ASHES TO ASHES

Author: Harold Pinter

Title: Ashes to Ashes

Editorial and year / place of publication: Faber and Faber, 1996, Royal Court at the Ambassadors Theatre London.

  “Dramatis personae”: In this play there are only two characters. The playwright says “nothing” about them, I suppose that they know between them before and they are about a middle age more or less. Their names are Devlin and Rebecca. Devlin is a man who has “the role of psychologist”(but he does not work as a psychologist). Rebecca is a woman who is intriguing due to her confessions, she seems be ill-treat by the life.

  Plot: This play starts with a dialogue between the characters. Devlin always asks Rebecca, it is such as, interrogatory since the playwright suggest it saying “The room darkens during the course of the play”, it seems that Rebecca is hidden something, or she has a severe and chronic mental or emotional stress, Devlin looks like a psychiatrist, they are talking about Rebecca’s boyfriend at the past, but it is not quite clear, and also they are talking about her family, her “supposed” baby …  Devlin seems that he is trying to confuse her and Rebecca everything that she remember, she tell him.

  Space and time: the action, likely, takes place in Devlin’s house so we can say that the space is single and it is closed. It is a common house with a garden. Inside of the house, the room where

characters are is not very decorated; it has only two wardrobes and two lamps. The action occurs at the present but characters do some references at the past.

  The language that Harold Pinter used in his play is colloquial. There are some swearwords and idioms. For example, “ I think you’re a fuckpig” (page 398). And therefore phrases like “ Put your hand around my throat”.  Sometimes the dialogue is absurd, without sense. The play is written in prose.

  Others aspects: We can see that there are a bit characters and the space is not very decorated so we can say that the play did not cost quite money (aspect economic and technique, because there are a bit characters and to perform is not difficult, I think) the playwright does reference at the situation socio-political (genocide nazi) since Rebecca “run away” of Nazis.

  In my opinion, I think that this play is quite baffling since I am not sure if it is true or it is false, and also I do not know really if it happens or not. 

THE COLLECTION

Author: Harold Pinter

Title and subtitle: The Collection

Editorial and year / place of publication: 1961, London the play was presented by Associated Rediffusion Television.

  “Dramatis personae”: In this play there are not many characters, there are only four, their names are Bill, Harry, James and Stella. Bill is a man about twenty years old. Harry is older than Bill, he is about forty years old. Harry and Bill live together in Harry’s house in Belgravia. James and Stella are married for two years. James is a man quite distrust with her wife. He is thirty years old more or less like his wife. Stella works in a business of fashion. They live in James’s flat in Chelsea.

   Plot: The play starts with a telephone ring at midnight, the person who was ringing up was looked for at Bill, but he was sleeping and Harry did not awake him, and furthermore Harry did not know who was phoning. The next day James went to the Bill’s house, he wanted to speak with him. They were speaking about a travel of Bill to Leeds, professedly Bill had known at his wife, Stella, he had stayed with her at her hotel’s room and they had had sexual relations. In other words, this was what James wanted to Know. Bill told him that only these were kisses. James came back to his house and compared the Bill’s version with his wife. Her wife said to him that she only met with Bill, but James did not believe her and he wanted to come back at Bill’s house again. James come back and while they were speaking, James said to Bill that if he wanted to play any game, and “playing” Bill was hurt, he had a cut on his hand. But while Bill and James were speaking, Harry went to the James’ house to speak with Stella, Stella told him the truth and Harry come back to his house and told James it.

   Space and time: The action takes places in two houses, Harry’s house and James’ house. The stage is divided into three areas, stage left is the Harry’s house, stage right is James’ flat and the other is a promontory, telephone box. The action happens for two days, the playwright makes some references at the past. He uses at the characters to tell us the story.

  The language that he used in his play is colloquial. The characters use words such as “hullo” and monosyllables like “yes”, “perfect”.  There are some idioms. The play is written in prose.

  Other aspects:  Although there are a few characters, only four, I think that they play can cost much money in other words, its budget can be high, since it is quite decorated [the stage is divided in three parts, the bill’s house, the James’ house and the box telephone] (economic aspect) nevertheless, it is easy to perform.

