6 Dumb Waiter.docx

6 Dumb Waiter.docx

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6DumbWaiter

THEDUMBWAITER

（1958）

HaroldPinter（1930-2008）

HaroldPinterwasaBritishactor,director,poetandscreenwriter,butheisbestknownforhis29plays,whichmadehimtheforemostEnglishplaywrightofthelate-twentieth-centurytheaterandthelaureateofNobelPrizeinLiteratureof2005.

Pinterwasbornin1930inaworking-classneighborhoodofLondon’sEastEnd.HewastheonlychildofaPortugueseJewishfamilythatAnglicizedtheirname（DaPinta）forfearofprejudicesagainstJews.ThebombingsofLondonandtheHolocaustinEuropeduringWorldWarIIleftapermanentimpactonPinter.Thethemeoflonelinessandlossrecursinhisplays,especiallyearlyworkssuchasTheRoom（1957）,TheBirthdayParty（1958）,TheCaretaker（1960）andTheHomecoming（1965）.Inthese“comediesofmenace,”Pinterdramatizesamysteriousoutsideforcethreateningisolatedcharactersinseeminglycomicaleverydaysituations.Sincetheseplaysrejectconsistentcharacterizationandplot,criticsusuallylabelthemastheatreoftheabsurd.Pinterhimself,too,citedSamuelBeckettastheinfluenceonhisearlyworks.

Inthelatesixties,Pinterturnedawayfrom“comedyofmenace”to“memoryplay.”HewroteLandscape（1969）,Silence（1969）,OldTimes（1971）,NoMan’sLand（1975）,Betrayal（1978）,FamilyVoices（1981）,AKindofAlaska（1982）,amongothers,toprobeintotheelusivehumanmemory.InOldTimesandNoMan’sLand,inparticular,thecharacters’attempttoverifythepastbecomesproblematic.Theyeachchoosetobelievetheirownversionofmemory,anduseitasameansofovercomingtheiropponentsinadark,ifhumorouslydepicted,struggleforcontrol.VariationsonthismemorythemealsooccurinsomeofPinter’slateplays,suchasMoonlight（1993）andAshestoAshes（1996）,butintertwinedwithanewconcern.

Inthoseplayswritteninthe1980sandafter,startingwithOnefortheRoad（1984）andMountainLanguage（1988）,Pintershowsanincreasinglyovertdeterminationtoaddresssocialissues.Accompaniedbyhisdevotiontopoliticalactivisminpubliclife,hislateplaysopenlyindictoppression,warandabuseofhumanrights.Thisinclinationhasalsoencouragedcriticstoreadhisearlyplaysinanewlight.LiketheAngryYoungMendramasfeaturingsocialrealism,Pinter’searlyplayshavetheirrootsinthesocialconditionsofpost-warBritain.Hisearlydramaalwayscarriesapoliticalovertone,eventhoughovershadowedbyhisambiguousstyleandhisperceptionofexistentialabsurdity.

Stylistically,too,Pinterdrawsuponbothrealismandabsurdism.Alreadyshowingagiftforactinginhisprimaryschoolyears,PinterenrolledintheRoyalAcademyofDramaticArt（RADA）in1948topursueacareerasactor.Hedroppedoutaftertwoterms,butthetrainingatRADAacquaintedhimwiththetheoriesofStanislavski,theguruofrealistacting,whoseemphasisonsubtextinspiredPinter’splays.ThebleaknessofBeckett’slanguage,reflectinghischaracters’failuretocommunicate,providedanothersourceofinspirationforPinter’splaywriting.Inheritingbothtraditions,Pinterhasforgedastyleofhisown.Hisdialoguefollowsthecasual,colloquial,everydayspeechpatterns,butitisalsosparseandelliptical,fullofnonsequiturs,longpausesandsilences.

Pinterusedtosuffercriticalfloggingforbeing“obscure.”Nowthecriticshavecoinedtheterm“Pinteresque”torecognizehisinnovativeart.Theone-actplayTheDumbWaiter,writtenin1958,carriesthedistinctsignatureofearlyPinterbothinthemeandinstyle.

