length coats, buttoned high, dull violet (Ru), dull red (Vi), dull yellow (Flo). Drab nondescript hats with enough brim to shade faces. Apart from colour differentiation three figures as alike as possible. Light shoes with rubber soles. Hands made up to be as visible as possible. No rings apparent.

Seat

Narrow benchlike seat, without back, just long enough to accommodate three figures almost touching. As little visible as possible. It should not be clear what they are sitting on.

Exits

The figures are not seen to go off stage. They should disappear a few steps from lit area. If dark not sufficient to allow this, recourse should be had to screens or drapes as little visible as possible. Exits and entrances slow, without sound of feet.

Ohs

Three very different sounds.

Voices

As low as compatible with audibility. Colourless except for three “ohs” and two lines following.

EH JOE

A piece for television

Joe, late fifties, grey hair, old dressing-gown, carpet slippers, in his room
.

1. Joe seen from behind sitting on edge of bed, intent pose, getting up, going to window, opening window, looking out, closing window, drawing curtain, standing intent
.

2. Joe do. (= from behind) going from window to door, opening door, looking out, closing door, locking door, drawing hanging before door, standing intent
.

3. Joe do. going from door to cupboard, opening cupboard, looking in, closing cupboard, locking cupboard, drawing hanging before cupboard, standing intent
.

4. Joe do. going from cupboard to bed, kneeling down, looking under bed, getting up, sitting down on edge of bed as when discovered, beginning to relax
.

5. Joe seen from front sitting on edge of bed, relaxed, eyes closed. Hold, then dolly slowly in to close-up of face. First word of text stops this movement
.

Camera

Joe’s opening movements followed by camera at constant remove, Joe full length in frame throughout. No need to record room as whole. After this opening pursuit, between first and final close-up of face, camera has nine slight moves in towards face, say four inches each time. Each move is stopped by voice resuming, never camera move and voice together. This would give position of camera when dolly stopped by first word of text as one yard from maximum close-up of face. Camera does not move between paragraphs till clear that pause (say three seconds) longer than between phrases. Then four inches in say four seconds when movement stopped by voice resuming
.

Voice

Low, distinct, remote, little colour, absolutely steady rhythm, slightly slower than normal. Between phrases a beat of one second at least. Between paragraphs about seven, i.e. three before camera starts to advance and four for advance before it is stopped by voice resuming
.

Face

Practically motionless throughout, eyes unblinking during paragraphs, impassive except in so far as it reflects mounting tension of
listening.
Brief zones of relaxation between paragraphs when perhaps voice has relented for the evening and intentness may relax variously till restored by voice resuming
.

WOMAN’S VOICE

Joe . . .

[
Eyes open, resumption of intentness
.]

Joe . . .

[
Full intentness
.]

Thought of everything? . . . Forgotten nothing? . . . You’re all right now, eh? . . . No one can see you now. . . . No one can get at you now. . . . Why don’t you put out that light? . . . There might be a louse watching you. . . . Why don’t you go to bed? . . . What’s wrong with that bed, Joe? . . . You changed it, didn’t you? . . . Made no difference? . . . Or is the heart already? . . . Crumbles when you lie down in the dark. . . . Dry rotten at last. . . . Eh Joe?

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