Play Analysis
"The setting is a slightly seedy neighborhood bar in the Bronx, where a group of regulars (who all happen to be the same age - thirty-two) seek relief from the disappointments and tedium of the outside world. The first to arrive is Denise Savage, a perennial loner who announces that she is still a virgin but would like to remedy the situation. She is joined by an old school friend, Linda Rotunda, whose problem has been the opposite - too many lovers (and illegitimate children) - but who is now fearful that her current boyfriend, Tony Aronica, is losing interest in her. Shortly thereafter, macho Tony comes bursting in and announces that he is leaving her to pursue "ugly girls" - girls who have read books and can teach him something. Linda is desolate. Denise, seeing an advantage, makes a play for Tony, and the action quickens, moving swiftly from zany comedy to tense confrontation which requires the muscle and mediating skills of the taciturn bartender, Murk, who, heretofore, had been content to keep the glasses filled, including that of his mixed-up girlfriend, April, a failed nun who is also a classmate of the others. In the end tensions subside, Linda recaptures Tony, Murk proposes to April, and only Denise remains as she was - still in the limbo of loneliness from which she so desperately wants to escape.
Savage In Limbo is a play about dreams, about escape, and about the benefits - and dangers - of falling into a routine. Throughout the course of the play, Denise urges the other characters to break free from the monotony of their lives; one by one, though, they decide to take action in order to maintain the status quo of their lives. At the end, Denise, who tried so hard to make a change, is the only one left in the same position she had been in at the start.
Character Arc
When Tony first shows up, he is desperate to alter the dead-end trajectory of his life. He has had a shocking revelation: after having sex with an ugly girl who lectured him about the Soviet Union, he has decided to leave Linda and pursue girls who can offer him intellectual satisfaction. He feels guilty about breaking Linda's heart, but he knows that he has reached a point in his life where he is unable to achieve real fulfillment without a drastic change in his approach to women. His life up to this point has been dedicated to the hunt for sexual conquests, and he is afraid that he's got nothing else in his arsenal to offer women. When Denise makes advances on him, he is genuinely intrigued by her proposition; she is the polar opposite of the girls he has always gone for, and he recognizes the opportunity to make a welcome fundamental change. However, when Linda and Denise start fighting over him, he becomes very confused, conflicted, and guilty. Seeing Linda passionately fight to stay with him rekindles his affection for her. When she tells him that he fathered one of her illegitimate children, he makes the difficult, but mature decision to stay with Linda and help raise the kid. Though he has certainly not completed his transformation - her refuses to marry Linda for fear of being overly tied down - he has taken a huge step in the right direction.
Character Objective
In this monologue, Tony is trying to justify to Linda why he has chosen to break up with her. He hopes that by telling her the story of the event which caused his revelation, he can show her why it is so important to him. He needs her to understand the reasons for her decision; he feels bad for hurting her, and he wants to let her down softly. Additionally, he has not actually verbally articulated his feelings to anyone about this event before, so he is also justifying it to himself.
Rehearsal Analysis
My first time working this monologue was in class. That day, the class went outside to the grassy area behind the Don Powell. I was the first person to work my monologue, so I had the lamentable distinction of being everyone's introduction to Peter Cirino's approach to working monologues. I had come very unprepared, having only recently memorized the monologue and having never actually worked it physically; thus, I was extremely nervous throughout the whole process. I found myself feeling extremely imprisoned by Peter's outside-in approach to monologues; I did not feel that the statue I had picked was appropriate for Tony as a character, and I was totally confused regarding how to reconcile this disconnect. I quickly found myself very frustrated by the process. I walked up in front of the class, delivered my slate, got through about ten (very laborious) seconds of my monologue, and then Peter stopped me and asked me to do my slate again. The next fifteen minutes were spent repeating my slate and the first sentence of my monologue over and over. Each time I got more frustrated and more discouraged, because I just wanted to do my monologue and let the class see what it was about, and instead I had to run my slate and first beat into the ground. Peter wanted to see a clearly defined physical shift between my slate and my first beat; I was not able to produce a satisfactory change, which made me very embarrassed. I felt that this sort of rote work should have been done in private and not in front of the whole class. At one point Peter called Jessica up to touch me sensually while I delivered my monologue; this was very awkward for me. I understand what he was trying to accomplish by doing so, but I didn't get out of it what I was supposed to. Overall, this whole first rehearsal was so radically different than my usual monologue process that I was overwhelmed and totally out of my element.