  In my opinion, I think that this play is easy to understand the plot but there are something that it is not clear, such as what did happen in reality between Bill and Stella?, only they know it.

THE DUMB WAITER

Author: Harold Pinter

Title and subtitle: The Dumb Waiter

Editorial and year / place of publication: 1960, it was presented at the Hampstead Theatre Club and lately at the Royal Court Theatre.

  “Dramatis personae”: in the play there are only two characters. Ben and Gus. Ben is a men, he wears in the first act a shirt, trousers and braces. Gus is a man and also he wears the same clothes that Ben. I suppose that Ben and Gus are about middle age.

  Plot: Ben and Gus are two “killers” that they are closed in a basement room and they are waiting at the instructions about their next work. While they are waiting, they talk over whatever, and they receive orders of a kitchen through something like hoist, it is above of the basement on they are. And furthermore Ben can speak with their boss through bullhorn (megaphone). As I say before, they talk over whatever, an example can be the conversation that they have about their boss in other words, the person who contracted them, but they do not know him. So they are quite nervous. Ben thinks about if he truly wants to follow working in it. Finally, they receive instructions to kill whom enters in the basement room, and Ben kills at Gus because he is the first that enters in this room.

  Space and time: The play takes place in a basement room without windows, in the room there are two beds, the bullhorn, the hoist and one door that when it is open there is a passageway, so we can say that the space is single and closed.  About the time playwright says nothing but I can suppose that the action happens in the morning of one day.

    The language that he used in his play is colloquial. There are some idioms, many repetitions and sometimes the dialogue is without sense, incoherent. The lexicon is easy and simple. The characters use monosyllables. The play is written in prose.

   Others aspects: We can see that there are a bit characters and the space is only decorated with two beds, the bullhorn, the hoist and one door that when it is open there is a passageway, so we can say that the play did not cost quite money (economic aspect because there are a bit characters), but to perform I think that can be difficult on account of the decorate.

  In my opinion, I think this play reflects the characteristics of The Theatre of The Absurd such as the majority his other plays, (Party Time, The Collection, Ashes to Ashes) 

PARTY TIME

Author: Harold Pinter

Title and subtitle: Party Time

Editorial and year / place of publication: Faber and Faber, 1991, Almeida Theatre

  “Dramatis personae”: In this play there are nine characters. Terry is man. He is about forty years old. He is married with Dusty and Gavin is his friend. Gavin is a man who is about his fifty years. He is the party’s host. When he was a child, he worked as a hairdresser but now he is a golfer. Dusty is the youngest woman, she is twenty years old. She is married with Terry. Melissa is a woman about seventy years.  She is all the play talking about the “Real Class”. Liz is a woman, she thirty years old and she is the Fred’s wife. Charlotte is a woman who is thirty years old more or less. She is widowed. Fred is a man, he is thirty years old, he is the Liz’s husband and he is Douglas’ friend. Jimmy is the youngest man, Dusty’s brother and I think that he is the main character and all the play turns about him.

  Plot: The play is about one party. The party is in Gavin’s flat. In this party there are only rich people. There are many people, they are a group of nine person. They are talking about sports, the new club, the activities that they like, boating, or whatever. And Dusty is always asking: “Did you hear what’s happened to Jimmy? What’s happened to Jimmy?” however, nobody answers her and they go on talking. While outside the Gavin’s flat there are militaries. And finally, Jimmy appears, the stage is with the lights down, he says things that seem without sense, incoherent.

Space and time: The action takes place in the Gavin’s flat so we can say that the space is single and closed. The playwright says nothing about the time.

  The language that he used in his play is colloquial. There are some idioms, swearwords, monosyllables, shorts sentences. The lexicon is simple and easy. There is not any subordination. Another aspect worth noting is the fact that characters maintain repeatedly conversations and, sometimes without sense. An example can be Dusty and Terry are speaking about boating and one of them says: “I love boats, I love boating” (…) “I love cooking on boats” (page 295). The play is written in prose.

  Other aspects: I think that this play has not a very high budget (but neither low) since they have to seem that they are rich people but only there are one space to perform.

  As I see it, I think that this play show us the lack of communication that can we have, in this case the characters. They do not see more that them, they do not worry about the problems of outside and they are materialist.