The Birthday Party - Stanley Flashcards
In a moment…
Shouts from Stanley, wild laughter from Meg
You succulent…
Old washing bag
It isn’t your place…
To come into a man’s bedroom and - wake him up
(Violently)
Look, why don’t you get this place cleared up!
Forget all…
About it. It’s a false alarm. A false alarm.
(Quietly)
Who do you think you’re talking to?
I’ve been …
Offered a job, as a matter of fact […] in Berlin
Then we pay…
A flying visit to … er… whatsisname… […] Constantinople. Zagreb. Valdivostock. It’s a round-the-world tour
A concert.
At lower Edmonton.
I had a unique touch […]
They came up to me […] my father nearly came down to hear me […] but I don’t think he could make it. No, I - I lost the address, that was it
They carved me up […]
My next concert. Somewhere else it was […] when I got there, the hall was closed, the place was shuttered up […] they’d locked it up
They want me to …
Crawl down on my bended knees […] you’re just an old piece of rock cake, aren’t you?
They’ve got a …
Wheelbarrow in that can. [they haven’t]. Oh yes they have
(Abruptly)
How would you like to go away with me?
Nowhere.
There’s nowhere to go. So we could just go.
Stanley slips…
On his glasses, sidles through the kitchen door and out the back door
What…
Are they called? What are their names?
He hangs…
The drum around his neck, taps it gently with the sticks […] halfway round the beat becomes erratic,uncontrolled […] his face and the drumbeat now savage and possessed. Curtain.
Stanley joins McCann…
In whistling “the mountains of Morns” […] one whistling while the other speaks, and both whistling together
I’d say you were…
Exaggerating […] I’d say that was plain stupid
I used to…
Live very quietly […] I started a little private business […] I lived so quietly
The way some people…
Look at me you’d think I was a different […] you wouldn’t think, to look at me, really […] that I was the sort of bloke to - cause any trouble, would you?
Because it’s not a …
Boarding house. It never was.
You knew what…
I was talking about before, didn’t you?
All those years I lived…
In Basingstoke I never stepped outside the door
To me, you’re nothing but..
A dirty joke […] they’ve lost their sense of smell. I haven’t.
They watch him.
He stops whistling. Silence. He sits.
Me feet hurt! […]
I had a headache!
(Sitting, his back to the audience)
What wife?
He looks ups slowly…
And kicks Goldberg in the stomach […] Stanley seizes a chair and covers his head with it
McCann picks up…
The drum and places it sideways in Stanley’s path. Stanley walks into the drum and falls over with his foot caught in it.
Lulu is lying…
Spread eagles on the table, Stanley bent over her […] the torch draws closer. His giggle rises and grows as he flattens himself agains the wall. Their figures converge upon him
[goldberg: they’re broken. A pity]
Stanley stares blankly at the floor
They begin to…
Woo him, gently and with relish
[Goldberg] I said animals […] what do you say?
Stanley’s head lifts very slowly and turns in Goldberg’s direction
“Caaahhh… caaahhh”
They help Stanley out of the chair