My second rehearsal was worlds better. I met privately with Rafi. Having had several days since the first rehearsal to think about the monologue some more and work some ideas on my own, I felt very prepared for this meeting. At the start of the meeting, Rafi told me to sit down at a table across from him. He told me to deliver the monologue without any sort of "acting" and just tell it to him like I was telling a story to one of my friends. I launched right into the monologue, and got all the way through it without interruption. The whole time Rafi was reacting positively, laughing at the funny moments and generally appearing engaged and like he was enjoying listening. After I was done, he told me, with a huge smile, that he thought it was so good he almost wanted to tell me to leave right then and there. This was so encouraging to me, and made me feel great. I felt that I had done a really good job, and I was so happy that he agreed. He commended how honestly and naturally I had done the monologue, and told me I'm really talented. I'm not usually a person who needs a lot of praise or compliments, but after the dismal experience of my first rehearsal I really needed some reaffirmation. Rafi then told me to stand up and do the monologue again standing; I was a little worried, since when I am standing I tend to stiffen up and start gesturing unnecessarily with my hands. However, when I did the monologue this time I felt relaxed and confident, which made for a good performance. Rafi commended me again for my sincerity, and then the meeting was over. This short meeting was so vastly different than my first rehearsal, and was exactly the sort of positive experience I needed.
My third rehearsal was in front of the class again, and this time I came into it with my head held high, without any nerves or tension. When I was doing the monologue, I felt as though I was doing a good job. When I was done, I didn't receive any notes, which was disappointing.
Performance Analysis
For my final performance, I was feeling really confident. I finished the monologue feeling pretty good about how I'd done. However, I did end up receiving some criticism. Jeremy told me that my physicality was really weak, and that he just saw Shane up there instead of a character. He brought up my eternal arch-nemesis: my right hand, with which I gesticulate excessively when I act. Allie was less critical; she told me that she enjoyed the moment when I address Linda by name, saying she found that moment surprising and interesting. Rafi said that he was happy to see that the honesty that had so impressed him in our private meeting had come through in my final performance. However, he said that my slate was not professional enough; this was something about which I had never thought, and I was glad that he brought it to my attention. Peter complimented my vocal strength and the natural quality of my monologue, but he seconded the criticism of my unconnected gesturing and physical stiffness. I agreed fully with the criticisms; this has been a consistent problem for me throughout my acting education, so it was unsurprising to hear. Peter told me that if I could just get my physicality to catch up with my voice and my acting sensibilities, I could be a very strong actor. Hopefully the next time he sees me perform, I will have taken his comments and made the necessary changes to impress him!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Play Synopsis: Cloud Nine
I, like several of my classmates, am currently reading Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine in our Script Analysis class. This play is wonderfully subversive, pushing the boundaries of modern sexual norms and playing with taboos in order to raise readers and audience members' awareness of their own sexual pruderies. The play juxtaposes Victorian patriarchal morality with contemporary mores, asking audiences to examine whether the two are really all that different.
Clive, his wife Betty, son Edward, daughter Victoria, mother-in- law Maud, governess Ellen and servant Joshua welcome the audience to his African home with a song paying tribute to England. Out of the song, the action of the play begins quickly. Clive returns home after spending the day managing the troubles among local tribes. Betty greets him and they swap stories about their days' experiences. When Clive learns that Joshua has been rude to Betty, he scolds Joshua. After this scolding, Clive greets the rest of his family, asking his children about their daily activities. After some pleasant discussion, the family welcomes Harry Bagley and Mrs. Saunders. Harry, an explorer, visits the family between expeditions. Mrs. Saunders, a widow, arrives exhausted, seeking protection from the natives. Betty and Harry flirt, revealing their attraction for one another. Later, Harry asks Joshua to have sex with him, and they leave for the barn together.
