The Books: “The Birthday Party” (Harold Pinter)

Daily Book Excerpt: Scripts

Next on the shelf: a bunch of Harold Pinter plays. I love reading Pinter, I love working on Pinter … There’s so much he doesn’t say in his plays, he leaves so much of the main event clouded from view … but Pinter rarely seems coy to me. His writing style is not coy. And what it does, at least in a good production of his work, is set up this overwhelming feeling of menace in the play. Because of what is not being said. Because somehow, the details are obscured … If anyone has read any Pinter, you’ll know what I mean. It’s kind of hard to describe. My favorite Pinter play is “The Dumb Waiter” – just wonderful.

But today’s excerpt is from The Birthday Party which was his first full-length play.

It’s set in a seedy boarding house, run by Meg and Petey, a couple in their 60s. Stanley is their only boarder, and he’s been there a long time. He’s a scruffy depressed guy in his 30s – and you get the sense, from the oblique hints in the script – that he had been some kind of concert pianist, or something. Anyway, that’s the set-up. The opening of the play, the first scene, is kind of benign and loopy – you meet these 3 characters. There is nothing huge going on, nothing of import … Meg makes breakfast for Stanley. She mentions, casually, that two new boarders are coming to stay with them … and Stanley acts very alarmed, “who are they? Two men? No, they shouldn’t stay here … they shouldn’t stay here …” You get the sense (as you so often do in Pinter plays) that something is going on underneath. What is it? What is Stanley worried about? Who is Stanley really? Who are the two guys coming to board?

Then, suddenly, the two guys show up. Goldberg and McCann. I’ll just post the excerpt so you can see what I mean about the ominous feeling of the words … you don’t know what is ominous, exactly, you don’t know who these two guys are … but suddenly you get the creepy-crawly feeling that something bad is going to happen.

Vintage Pinter.

What’s also “vintage Pinter” is his use of pauses. His use of “pause” is like a period, a comma, a semi-colon … It’s punctuation that actors and directors would be well-advised to follow. Do the pauses. Even if you don’t know why there’s a pause. Maybe you’ll figure out why by actually DOING the pause, and seeing what might be there in the silence. It won’t be an intellectual discovery, but more of an emotional understanding of “what is REALLY going on” – which is always the job of the actor in any given script. But if you ignore Pinter’s pauses, you will short-change the discovery process – and you will also not be figuring out what is REALLY going on.

Follow the pauses. Do them. Don’t add more pauses. Don’t be an idiot. Just do the pauses that Pinter wrote, and be obedient to them. If you feel uncomfortable during the pauses, that’s the whole damn point. Pinter knew what he was doing

EXCERPT FROM The Birthday Party, by Harold Pinter.

[She exits. Stanley stands. He then goes to the mirror and looks in it. He goes into the kitchen, takes off his glasses and begins to wash his face. A pause. Enter, by the backdoor, Goldberg and McCann. McCann carries two suitcases, Goldberg a briefcase. They halt inside the door, then walk downstage. Stanley, wiping his face, glimpses their backs through the hatch. Goldberg and McCann look round the room. Stanley slips on his glasses, idles through the kitchen door and out of the back door.]

MCCANN. Is this it?

GOLDBERG. This is it.

MCCANN. Are you sure?

GOLDBERG. Sure I’m sure.

[Pause]

MCCANN. What now?

GOLDBERG. Don’t worry yourself, McCann. Take a seat.

MCCANN. What about you?

GOLDBERG. What about me?

MCCANN. Are you going to take a seat?

GOLDBERG. We’ll both take a seat. [McCann puts down the suitcase and sits at the table] Sit back, McCann. Relax. What’s the matter with you? I bring you down for a few days to the seaside. Take a holiday. Do yourself a favor. Learn to relax, McCann, or you’ll never get anywhere.

MCCANN. Ah sure, I do try, Nat.

