The Collected Shorter Plays
Page 23
13. R reappears and rests gently on B’s right hand, B still gazing up.
14. B transfers gaze to joined hands.
15. B raises his left hand and rests it on joined hands.
16. Together hands sink to table and on them B’s head.
17. L reappears and rests gently on B’s head.
18. Fade out dream.
19. Fade up A and evening light.
20. A raises head to its opening position.
21. Lied as before (2).
22. Fade out evening light.
23. Close of lied as before (4).
24. Fade down A as before (5).
25. A dreams. Fade up on B as before (6).
26. Move in slowly to close-up of B, losing A.
27. Dream as before (7–16) in close-up and slower motion.
28. Withdraw slowly to opening viewpoint, recovering A.
29. Fade out dream.
30. Fade out A.
WHAT WHERE
Bam
Bem
Bim
Bom
Voice of Bam (V)
NOTE
Players as alike as possible.
Same long grey gown.
Same long grey hair.
V in the shape of a small megaphone at head level.
Playing area (P) rectangle 3 m × 2 m, dimly lit, surrounded by shadow, stage right as seen from house. Downstage left, dimly lit, surrounded by shadow, V.
General dark.
Light on V.
Pause.
V
We are the last five.
In the present as were we still.
It is spring.
Time passes.
First without words.
I switch on.
[Light on P.
Bam at 3 head haught, Bom at 1 head bowed. Pause.]
Not good.
I switch off.
[Light off P.]
I start again.
We are the last five.
It is spring.
Time passes.
First without words.
I switch on.
[Light on P.
Bam alone at 3 head haught.
Pause.]
Good.
I am alone.
It is spring.
Time passes.
First without words.
In the end Bom appears.
Reappears.
[Bom enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed. Pause.
Bim enters at E, halts at 2 head haught. Pause.
Bim exits at E followed by Bom.
Pause.
Bim enters at E, halts at 2 head bowed. Pause.
Bem enters at N, halts at 1 head haught. Pause.
Bem exits at N followed by Bim.
Pause.
Bem enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.
Pause.
Bam exits at W followed by Bem.
Pause.
Bam enters at W, halts at 3 head bowed.
Pause.]
Good.
I switch off.
[Light off P.]
I start again.
We are the last five.
It is spring.
Time passes.
I switch on.
[Light on P.
Bam alone at 3 head haught.
Pause.]
Good.
I am alone.
It is spring.
Time passes.
Now with words.
In the end Bom appears.
Reappears.
[Bom enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.]
BAM
Well?
BOM
[Head bowed throughout.] Nothing.
BAM
He didn’t say anything?
BOM
No.
BAM
You gave him the works?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
And he didn’t say anything?
BOM
No.
BAM
He wept?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
Screamed?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
Begged for mercy?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
But didn’t say anything?
BOM
No.
V
Not good.
I start again.
BAM
Well?
BOM
Nothing.
BAM
He didn’t say it?
V
Good.
BOM
No.
BAM
You gave him the works?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
And he didn’t say it?
BOM
No.
BAM
He wept?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
Screamed?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
Begged for mercy?
BOM
Yes.
BAM
But didn’t say it?
BOM
No.
BAM
Then why stop?
BOM
He passed out.
BAM
And you didn’t revive him?
BOM
I tried.
BAM
Well?
BOM
I couldn’t.
[Pause.]
BAM
It’s a lie. [Pause.] He said it to you.
[Pause.] Confess he said it to you. [Pause.] You’ll be given the works until you confess.
V
Good.
In the end Bim appears.
[Bim enters at E, halts at 2 head haught.]
BAM
[to Bim] Are you free?
BIM
Yes.
BAM
Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BIM
What must he confess?
BAM
That he said it to him.
BIM
Is that all?
BAM
Yes.
V
Not good.
I start again.
BAM
Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BIM
What must he confess?
BAM
That he said it to him.
BIM
Is that all?
BAM
And what.
V
Good.
BIM
Is that all?
BAM
Yes.
BIM
Then stop?
BAM
Yes.
BIM
Good. [To Bom.] Come.
[Bim exits at E followed by Bom.]
V
Good.
I am alone.
It is summer.
Time passes.
In the end Bim appears.
Reappears.
[Bim enters at E, halts at 2 head bowed.]
BAM
Well?
BIM
[Head bowed throughout.] Nothing.
BAM
He didn’t say it?
BIM
No.
BAM
You gave him the works?
BIM
Yes.
BAM
And he didn’t say it?
BIM
No.
V
Not good.
I start again.
BAM
Well?
BIM
Nothing.
BAM
He didn’t say where?
V
Good.
BIM
Where?
V
Ah!
BAM
BIM
No.
BAM
You gave him the works?
BIM
Yes.
BAM
And he didn’t say where?
BIM
No.
BAM
He wept?
BIM
Yes.
BAM
Screamed?
BIM
Yes.
BAM
Begged for mercy?
BIM
Yes.
BAM
But didn’t say where?
BIM
No.
BAM
Then why stop?
BIM
He passed out.
BAM
And you didn’t revive him?
BIM
I tried.
BAM
Well?
BIM
I couldn’t.
[Pause.]
BAM
It’s a lie. [Pause.] He said where to you. [Pause.] Confess he said
where to you. [Pause.] You’ll be given the works until you confess.
V
Good.