Clive chases Mrs. Saunders away from the house, and, after a brief argument, performs oral sex on her. To escape suspicion, they quickly return to the family's Christmas picnic, where Clive toasts the Queen. Clive and Harry toss a ball with Edward until Clive becomes frustrated with Edward's clumsiness. The game of ball gives way to a game of hide and seek, during which Edward and Harry reveal that they have a sexual history. Edward hopes to rekindle this relationship, but Harry is hesitant to approve. Meanwhile, Ellen professes her love for Betty. Betty, still smitten with Harry, dismisses Ellen's comments as ridiculous.
Later, Clive and the men flog the natives as the women wait inside the house. Mrs. Saunders, disapproving, leaves to find out what exactly the men are doing. Ellen becomes angry with Edward for playing with a doll and slaps him. When Clive returns from the flogging, Edward apologizes for playing with the doll and asks his father for forgiveness. When all but Betty and Clive leave for the verandah, Clive tells Betty that he knows about her affair with Harry. He lectures her on the necessity to resist lust, and then he forgives her.
As tension grows among the natives, Clive finds a moment alone with Harry to tell Harry about the increasing dangers. Harry makes a pass at Clive, and Clive reacts with horror, offended by Harry's homosexuality. Seeking a cure for Harry's perversity, Clive attempts to marry Harry to Mrs. Saunders. She refuses the offer. News that Joshua's parents have been killed by British troops distracts Clive momentarily, as he offers his condolences to Joshua. When Clive turns his attention back to Harry, he forces an engagement between Harry and Ellen. At the wedding party that follows, Mrs. Saunders announces that she is leaving, but before she can exit, Clive kisses her, prompting a fight between Mrs. Saunders and Betty. Disgusted at Mrs. Saunders behavior, Clive kicks her out of the house. When Clive goes to toast the newly engaged couple, Joshua raises a gun to shoot Clive. Edward sees this action, but does not warn Clive.
Roughly one hundred years later, Victoria appears in a London park on a winter afternoon with Lin and Lin's daughter Cathy. When Cathy exits to play elsewhere, Lin informs Victoria that she is a lesbian, and she asks Victoria to go to a movie with her. Edward, now a gardener, joins the two women, followed by Betty, who rambles at length about raising children. Betty also mentions that she is considering leaving Clive. Betty lets Cathy play with her jewelry. (Note: For the second act of the play, which takes place in London, actors switch roles. For instance, Betty in London is played by a different actor than Betty in Africa.
In the spring, Edward's lover Gerry comes to the park, where they argue about Gerry's lack of commitment. Gerry tells the audience about an affair he had with a stranger on a train. Victoria returns to the park with her husband Martin, who speaks at length about sex and his desire to please Victoria. Lin enters when Martin leaves and tells Victoria that her brother, a soldier, has died in Belfast. When Lin and Cathy get into a fight, they lose track of Victoria's son Tommy. A brief panic ensues before they find him. Gerry and Edward return, and Gerry breaks up with Edward.
Later, on a summer night, Lin, Victoria, and Edward come to the park to hold a ceremony for a sex goddess. Martin arrives, looking for Victoria, and they pull him into the beginnings of an orgy. Moments later, Lin's dead brother appears and relates the experience of his service in the army. Lin collapses when her brother disappears. Characters from Africa begin to make brief appearances, interacting with the London characters.
By late summer, Lin, Victoria, and Edward have moved in together. Betty has rediscovered the joy of masturbation. Gerry and Edward reconcile and make plans to go out some time. On a trip to get ice cream, the Dead Hand Gang assaults Cathy, bloodying her nose. Martin and Lin fight over who was supposed to be looking after Cathy. All but Gerry and Betty leave. In her discussion with Gerry, Betty comes to terms with the fact that Edward is homosexual. Betty from Africa returns and embraces the new Betty.
