Triptych and Iphigenia

Triptych and Iphigenia

Books by Edna O'Brien

The Country Girls

The Lonely Girl

Girls in Their Married Bliss

August Is a Wicked Month

Casualties of Peace

The Love Object and Other Stories

A Pagan Place

Zee & Co.

Night

A Scandalous Woman and Other Stories

Mother Ireland

I Hardly Knew You

Mrs. Reinhardt and Other Stories

A Rose in the Heart

Returning

A Fanatic Heart

The High Road

Lantern Slides

Time and Tide

House of Splendid Isolation

Down by the River

Wild Decembers

In the Forest

EDNA O'BRIEN

Triptych
copyright © 2003 by Edna O'Brien
Iphigenia
adaptation copyright © 2003 by Edna O'Brien

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Any members of educational institutions wishing to photocopy part or all of the work for classroom use, or publishers who would like to obtain permission to include the work in an anthology, should send their inquiries to Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 841 Broadway, New York, NY 10003.

Iphigenia
first published in 2003 Methuen Publishing Limited

FIRST EDITION

Printed in the United States of America
Published simultaneously in Canada

CAUTION: Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned that
Triptych
and
Iphigenia
are subject to a royalty. They are fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and all British Commonwealth countries, and all countries covered by the International Copyright Union, the Pan-American Copyright Convention, and the Universal Copyright Convention. All rights, including professional, amateur, motion picture, recitation, public reading, radio broadcasting, television, video or sound taping, all other forms of mechanical or electronic reproduction, such as information storage and retrieval systems and photocopying, and rights of translation into foreign languages, are strictly reserved.

First-class professional, stock, and amateur applications for permission to perform them, and those other rights stated above, must be made in advance to Rosenstone Wender, 38 East 29th Street, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10016, and by paying the requisite fee, whether the plays are presented for charity or gain and whether or not admission is charged.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

O'Brien, Edna.

Triptych and Iphigenia / Edna O'Brien.—1st ed.

p. cm.

e-Book ISBN-13: 978-0-8021-9913-3

1. Women—Drama. 2. Mistresses—Drama. 3. Mothers and daughters—

Drama. I. Title.

PR6065.B7T75 2004

822′.914—dc22                                                                        2004042381

Grove Press
an imprint of Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
841 Broadway
New York, NY 10003

For
Chris Smith

Triptych

Iphigenia

Triptych
was first presented at Magic Theatre (Chris Smith, artistic director; David Gluck, managing director) in the Sam Shepard Theatre, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, on December 6, 2003. The cast was as follows:

MISTRESS
   Lise Bruneau

WIFE
   Julia Brothers

DAUGHTER
   Tro M. Shaw

Director
Paul Whitworth

Designer
Kate Edmunds

Lighting
Kurt Landisman

Costume Designer
B. Modern

Sound Designer
Michael Woody

Properties Artisan
Sarah Ellen Joynt

Stage Manager
Sabrina Kniffin

Production Manager
Kenny Bell

Casting Director
Jessica Heidt

C
HARACTERS

MISTRESS
  , Clarissa

WIFE
  , Pauline

DAUGHTER
  , Brandy

The action takes place in New York City.

Downstage left—a white wrought iron bench.

Each character has her own space onstage but at times invades the space of the other.

MISTRESS
's area—a staircase, a makeup table, a makeup case, a mirror with makeup lights, two shawls, and a book;
The Duchess of Malfi.
A long narrow window to the rear.

WIFE
's area—a glass-top table, a drinks tray, glasses, a silver cigarette box, a pack of tarot cards, unlit candles in various sconces, a white orchid in a pot, a china umbrella stand with a man's black umbrella.

She is wearing a wraparound red skirt and a black sweater.

DAUGHTER
's area—above wife's area. A futon. A small drum and set of drumsticks.

She is wearing a miniskirt and different colored slides in her hair.

S
CENE
O
NE

Music—Jimmy Durante:

When I fall in love

It will be for ever

Or I'll never

Fall in love

When I give my heart

It will be … for ever

Stage lighting comes on fully as
MISTRESS
dressed in black as widowed Duchess of Malfi
(
circa 1601
)
stands before her mirror, saying her lines inaudibly. She is clearly nervous. On the bureau a vase of exquisite flowers.

