Previously
Published
All 'That Fall Endgame Happy Days How It Is Krapp's Last Tapc and Other Dramatic Pieces h'lurphy Poenls in English Proust Stories & Texts for Nothing Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable IVaiting for Godot IVa t t
Samuel Beckett /Q
and other. short dramatic pieces
Bram Van Velde (with Georges Duthuit and Jacques Putnam)
Grove Press, Inc.
New York
Come and Go dramaticule f o r John Calder
FI.0
VI
I
Age undeter~llinable
RI1 l
Sitting cei~treside by side stage right to left FLO, RIJ.Very erect, faciilg front, hands clasped in laps.
VI, and
Silence. \!I: Ru. Rlr: YCS. VI: Flo. ~ 1 . 0 :Yes. v l : W h e n did we three last meet? RU : Let us not speak.
Silence. Exit VI right. Silence. ~ 1 . 0 : Ru. Yes. F1.o: IVhat d o you think of Vi? R U : I see little change. ( ~ 1 . 0inoves to cadre seat, whispers iit Rtl's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They iook at each other. ~ r . 0puts her finger to her lips.) D t x s she not realize? ~ 1 . 0God : grant not. RU:
Enter VI. FLO and sits right. Sileitce. FLO:
RU
turn back front, resume pose. vr
Just sit together as we used to, in the playground a t Miss Wade's.
68 / Samuel Beckett
callie after? (Silence.) Shall we hold hands in the old way?
O n the log.
RU:
Silence. Exit FLO left. Silence. Vi. Yes. R U : How do you find Flo? \!I: She seems much thc same. ( R U moves to centre seat, whispers in Vi's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (Tltey look at each other. R U puts her finger to her lips.)Has she not been told? R U : God forbid. RU: VI:
Enter ~ 1 . 0R .U alid V I turn back front, resume pose. sits left. SiIeizce. RU: FLO:
FLO
Ilolding hands . . . that way. Ilrcaming of . . . love. Sileilce. Exit R U right. Silence.
vr: Flo.
Yes. \{I: I-low do jrou think 1111 is looking? FLO: One sees little in this light. (v1 moves to centre seat, lc~llispersin Flo's ear. ~lppalled.)Oh! (They look at each other. v1 puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not know? V I : Plcasc God not. F1.o:
Erlter R U . V I and FLO t u r l ~back front, resurile pose. sits right. Silence. \.I:
Come and G o / 69
l
RU
hIay we not spcak of thc old days? (Silence.) Of what
After a ~iiorne~it they join hands as follows: Vi's right hrjrld ~vitllRtl's right Ildnd, Vi's left hand with Flo's left hand, Flo's riglrt hand with Ru's left hand, Vi's clrtrls being abolv lill's left arm and Flo's right arm. ?'he tllree pairs of clasped hands rest on the three Zaps. Silence. Silence.
t
NOTES Successive positions 1 Flo Vi Ru Ru Flo Ru 3,
Vi
{ 5
6
Flo
Ru Ru
Ru Vi
lvi
Ru
Flo
Vi
F'lo Flo
I-lands R u V i Flo
W
Lighting Soft, from above only and concentrated on playing area. Rest of stage as dark as possible. Costume Full-length coats, buttoned high, dull violet (RU), dull red ( v I ) ,dull yellow ( F L O ) . Drab nondescript hats with enough brim to shade faces. Apart from colour differentiatio~lthree figures as alike as possible. Light shoes with rubber soles. I-lands made up to be as visible as possible. No rings apparent.
Come and G o / 71
Seat Narrow benchlike seat, without back, just long enough to accomn~odatethree figures almost touchiilg. As little visible as possible. It should not be clear what tbey are sitting on. Exits l'llc figures arc not secn to go off stagr They should disallpear a few steps from lit area. If d a i not sufficient to d had to screens or drapes as allow this, recourse s h o ~ ~ lbe little visible as possible. Exits and entrances slow, without sound of feet.
Ohs 'I'lircc \'cry different sounds
Voices As low as compatible with audibility. Coloudess except for three "ohs" and two lines following.