Clive, his wife Betty, son Edward, daughter Victoria, mother-in- law Maud, governess Ellen and servant Joshua welcome the audience to his African home with a song paying tribute to England. Out of the song, the action of the play begins quickly. Clive returns home after spending the day managing the troubles among local tribes. Betty greets him and they swap stories about their days' experiences. When Clive learns that Joshua has been rude to Betty, he scolds Joshua. After this scolding, Clive greets the rest of his family, asking his children about their daily activities. After some pleasant discussion, the family welcomes Harry Bagley and Mrs. Saunders. Harry, an explorer, visits the family between expeditions. Mrs. Saunders, a widow, arrives exhausted, seeking protection from the natives. Betty and Harry flirt, revealing their attraction for one another. Later, Harry asks Joshua to have sex with him, and they leave for the barn together.
Clive chases Mrs. Saunders away from the house, and, after a brief argument, performs oral sex on her. To escape suspicion, they quickly return to the family's Christmas picnic, where Clive toasts the Queen. Clive and Harry toss a ball with Edward until Clive becomes frustrated with Edward's clumsiness. The game of ball gives way to a game of hide and seek, during which Edward and Harry reveal that they have a sexual history. Edward hopes to rekindle this relationship, but Harry is hesitant to approve. Meanwhile, Ellen professes her love for Betty. Betty, still smitten with Harry, dismisses Ellen's comments as ridiculous.
Later, Clive and the men flog the natives as the women wait inside the house. Mrs. Saunders, disapproving, leaves to find out what exactly the men are doing. Ellen becomes angry with Edward for playing with a doll and slaps him. When Clive returns from the flogging, Edward apologizes for playing with the doll and asks his father for forgiveness. When all but Betty and Clive leave for the verandah, Clive tells Betty that he knows about her affair with Harry. He lectures her on the necessity to resist lust, and then he forgives her.
As tension grows among the natives, Clive finds a moment alone with Harry to tell Harry about the increasing dangers. Harry makes a pass at Clive, and Clive reacts with horror, offended by Harry's homosexuality. Seeking a cure for Harry's perversity, Clive attempts to marry Harry to Mrs. Saunders. She refuses the offer. News that Joshua's parents have been killed by British troops distracts Clive momentarily, as he offers his condolences to Joshua. When Clive turns his attention back to Harry, he forces an engagement between Harry and Ellen. At the wedding party that follows, Mrs. Saunders announces that she is leaving, but before she can exit, Clive kisses her, prompting a fight between Mrs. Saunders and Betty. Disgusted at Mrs. Saunders behavior, Clive kicks her out of the house. When Clive goes to toast the newly engaged couple, Joshua raises a gun to shoot Clive. Edward sees this action, but does not warn Clive.
Roughly one hundred years later, Victoria appears in a London park on a winter afternoon with Lin and Lin's daughter Cathy. When Cathy exits to play elsewhere, Lin informs Victoria that she is a lesbian, and she asks Victoria to go to a movie with her. Edward, now a gardener, joins the two women, followed by Betty, who rambles at length about raising children. Betty also mentions that she is considering leaving Clive. Betty lets Cathy play with her jewelry. (Note: For the second act of the play, which takes place in London, actors switch roles. For instance, Betty in London is played by a different actor than Betty in Africa.
In the spring, Edward's lover Gerry comes to the park, where they argue about Gerry's lack of commitment. Gerry tells the audience about an affair he had with a stranger on a train. Victoria returns to the park with her husband Martin, who speaks at length about sex and his desire to please Victoria. Lin enters when Martin leaves and tells Victoria that her brother, a soldier, has died in Belfast. When Lin and Cathy get into a fight, they lose track of Victoria's son Tommy. A brief panic ensues before they find him. Gerry and Edward return, and Gerry breaks up with Edward.
Later, on a summer night, Lin, Victoria, and Edward come to the park to hold a ceremony for a sex goddess. Martin arrives, looking for Victoria, and they pull him into the beginnings of an orgy. Moments later, Lin's dead brother appears and relates the experience of his service in the army. Lin collapses when her brother disappears. Characters from Africa begin to make brief appearances, interacting with the London characters.