MISTRESS
   (
saying her lines
) The misery of us, that are born great,

We are forc'd to woo, because

None dare woo us:

And as a tyrant doubles with his words,

And fearfully equivocates: so we

Are forc'd to express our violent passions

In riddles, and in dreams …

She stops suddenly as in the mirror she sees a hand come around the door, then a woman enter in dark glasses, wearing a long cream raincoat and carrying a large bunch of sunflowers.

WIFE
   I hope you like sunflowers … not everybody's taste, of course … somewhat glaring … brazen, but I find them so … sturdy … the sunflower.

MISTRESS
   I think you've come to the wrong dressing room.

WIFE
   (
ignoring that
) Il Girasole. On a train in Tuscany and Umbria one passes field after field of them … scorching, my honeymoon, our honeymoon was in pensions in Umbria … field after field of hot flowers … the bedrooms so cool … shutters drawn, dark brown furniture, dark brown fourposters … and the linen starched so stiff … it literally crunched when we lay on it … yes, the bedroom so cold and chaste and the fields so very hot and the lovers so ardent (
brusque
) not married, are you? … no little kids to grace the walls … a dressing room is quite a lonely place.

MISTRESS
   Who are you?

WIFE
   A stranger … just popped by to wish you well on your opening night and give you a flower … not at all as beautiful as those (
examining the flowers in the vase
) someone with more taste than moi … an admirer (
nostalgic
) it brings me back … how it brings me back … I was an actress, too … ingénue … I had a future, people compared me to some of the greats … then cupid struck in the form of a young man who just decided to hang around the stage door, pestering me, the way I am pestering you … just waltzed into my life.

MISTRESS
   I shall have to have you removed.

WIFE
   Not before I wish you well. I bet you're superstitious, especially on a night like this … all jitters.

MISTRESS
   How did you get in here?

WIFE
   The door was ajar. I walked in and walked down the stairs, simple. And now, I will vanish, like the sisters in that Scottish play, which we don't mention … Good luck, Duchess.

Woman puts down the flowers and goes.

Mistress picks up the flowers, then unnerved, throws them down.

VOICE OF STAGE MANAGER
   Ladies and Gentlemen of the Duchess of Malfi Company: Please take your places for the top of the show. Places, please, for the top of the show.

Mistress walks over the flowers and toward the stairs. She ascends it holding up her costume.

Lights go slowly down.

S
CENE
T
WO

Darkness.

Dulcimer music of the period is intermingled with a collage of lines from
The Duchess of Malfi
as the wind rises and gathers to a storm.

The vase of flowers overturns and the exquisite flowers fall to the floor. All the flowers blow around the stage, up, down, and around, omens of what is to come.

Loud clapping offstage. Lights back on.

S
CENE
T
HREE

Mistress, out of her costume, wears a kimono. The Wife has returned.

Wife has the sleeves of her coat rolled up and is wearing elbow-length black velvet gloves; she is clapping and smiling.

WIFE
   Bravo … Bravo. You were wonderful … wonderful … I loved just before you were strangled when you said,
“Give my little boy some syrup for his cough.” So beautiful …

MISTRESS
   (
crisp
) Thank you.

WIFE
   When is your birthday? … Wouldn't it be funny if we had the same birthday?

MISTRESS
   Why would it be funny?

WIFE
   (
mock serious
) Destiny.

MISTRESS
   (
holding the door open
) If you will excuse me … I have friends waiting.

WIFE
   Of course you have. (
theatrical
) Then I'll go pray; no, I'll go curse the stars.

Wife goes out.

MISTRESS
   Jesus.

Mistress picks up the broken vase and some of the flowers.

The telephone rings and she jumps, then goes tentatively to answer it. As she listens her expression changes to a smile.

MISTRESS
   Yes, of course I know … How do I know? … Henry … I can't see you … I cannot. (
She listens, her smile happier.
) You know very well why … you are a married man and I have been down that road before. (
emphatic
) It's hell. What's hell about it?—when the married man goes home. Of course I want to … (
whisper
) you know that. (
anxious
) There's been a crazy woman in here … it's been a very crazy night … storm … oh, it went well … so they say … thank you for the exquisite flowers … by the way, I thought you were in the country … you what? … (
She cradles the phone between mouth and ear.
) All right then … just
one drink … one night cap … promise … promise … I have to do an interview tomorrow morning and
you
are not a free man.