Gus: Have you noticed the time that tank takes to fill?
Ben: What tank?
Gus: In the Lavatory.
Ben: No. Does it?
Gus: Terrible.
Ben: Well, what about it?
Gus: What do you think is the matter with it?
Ben: Nothing.
Gus: Nothing?
Ben: It's got a deficient ballcock, that's all.
Gus: No? Really?
Ben: That's what I should say.
Gus: Go on! That didn't occur to me.
In the vein of Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot' and McDonagh's 'In Bruge' is a hilariously absurdist tale about two killers for hire waiting for the call from 'Wilson' for their next assignment.
Written by Harold Pinter in 1959, 'The Dumb Waiter' cemented his career as one of the great British comedy/absurdist playwrights. Pinter acknowledges that Samuel Beckett had great influence particularly in his earlier work, later becoming friends whom shared and commented on their writings before publication. (Martin McDonagh also acknowledges Pinter as one of his influences in writing also!)
Waiting in a stifling, prison-like basement room with two uncomfortable beds, no window, a gas stove - with no gas, a faulty toilet off stage and a Dumb Waiter in the middle of one wall. Ben and Gus, friends or possibly just accomplices wait for their next step. Ben waits whilst mundanely reading the newspaper and reading out random stories to Gus. Gus nervously walks the room and unties his shoelaces and removes a flattened matchbox case from one and an empty flattened cigarette box from the other. An envelope is pushed under the door containing 12 matches. Gus questions the point of the matches whilst Ben points out that the matches will be always be helpful, especially when in need of a cup of tea. They argue about the correct terminology of how to light a kettle...
Ben: Go and light it.
Gus: Light what?
Ben: The kettle.
Gus: You mean the gas.
Ben: Who does?
Gus: You do.
Ben: (His eyes narrowing) What do you mean, I mean the gas?
Gus: Well, that's what you mean, don't you? The gas.
Ben: (powerfully) If I say go and light the kettle I mean go and light the gas.
Gus: How can you light the kettle?
Ben: It's a figure of speech! Light the kettle. It's a figure of speech!...
All of a sudden there is a loud bang and clattering noise and the dumb waiter in the centre back wall springs to life. Shocked they silently move around the room in unison gathering their guns and point them at the dumb waiter. Inside is a note asking for 'Two braised steaks and chips, two sago puddings and two teas without sugar". The men scramble though their belongings, gather all the food they have (all which belong to Gus) and send it up.
This continues on for the remainder of the play - the dumb waiter lowers, a note with a food order, which gets more and more elaborate each time, and the men yell up the shaft stating that they have no food. They finally figure out that there is a speaking tube beside the contraption so they can communicate with the upper levels of the house they are trapped in.
The audience only hears one side of the conversation, and are left guessing as to whom is on the other end... Is it 'Wilson' sending cryptic messages? Is it a waiter whom doesn't know that there is no kitchen in the basement? Sorry to ruin part of the ending, but you never do find out where these orders are coming from!
Whilst Gus is in the toilet (again), Ben finally gets the call from upstairs with his orders for their next assignment.
There are many silences used within 'The Dumb Waiter'. We find out more about these two male characters in their silences than we do in the dialogue. Although the dialogue is quite limited at the best of times. There is no complexity within Pinters dialogue, it is the lower-class British vernacular that makes the characters jump off the stage with complex absurdist questioning notions of life and the point of it all.
Written by Harold Pinter in 1959, 'The Dumb Waiter' cemented his career as one of the great British comedy/absurdist playwrights. Pinter acknowledges that Samuel Beckett had great influence particularly in his earlier work, later becoming friends whom shared and commented on their writings before publication. (Martin McDonagh also acknowledges Pinter as one of his influences in writing also!)
Waiting in a stifling, prison-like basement room with two uncomfortable beds, no window, a gas stove - with no gas, a faulty toilet off stage and a Dumb Waiter in the middle of one wall. Ben and Gus, friends or possibly just accomplices wait for their next step. Ben waits whilst mundanely reading the newspaper and reading out random stories to Gus. Gus nervously walks the room and unties his shoelaces and removes a flattened matchbox case from one and an empty flattened cigarette box from the other. An envelope is pushed under the door containing 12 matches. Gus questions the point of the matches whilst Ben points out that the matches will be always be helpful, especially when in need of a cup of tea. They argue about the correct terminology of how to light a kettle...
Ben: Go and light it.
Gus: Light what?
Ben: The kettle.
Gus: You mean the gas.
Ben: Who does?
Gus: You do.
Ben: (His eyes narrowing) What do you mean, I mean the gas?
Gus: Well, that's what you mean, don't you? The gas.
Ben: (powerfully) If I say go and light the kettle I mean go and light the gas.
Gus: How can you light the kettle?
Ben: It's a figure of speech! Light the kettle. It's a figure of speech!...
All of a sudden there is a loud bang and clattering noise and the dumb waiter in the centre back wall springs to life. Shocked they silently move around the room in unison gathering their guns and point them at the dumb waiter. Inside is a note asking for 'Two braised steaks and chips, two sago puddings and two teas without sugar". The men scramble though their belongings, gather all the food they have (all which belong to Gus) and send it up. This continues on for the remainder of the play - the dumb waiter lowers, a note with a food order, which gets more and more elaborate each time, and the men yell up the shaft stating that they have no food. They finally figure out that there is a speaking tube beside the contraption so they can communicate with the upper levels of the house they are trapped in.
The audience only hears one side of the conversation, and are left guessing as to whom is on the other end... Is it 'Wilson' sending cryptic messages? Is it a waiter whom doesn't know that there is no kitchen in the basement? Sorry to ruin part of the ending, but you never do find out where these orders are coming from!
Whilst Gus is in the toilet (again), Ben finally gets the call from upstairs with his orders for their next assignment.
There are many silences used within 'The Dumb Waiter'. We find out more about these two male characters in their silences than we do in the dialogue. Although the dialogue is quite limited at the best of times. There is no complexity within Pinters dialogue, it is the lower-class British vernacular that makes the characters jump off the stage with complex absurdist questioning notions of life and the point of it all.
Below is a set design from Vespertine Productions in the US and their take on 'The Dumb Waiter'. The successfully funded their production via Kickstarter in 2010. I really love how the design of this really brings the audience into the claustrophobic nature of the text and forces them to become part of the existential discussions that these two men have whilst they are waiting for contact from the outside world.
Sets like these are becoming more common as small fringe and underground theatres are opening up and becoming popular with artists to share their work.
Sets like these are becoming more common as small fringe and underground theatres are opening up and becoming popular with artists to share their work.
I for one know the perfect venue in Richmond Victoria (Australia) where this could be produced with brilliant results!! (The only thing left to do would be to find the perfect cast.... Easy!)
Who knows.... you may just see a version of this coming to an underground Australian theatre soon!!
Who knows.... you may just see a version of this coming to an underground Australian theatre soon!!
Anyway, I am going to cut this blog post short as I am full of the flu and I am in great need of getting away from this computer screen.
Next Week: 'The Prodigal Son' by Jack Hibbert
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