By late summer, Lin, Victoria, and Edward have moved in together. Betty has rediscovered the joy of masturbation. Gerry and Edward reconcile and make plans to go out some time. On a trip to get ice cream, the Dead Hand Gang assaults Cathy, bloodying her nose. Martin and Lin fight over who was supposed to be looking after Cathy. All but Gerry and Betty leave. In her discussion with Gerry, Betty comes to terms with the fact that Edward is homosexual. Betty from Africa returns and embraces the new Betty.
Play Synopsis: And Then There Were None
Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None is one of the most successful and often-performed murder mysteries of all time. Though I heard of the novel/play years ago, I had never read it or seen it performed until earlier this week when I attended a performance of the play at my alma mater, Madison High School. The production was one of the worst things I have seen in my life, and is two hours and six dollars I will never get back. However, as abysmal as the acting was, the plot of the play, in the hands of capable performers, is a chilling and suspenseful mystery of the highest caliber.
Eight people, all strangers to each other, are invited to Indian Island, off the English coast. Vera Claythorne, a former governess, thinks she has been hired as a secretary; Philip Lombard, an adventurer, and William Blore, an ex-detective, think they have been hired to look out for trouble over the weekend; Dr. Armstrong thinks he has been hired to look after the wife of the island’s owner. Emily Brent, General Macarthur, Tony Marston, and Judge Wargrave think they are going to visit old friends.
When they arrive on the island, the guests are greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, the butler and housekeeper, who report that the host, someone they call Mr. Owen, will not arrive until the next day. That evening, as all the guests gather in the drawing room after an excellent dinner, they hear a recorded voice accusing each of them of a specific murder committed in the past and never uncovered. They compare notes and realize that none of them, including the servants, knows “Mr. Owen,” which suggests that they were brought here according to someone’s strange plan.
As they discuss what to do, Tony Marston chokes on poisoned whiskey and dies. Frightened, the party retreats to bed, where almost everyone is plagued by guilt and memories of their crimes. Vera Claythorne notices the similarity between the death of Marston and the first verse of a nursery rhyme, “Ten Little Indians,” that hangs in each bedroom.
The next morning the guests find that Mrs. Rogers apparently died in her sleep. The guests hope to leave that morning, but the boat that regularly delivers supplies to the island does not show up. Blore, Lombard, and Armstrong decide that the deaths must have been murders and determine to scour the island in search of the mysterious Mr. Owen. They find no one, however. Meanwhile, the oldest guest, General Macarthur, feels sure he is going to die and goes to look out at the ocean. Before lunch, Dr. Armstrong finds the general dead of a blow to the head.
The remaining guests meet to discuss their situation. They decide that one of them must be the killer. Many make vague accusations, but Judge Wargrave reminds them that the existing evidence suggests any of them could be the killer. Afternoon and dinner pass restlessly, and everyone goes to bed, locking his or her door before doing so. The next morning, they find that Rogers has been killed while chopping wood in preparation for breakfast. At this point, the guests feel sure the murders are being carried out according to the dictates of the nursery rhyme. Also, they realize that the dining-room table initially featured ten Indian figures, but with each death one of the figures disappears.
After breakfast, Emily Brent feels slightly giddy, and she remains alone at the table for a while. She is soon found dead, her neck having been injected with poison. At this point, Wargrave initiates an organized search of everyone’s belongings, and anything that could be used as a weapon is locked away. The remaining guests sit together, passing time and casting suspicious looks at each other. Finally, Vera goes to take a bath, but she is startled by a piece of seaweed hanging from her ceiling and cries out. Blore, Lombard, and Armstrong run to help her, only to return downstairs to find Wargrave draped in a curtain that resembles courtroom robes and bearing a red mark on his forehead. Armstrong examines the body and reports that Wargrave has been shot in the head.