Scene:

Abasementroom.Twobeds,flatagainstthebackwall.Aservinghatch,closed,betweenthebeds.Adoortothekitchenandlavatory,left.Adoortoapassage,right.

BENislyingonabed,left,readingapaper.GUSissittingonabed,right,tyinghisshoelaces,withdifficulty.Botharedressedinshirts,trousersandbraces.

Silence.

GUStieshislaces,rises,yawnsandbeginstowalkslowlytothedoor,left.Hestops,looksdown,andshakeshisfoot.

BENlowershispaperandwatcheshim.GUSkneelsanduntieshisshoe-laceandslowlytakesofftheshoe.Helooksinsideitandbringsoutaflattenedmatchbox.Heshakesitandexaminesit.Theireyesmeet.BENrattleshispaperandreads.GUSputsthematchboxinhispocketandbendsdowntoputonhisshoe.Hetieshislace,withdifficulty.BENlowershispaperandwatcheshim.GUSwalkstothedoor,left,stops,andshakestheotherfoot.Hekneels,untieshisshoe-lace,andslowlytakesofftheshoe.Helooksinsideitandbringsoutaflattenedcigarettepacket.Heshakesitandexaminesit.Theireyesmeet.BENrattleshispaperandreads.GUSputsthepacketinhispocket,bendsdown,putsonhisshoeandtiesthelace.

Hewandersoff,left.

BENslamsthepaperdownonthebedandglaresafterhim.Hepicksupthepaperandliesonhisback,reading.

Silence.

Alavatorychainispulledtwiceoff,left,butthelavatorydoesnotflush.

Silence.

GUSre-enters,left,andhaltsatthedoor,scratchinghishead.

BENslamsdownthepaper.

LeeEvansasGusandJasonIsaacsasBeninTheDumbWaiter,directedbyHarryBurton,attheTrafalgarStudios,London,2007.

BEN.Kaw!

Hepicksupthepaper.

Whataboutthis?

Listentothis!

Hereferstothepaper.

Amanofeighty-sevenwantedtocrosstheroad.Buttherewasalotoftraffic,see?

Hecouldn’tseehowhewasgoingtosqueezethrough.Sohecrawledunderalorry.

GUS.Hewhat?

BEN.Hecrawledunderalorry.Astationarylorry.

GUS.No?

BEN.Thelorrystartedandranoverhim.

GUS.Goon!

BEN.That’swhatitsayshere.

GUS.Getaway.

BEN.It’senoughtomakeyouwanttopuke,isn’tit?

GUS.Whoadvisedhimtodoathinglikethat?

BEN.Amanofeighty-sevencrawlingunderalorry!

GUS.It’sunbelievable.

BEN.It’sdownhereinblackandwhite.

GUS.Incredible.

Silence.

GUSshakeshisheadandexits.BENliesbackandreads.

Thelavatorychainispulledonceoffleft,butthelavatorydoesnotflush.

BENwhistlesataniteminthepaper.

GUSre-enters.

Iwanttoaskyousomething.

BEN.Whatareyoudoingoutthere?

GUS.Well,Iwasjust—

BEN.Whataboutthetea?

GUS.I’mjustgoingtomakeit.

BEN.Well,goon,makeit.

GUS.Yes,Iwill.（Hesitsinachair.Ruminatively.）He’slaidonsomeverynicecrockerythistime,I’llsaythat.It’ssortofstriped.There’sawhitestripe.

BENreads.

It’sverynice.I’llsaythat.

BENturnsthepage.

Youknow,sortofroundthecup.Roundtherim.Alltherestofit’sblack,yousee.Thenthesaucer’sblack,exceptforrightinthemiddle,wherethecupgoes,whereit’swhite.

BENreads.