GOLDBERG. [sitting at the table] The secret is breathing. Take my tip. It’s a well-known fact. Breathe in, breathe out, take a chance, let yourself go, what can you lose? Look at me. When I was an apprentice yet, McCann, every second Friday of the month my Uncle Barney used to take me to the seaside, regular as clockwork. Brighton, Canvey Island, Rottingdam — Uncle Barney wasn’t particular. After lunch on Shabbuss we’d go and sit in a couple of deck chairs — you know, the ones with canopies — we’d have a little paddle, we’d watch the tide coming in, going out, the sun coming down — golden days, believe me, McCann. Uncle Barney. Of course, he was an impeccable dresser. One of the old school. He had a house just outside Basingstoke at the time. Respected by the whole community. Culture? Don’t talk to me about culture. He was an all-round man, what do you mean? He was a cosmopolitan.

MCCANN. Hey, Nat …

GOLDBERG. [reflectively] Yes. One of the old school.

MCCANN. Nat. How do we know this is the right house?

GOLDBERG. What?

MCCANN. How do we know this is the right house?

GOLDBERG. What makes you think it’s the wrong house.

MCCANN. I didn’t see a number on the gate.

GOLDBERG. I wasn’t looking for a number.

MCCANN. No?

GOLDBERG. You know one thing Uncle Barney taught me? Uncle Barney taught me that the word of a gentleman is enough. That’s why, when I had to go away on business I never carried any money. One of my sons used to come with me. He used to carry a few coppers. For a paper, perhaps, to see how the M.C.C. was getting on overseas. Otherwise my name was good. Besides, I was a very busy man.

MCCANN. What about this, Nat? Isn’t it about time someone came in?

GOLDBERG. McCann, what are you so nervous about? Pull yourself together. Everywhere you go these days it’s like a funeral.

MCCANN. That’s true.

GOLDBERG. True? Of course it’s true. It’s more than true. It’s a fact.

MCCANN. You may be right.

GOLDBERG. What is it, McCann? You don’t trust me like you did in the old days?

MCCANN. Sure I trust you, Nat.

GOLDBERG. But why is it that before you do a job you’re all over the place, and when you’re doing the job you’re as cool as a whistle?

MCCANN. I don’t know, Nat. I’m just all right once I know what I’m doing. When I know what I’m doing, I’m all right.

GOLDBERG. Well, you do it very well.

MCCANN. Thank you, Nat.

GOLDBERG. You know what I said when this job came up. I mean naturally they approached me to take care of it. And you know who I asked for?

MCCANN. Who?

GOLDBERG. You.

MCCANN. That was very good of you, Nat.

GOLDBERG. No, it was nothing. You’re a capable man, McCann.

MCCANN. That’s a great compliment, Nat, coming from a man in your position.

GOLDBERG. Well, I’ve got a position, I won’t deny it.

MCCANN. You certainly have.

GOLDBERG. I would never deny that I had a position.

MCCANN. And what a position!

GOLDBERG. It’s not a thing I would deny.

MCCANN. Yes, it’s true, you’ve done a lot for me. I appreciate it.

GOLDBERG. Say no more.

MCCANN. You’ve always been a true Christian.

GOLDBERG. In a way.

MCCANN. No, I just thought I’d tell you that I appreciate it.

GOLDBERG. It’s unnecessary to recapitulate.

MCCANN. You’re right there.

GOLDBERG. Quite unnecessary.

[Pause. McCann leans forward]

MCCANN. Hey Nat, just one thing …

GOLDBERG. What now?

MCCANN. This job — no, listen — this job, is it going to be like anything we’ve ever done before?

GOLDBERG. Tch, tch, tch.

MCCANN. No, just tell me that. Just that, and I won’t ask any more.