That night, Blore hears footsteps in the hall; upon checking, he finds that Armstrong is not in his room. Blore and Lombard search for Armstrong, but they cannot find him anywhere in the house or on the island. When they return from searching, they discover another Indian figure missing from the table.
Vera, Lombard, and Blore go outside, resolving to stay in the safety of the open land. Blore decides to go back into the house to get food. The other two hear a crash, and they find someone has pushed a statue out of a second-story window, killing Blore as he approached the house. Vera and Lombard retreat to the shore, where they find Armstrong’s drowned body on the beach. Convinced that Lombard is the killer, Vera steals Lombard’s gun and shoots him. She returns to her bedroom to rest, happy to have survived. But upon finding a noose waiting for her in her room, she feels a strange compulsion to enact the last line of the nursery rhyme, and hangs herself.
The mystery baffles the police until a manuscript in a bottle is found. The late Judge Wargrave wrote the manuscript explaining that he planned the murders because he wanted to punish those whose crimes are not punishable under law. Wargrave frankly admits to his own lust for blood and pleasure in seeing the guilty punished. When a doctor told Wargrave he was dying, he decided to die in a blaze, instead of letting his life trickle away. He discusses how he chose his victims and how he did away with Marston, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, Macarthur, and Emily Brent. Wargrave then describes how he tricked Dr. Armstrong into helping him fake his own death, promising to meet the doctor by the cliffs to discuss a plan. When Armstrong arrived, Wargrave pushed him over the edge into the sea, then returned to the house and pretended to be dead. His ruse enabled him to dispose of the rest of the guests without drawing their suspicion. Once Vera hanged herself on a noose that he prepared for her, Wargrave planned to shoot himself in such a way that his body would fall onto the bed as if it had been laid there. Thus, he hoped, the police would find ten dead bodies on an empty island.
Eight people, all strangers to each other, are invited to Indian Island, off the English coast. Vera Claythorne, a former governess, thinks she has been hired as a secretary; Philip Lombard, an adventurer, and William Blore, an ex-detective, think they have been hired to look out for trouble over the weekend; Dr. Armstrong thinks he has been hired to look after the wife of the island’s owner. Emily Brent, General Macarthur, Tony Marston, and Judge Wargrave think they are going to visit old friends.
When they arrive on the island, the guests are greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, the butler and housekeeper, who report that the host, someone they call Mr. Owen, will not arrive until the next day. That evening, as all the guests gather in the drawing room after an excellent dinner, they hear a recorded voice accusing each of them of a specific murder committed in the past and never uncovered. They compare notes and realize that none of them, including the servants, knows “Mr. Owen,” which suggests that they were brought here according to someone’s strange plan.
As they discuss what to do, Tony Marston chokes on poisoned whiskey and dies. Frightened, the party retreats to bed, where almost everyone is plagued by guilt and memories of their crimes. Vera Claythorne notices the similarity between the death of Marston and the first verse of a nursery rhyme, “Ten Little Indians,” that hangs in each bedroom.
The next morning the guests find that Mrs. Rogers apparently died in her sleep. The guests hope to leave that morning, but the boat that regularly delivers supplies to the island does not show up. Blore, Lombard, and Armstrong decide that the deaths must have been murders and determine to scour the island in search of the mysterious Mr. Owen. They find no one, however. Meanwhile, the oldest guest, General Macarthur, feels sure he is going to die and goes to look out at the ocean. Before lunch, Dr. Armstrong finds the general dead of a blow to the head.
The remaining guests meet to discuss their situation. They decide that one of them must be the killer. Many make vague accusations, but Judge Wargrave reminds them that the existing evidence suggests any of them could be the killer. Afternoon and dinner pass restlessly, and everyone goes to bed, locking his or her door before doing so. The next morning, they find that Rogers has been killed while chopping wood in preparation for breakfast. At this point, the guests feel sure the murders are being carried out according to the dictates of the nursery rhyme. Also, they realize that the dining-room table initially featured ten Indian figures, but with each death one of the figures disappears.