In the end Bem appears. [Bem enters at N, halts at 1 head haught.]
BAM
[to Bem] Are you free?
BEM
Yes.
BAM
Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BEM
What must he confess?
BAM
That he said where to him.
BEM
Is that all?
BAM
Yes.
V
Not good.
I start again.
BAM
Take him away and give him the works until he confesses.
BEM
What must he confess?
BAM
That he said where to him.
BEM
Is that all?
BAM
And where.
V
Good.
BEM
Is that all?
BAM
Yes.
BEM
Then stop?
BAM
Yes.
BEM
Good. [to Bim] Come.
[Bem exits at N followed by Bim.]
V
Good.
I am alone.
It is autumn.
Time passes.
In the end Bem appears.
Reappears.
[Bem enters at N, halts at 1 head bowed.]
BAM
Well?
BEM
[Head bowed throughout.] Nothing.
BAM
He didn’t say where?
BEM
No.
V
So on.
BAM
It’s a lie. [Pause.] He said where to you. [Pause.] Confess he said
where to you. [Pause.] You’ll be given the works until you confess.
BEM
What must I confess?
BAM
That he said where to you.
BEM
Is that all?
BAM
And where.
BEM
Is that all?
BAM
Yes.
BEM
Then stop?
BAM
Yes. Come.
[Bam exits at W followed by Bem.]
V
Good.
It is winter.
Time passes.
In the end I appear.
Reappear.
[Bam enters at W, halts at 3 head bowed.]
V
Good.
I am alone.
In the present as were I still.
It is winter.
Without journey.
Time passes.
That is all.
Make sense who may.
I switch off.
[Light off P.
Pause.
Light off V.]
NOTES
All That Fall. Written in English, 1956. First broadcast by the BBC Third Programme, January 13, 1957. First American broadcast, by National Public Radio, took place on Beckett’s eightieth birthday, April 13, 1986. First publication by Grove in Krapp’s Last Tape and Other Dramatic Pieces, 1960.
Act Without Words I. Written in French, 1956. (Acte sans paroles I). First performed with Fin de partie (Endgame) at the Royal Court Theatre, London, April 3, 1957, with music by John Beckett (a cousin). Published in Fin de partie suivi de Acte sans paroles. First publication by Grove in Endgame, Followed by Act Without Words.
Act Without Words II. Written in French, 1958 (Acte sans paroles II). First performed at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, January 25, 1960. First publication by Grove in Krapp’s Last Tape and Other Dramatic Pieces. In France, it appeared in Comédie et actes divers (Minuit, 1966).
Krapp’s Last Tape. Written in English, 1958. First British performance at the Royal Court Theatre, London, October 28, 1958. Published in The Evergreen Review, 1958. First American performance at the Province-town Playhouse, New York, January 14, 1960 (part of a double bill with Edward Albee’s The Zoo Story). First publication by Grove in Krapp’s Last Tape and Other Dramatic Pieces.
Rough for Theatre I. Written in French in the late fifties or early sixties (Fragment de théâtre). First publication by Grove in Ends and Odds, 1977.
Rough for Theatre II. Written in French in the late fifties or early sixties (Fragment de théâtre). First publication by Grove in Ends and Odds.
Embers. Written in English, 1957. First broadcast by the BBC Third Programme, June 24, 1959. Appeared in The Evergreen Review, 1959. First publication by Grove in Krapp’s Last Tape and Other Dramatic Pieces.
Rough for Radio I. Written in French, 1961 (Esquisse radiophonique). Appeared as “Sketch for Radio Play” in Stereo Headphones, 1976. First publication by Grove in Ends and Odds.
Rough for Radio II. Written in French some time in the early sixties (Pochade radiophonique). First broadcast, in Beckett’s English translation, by the BBC on April 13, 1976 (the author’s seventieth birthday). First publication by Grove in Ends and Odds.
Words and Music. Written in English, 1961. First broadcast by the BBC on December 7, 1962, with music composed by John Beckett. Appeared in The Evergreen Review, 1962. First publication by Grove in Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces, 1969.
Cascando. Written in French, with the subtitle “Invention radiophonique pour musique et voix,” early sixties. First broadcast on France Culture, April 3, 1963, with music composed by Marcel Mihalovici. Beckett’s translation was published in The Evergreen Review, 1963. First British broadcast on the BBC Third Programme, October 6, 1964. First publication by Grove in Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces.
Play. Written in English, 1962–63. The world premiere was in German (Spiel) at the Ulmer Theater, Ulm-Donau, June 14, 1963. First American performance at the Cherry Lane Theater, New York, January 4, 1964. Published in The Evergreen Review, 1964. First publication by Grove in Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces.
Film. Written in English, 1963. Beckett’s only screenplay, which was shot in New York in the summer of 1964 and led to his only visit to the United States. Directed by Alan Schneider; starring Buster Keaton. Shown at the Venice and New York Film Festivals, 1965. First Grove edition (with illustrations, production shots, and an essay by Alan Schneider), 1969. Also in Cascando and Other Short Dramatic Pieces.
The Old Tune. Beckett’s English adaptation of La Manivelle, a play for radio by Robert Pinget. First broadcast by the BBC Third Programme, August 23, 1960. Published in The Evergreen Review, 1961. A stage version was first performed at the Royal Playhouse, New York, March 23, 1961. First publication by Grove in Collected Shorter Plays, 1984.