First performed: at the Hampstead Threatre Club on 21st January, 1960
The Dumb Waiter is a one-act play that is set inside a basement room. There are two beds, between which we can see a serving hatch. There is also a kitchen.
The action revolves around two hired killers who are lodged there in order to carry out a new job which is almost a mystery for them.
A concrete time context is not specify , neither in relation to the moment of the day, nor about the moment of the year, and nothing of the sort. However, we can say that the representation of the action has a relatively short life.
BEN: One of the men. He is the dominant figure. He is a cold man, with a serene appearance . He takes his work very seriously and accepts it without making any comment on the matter. He passes the majority of the time still, over his bed reading a newspaper. Some characteristics of him are his evasive silences with which he replies to the questions of his restless partner, with whom he has a hierarchic relationship.
Ben: Who’s the senior partner here, me or you?
Gus: You. (p. 142)
GUS: The other hitman. He is subordinate to Ben, but unlike him, he passes the time moving from one place to another, coming and going, grumbling about his job, constantly asking Ben about things that he finds strange or uncommon, especially the ones that are related to Wilson.
Gus: Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you.
Ben: What the hell is it now? (p. 135)
WILSON: He is the boss of Ben and Gus, the person who has given them the task. He does not appear directly during the play. All we know about him is thanks to the comments of the other two characters. Nevertheless, he is always present in the ambience, as Ben and Gus are waiting for him to send them some signal, which is imminent and provides the play with some kind of uncertainty.
GUS. What time is he getting in touch?
BEN. What’s the matter with you? It could be any time. Any time.
When the curtain raises, Ben is lying on his bed, reading a paper. Gus has just found a matchbox and a packet of cigarettes inside his shoes and put them into his pocket in front of the watchful gaze of Ben. Their eyes meet. This important initial silence breaks off when Ben, astonished, comments a news he has just read in the paper. Gus is always complaining about the place where they are at the moment and also about the job they have. He is worried about the fact that there’s been no sign of Wilson, but Ben denies following his conversation and evades all sorts of questions and moans. When, curiously, an envelope containing some matches is slipped under the door, and Gus tries to prepare the tea but then he notices that there is no gas, both men have an absurd and banal argument about the correct way of saying “put on the kettle” or “light the kettle”. After this incident, they notice that in the serving hatch on the wall there is a dumb waiter by which a tray containing notes ordering some dishes has just come down from the upstairs floor. Ben explains to Gus that upstairs used to be a café, so that they are now staying in the former kitchen. They decide to send up the provisions that Gus is keeping in his bag. Later, they discover a speaking-tube hanging on the wall and use it to communicate with the person upstairs, who may be Wilson. Gus does not understand those “games” their boss is using and he seems annoyed. Once the two hitmen have already rehearsed the way they are going to commit the crime, Ben answers the last call from the speaking-tube while Gus is in the kitchen drinking a glass of water. Ben grabs his gun and shouts for Gus, who, unarmed, faces Ben, who is aiming at him. Gus is the mysterious victim of the settled murder. Both stand staring at each other. After a long silence, the curtain comes down.
This play tells the story of two common men who are waiting for their destiny which seems to be controlled by a mysterious “Supreme Being” not far from being something like a god. While living in this atmosphere plagued of uncertainty they talk about banal topics using a considerable linguistic violence and meaningful silences, which are a common feature in all plays by Pinter.
The Dumb Waiter reflects the difficulty in communication and paints a picture that illustrates in a simple way, and needing an only room at the stage and a minimal cast, the hierarchic social structure, the tyranny and control of a superior being, the proximity of death, which we tend to ignore, and the doubtful future and aspirations of a man, specially, in this case, the one of the low-class/working-class people.
Academic year 2005/2006
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
© Cristina Vidal Sales
Universitat de València Press