After breakfast, Emily Brent feels slightly giddy, and she remains alone at the table for a while. She is soon found dead, her neck having been injected with poison. At this point, Wargrave initiates an organized search of everyone’s belongings, and anything that could be used as a weapon is locked away. The remaining guests sit together, passing time and casting suspicious looks at each other. Finally, Vera goes to take a bath, but she is startled by a piece of seaweed hanging from her ceiling and cries out. Blore, Lombard, and Armstrong run to help her, only to return downstairs to find Wargrave draped in a curtain that resembles courtroom robes and bearing a red mark on his forehead. Armstrong examines the body and reports that Wargrave has been shot in the head.
That night, Blore hears footsteps in the hall; upon checking, he finds that Armstrong is not in his room. Blore and Lombard search for Armstrong, but they cannot find him anywhere in the house or on the island. When they return from searching, they discover another Indian figure missing from the table.
Vera, Lombard, and Blore go outside, resolving to stay in the safety of the open land. Blore decides to go back into the house to get food. The other two hear a crash, and they find someone has pushed a statue out of a second-story window, killing Blore as he approached the house. Vera and Lombard retreat to the shore, where they find Armstrong’s drowned body on the beach. Convinced that Lombard is the killer, Vera steals Lombard’s gun and shoots him. She returns to her bedroom to rest, happy to have survived. But upon finding a noose waiting for her in her room, she feels a strange compulsion to enact the last line of the nursery rhyme, and hangs herself.
The mystery baffles the police until a manuscript in a bottle is found. The late Judge Wargrave wrote the manuscript explaining that he planned the murders because he wanted to punish those whose crimes are not punishable under law. Wargrave frankly admits to his own lust for blood and pleasure in seeing the guilty punished. When a doctor told Wargrave he was dying, he decided to die in a blaze, instead of letting his life trickle away. He discusses how he chose his victims and how he did away with Marston, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, Macarthur, and Emily Brent. Wargrave then describes how he tricked Dr. Armstrong into helping him fake his own death, promising to meet the doctor by the cliffs to discuss a plan. When Armstrong arrived, Wargrave pushed him over the edge into the sea, then returned to the house and pretended to be dead. His ruse enabled him to dispose of the rest of the guests without drawing their suspicion. Once Vera hanged herself on a noose that he prepared for her, Wargrave planned to shoot himself in such a way that his body would fall onto the bed as if it had been laid there. Thus, he hoped, the police would find ten dead bodies on an empty island.
Play Synopsis: The Marriage Of Bette And Boo
Christopher Durang is one of the masters of modern dark comedy, and his acidic and ironic style is at its pinnacle in The Marriage of Bette and Boo. This semi-autobiographical play deals with the pain of living in a broken and dysfunctional family. Durang, who also played the character of Matt in the original run of the show, deftly paints a grotesque and hilarious caricature of his own family, in which alcoholism and mental illness tore apart the marriages of his parents and grandparents. The characters are disturbingly blithe, dealing with issue like stillborn infants and abusive relationships with a chipper sense of irony and ignorance. The play centers around Bette and Boo, who at the outset of the play have just gotten married. Bette, though a grown woman, has the thought processes of a child. Boo is a problem drinker whose alcoholism worsens throughout the play until it tears apart the titular marriage. The entire play is punctuated by narration and commentary from Durang's author surrogate, Matt (nicknamed Skippy by his mother after her favorite film). Matt tells the story like a memory play, much like Tennessee Williams' Tom in The Glass Menagerie, and his bitter and matter-of-fact discussion of the issues adds to the play's overall irony. The chronology of the play is erratic and elliptical, migrating between various periods in the life of Bette, Boo, Matt, and the sordid ensemble of ancillary characters within the extended families. The underlying linear storyline follows the marriage through Bette's multiple stillbirths (a result of a condition called erythroblastosis fetalis), the gradual erosion of her marriage to Boo due to his drinking, and the subsequent alienation of Matt from both of his parents. The play ends with Bette's death; though most of the play maintains a detached and ironic tone, the end does offer a glimpse into the real emotional toll its events took on Matt/Durang and the other characters of the play.
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