[Goldberg sighs, stands, goes behind the table, ponders, looks at McCann, and then speaks in a quiet, fluent, official tone]

GOLDBERG. The main issue is a singular issue and quite distinct from your previous work. Certain elements, however, might well approximate in points of procedure to some of your other activities. All is dependent on the attitude of our subject. At all events, McCann, I can assure you that the assignment will be carried out and the mission accomplished with no excessive aggravation to you or myself. Satisfied?

MCCANN. Sure. Thank you, Nat.

[Meg enters]

GOLDBERG. Ah, Mrs. Boles?

MEG. Yes?

GOLDBERG. We spoke to your husband last night. Perhaps he mentioned us? We heard that you kindly let rooms for gentlemen. So I brought my friend along with me. We were after a nice place, you understand. So we came to you. I’m Mr. Goldberg and this is Mr. McCann.

MEG. Very pleased to meet you.

[They shake hands]

GOLDBERG. We’re pleased to meet you, too.

MEG. That’s very nice.

GOLDBERG. You’re right. How often do you meet someone it’s a pleasure to meet?

MCCANN. Never.

GOLDBERG. But today it’s different. How are you keeping, Mrs. Boles?

MEG. Oh, very well, thank you.

GOLDBERG. Yes? Really?

MEG. Oh yes, really.

GOLDBERG. I’m glad.

[Goldberg sits at the table]

GOLDBERG. Well, so what do you say? You can manage to put us up, eh, Mrs. Boles?

MEG. Well, it would have been easier last week.

GOLDBERG. It would, eh?

MEG. Yes.

GOLDBERG. Why? How many have you got here at the moment?

MEG. Just one at the moment.

GOLDBERG. Just one?

MEG. Yes. Just one. Until you came.

GOLDBERG. And your husband, of course?

MEG. Yes, but he sleeps with me.

GOLDBERG. What does he do, your husband?

MEG. He’s a deck-chair attendant.

GOLDBERG. Oh, very nice.

MEG. Yes, he’s out in all weathers.

[She begins to take her purchases from her bag]

GOLDBERG. Of course. And your guest? Is he a man?

MEG. A man?

GOLDBERG. Or a woman?

MEG. No. A man.

GOLDBERG. Been here long?

MEG. He’s been here about a year now.

GOLDBERG. Oh yes. A resident. What’s his name?

MEG. Stanley Webber.

GOLDBERG. Oh yes? Does he work here?

MEG. He used to work. He used to be a pianist. In a concert party on the pier.

GOLDBERG. Oh yes? On the pier, eh? Does he play a nice piano?

MEG. OH, lovely. [She sits] He once gave a concert.

GOLDBERG. Oh? Where?

MEG. [falteringly] In … a big hall. His father gave him champagne. But then they locked the place up and he couldn’t get out. The caretaker had gone home. So he had to wait until the morning before he could get out. [with confidence] They were very grateful. [Pause] And then they all wanted to give him a tip. And so he took the tip. And then he got a fast train and he came down here.

GOLDBERG. Really?

MEG. Oh yes. Straight down.

[Pause]

MEG. I wish he could have played tonight.

GOLDBERG. Why tonight?

MEG. It’s his birthday today.

GOLDBERG. His birthday?

MEG. Yes. Today. But I’m not going to tell him until tonight.

GOLDBERG. Doesn’t he know it’s his birthday?

MEG. He hasn’t mentioned it.

GOLDBERG. Ah! Tell me. Are you going to have a party?

MEG. A party?

GOLDBERG. Weren’t you going to have one?

MEG. [her eyes wide] No.

GOLDBERG. Well, of course, you must have one. [He stands] We’ll have a party, eh? What do you say?

MEG. Oh yes!

GOLDBERG. Sure. We’ll give him a party. Leave it to me.

MEG. Oh, that’s wonderful, Mr. Gold —

GOLDBERG. Berg.

MEG. Berg.

GOLDBERG. You like the idea?

MEG. Oh, I’m so glad you came today.

GOLDBERG. If we hadn’t come today we’d have come tomorrow. Still, I’m glad we came today. Just in time for his birthday.