Thentheplatesarethesame,yousee.Onlythey’vegotablackstripe—theplates—rightacrossthemiddle.Yes,I’mquitetakenwiththecrockery.

BEN（stillreading）.Whatdoyouwantplatesfor?

You’renotgoingtoeat.

GUS.I’vebroughtafewbiscuits.

BEN.Well,you’dbettereatthemquick.

GUS.Ialwaysbringafewbiscuits.Orapie.YouknowIcan’tdrinkteawithoutanythingtoeat.

BEN.Well,maketheteathen,willyou?

Time’sgettingon.

GUSbringsouttheflattenedcigarettepacketandexaminesit.

GUS.Yougotanycigarettes?

IthinkI’verunout.

Hethrowsthepackethighupandleansforwardtocatchit.

Ihopeitwon’tbealongjob,thisone.

Aimingcarefully,heflipsthepacketunderhisbed.

Oh,Iwantedtoaskyousomething.

BEN（slamminghispaperdown）.Kaw!

GUS.What’sthat?

BEN.Achildofeightkilledacat!

GUS.Getaway.

BEN.It’safact.Whataboutthat,eh?

Achildofeightkillingacat!

GUS.Howdidhedoit?

BEN.Itwasagirl.

GUS.Howdidshedoit?

BEN.She—

Hepicksupthepaperandstudiesit.

Itdoesn’tsay.

GUS.Whynot?

BEN.Waitaminute.Itjustsays—Herbrother,agedeleven,viewedtheincidentfromthetoolshed.

GUS.Goon!

BEN.That’sbloodyridiculous.

Pause.

GUS.Ibethedidit.

BEN.Who?

GUS.Thebrother.

BEN.Ithinkyou’reright.

Pause.

（Slammingdownthepaper.）Whataboutthat,eh?

Akidofelevenkillingacatandblamingitonhislittlesisterofeight!

It’senoughto—

Hebreaksoffindisgustandseizesthepaper.GUSrises.

GUS.Whattimeishegettingintouch?

BENreads.

Whattimeishegettingintouch?

BEN.What’sthematterwithyou?

Itcouldbeanytime.Anytime.

GUS（movestothefootofBEN’Sbed）.Well,Iwasgoingtoaskyousomething.

BEN.What?

GUS.Haveyounoticedthetimethattanktakestofill?

BEN.Whattank?

GUS.Inthelavatory.

BEN.No.Doesit?

GUS.Terrible.

BEN.Well,whataboutit?

GUS.Whatdoyouthink’sthematterwithit?

BEN.Nothing.

GUS.Nothing?

BEN.It’sgotadeficientballcock,that’sall.

GUS.Adeficientwhat?

BEN.Ballcock.

GUS.No?

Really?

BEN.That’swhatIshouldsay.

GUS.Goon!

Thatdidn’toccurtome.

GUSwanderstohisbedandpressesthemattress.

Ididn’thaveaveryrestfulsleeptoday,didyou?

It’snotmuchofabed.Icouldhavedonewithanotherblankettoo.（Hecatchessightofapictureonthewall.）Hello,what’sthis?

（Peeringatit.）“TheFirstEleven.”Cricketers.Youseenthis,Ben?

BEN（reading）.What?

GUS.Thefirsteleven.

BEN.What?

GUS.There’saphotohereofthefirsteleven.

BEN.Whatfirsteleven?

GUS（studyingthephoto）.Itdoesn’tsay.

BEN.Whataboutthattea?

GUS.Theyalllookabitoldtome.

GUSwandersdownstage,looksoutfront,thenallabouttheroom.

Iwouldn’tliketoliveinthisdump.Iwouldn’tmindifyouhadawindow,youcouldseewhatitlookedlikeoutside.

BEN.Whatdoyouwantawindowfor?

GUS.Well,Iliketohaveabitofaview,Ben.Itwhilesawaythetime.

Hewalksabouttheroom.

Imean,youcomeintoaplacewhenit’sstilldark,youcomeintoaroomyou’veneverseenbefore,yousleepalld