LESLIE
Come off it!
CHARLIE
It’s called flux. And it’s always going on; right now, to all of us.
SARAH (Shy)
Is it … is it for the better?
CHARLIE
Is it for the better? I don’t know. Progress is a set of assumptions. It’s very beautiful down there. It’s all still, and the fish float by. It’s very beautiful.
LESLIE
Don’t get taken in.
CHARLIE
What are you going to tell me about? Slaughter and pointlessness? Come on up here. Stay. The optimists say you mustn’t look just yet, that it’s all going to work out fine, no matter what you’ve heard. The pessimists, on the other hand …
NANCY
It is. It all is.
CHARLIE (Slightly mocking)
Why?!
NANCY
Because I couldn’t bear to think of it otherwise, that’s why. I’m not one of these people says that I’m better than a … a rabbit; just that I’m more interesting: I use tools, I make art …
(Turning introspective)
… and I’m aware of my own mortality.
(Pause)
Very.
(Pouting; very much like a little girl)
All rabbits do is eat carrots.
SARAH
(To CHARLIE; after a little pause; sotto voce)
What are carrots?
CHARLIE
(Shrugs it off; not interested)
Oh … something you eat. They make noise.
LESLIE (Curiously bitter)
And tools; and art; and mortality? Do you eat them? And do they make a noise?
CHARLIE
(Staring hard at leslie)
They make a noise.
NANCY (She, too)
What is it, Leslie?
LESLIE (Intense and angry)
What are these things?!
NANCY
Tools; art; mortality?
CHARLIE
They’re what separate us from the brute beast.
NANCY (Very quiet)
No, Charlie; don’t.
LESLIE (Quiet, cold, and formal)
You’ll have to forgive me, but what is brute beast?
NANCY
Charlie; no!
CHARLIE (Defiant)
Brute beast?
LESLIE (Grim)
I don’t like the sound of it.
CHARLIE (Stares right at him)
Brute beast? It’s not even aware it’s alive, much less that it’s going to die!
LESLIE
(Pause; then, as if to memorize the words)
Brute. Beast. Yes?
CHARLIE
Right on.
(Pause)
LESLIE
(Suddenly aware of all eyes on him)
Stop it! Stop it! What are you looking at? Why don’t you mind your own business?
NANCY
What more do you want?
CHARLIE (Intense)
I don’t know what more I want.
(To LESLIE and SARAH)
I don’t know what I want for you. I don’t know what I feel toward you; it’s either love or loathing. Take your pick; they’re both emotions. And you’re finding out about them, aren’t you? About emotions? Well, I want you to know about all of it; I’m impatient for you. I want you to experience the whole thing! The full sweep! Maybe I envy you … down there, free from it all; down there with the beasts?
(A pause)
What would you do, Sarah? … if Leslie went away … for a long time … what would you do then?
SARAH
If he didn’t tell me where he was going?
CHARLIE
If he’d gone!
(Under his breath)
For God’s sake.
(Back)
If he’d taken off, and you hadn’t seen him for the longest time.
SARAH
I’d go look for him.
LESLIE (Suspicious)
What are you after?
CHARLIE
(To SARAH; ignoring LESLIE)
You’d go look for him; fine. But what if you knew he was never coming back?
(SARAH does a sharp intake of breath)
What about that?
NANCY
You’re heartless, Charlie; you’re relentless and without heart.
CHARLIE (Eyes narrowing)
What would you do, Sarah?
(A pause, then she begins to sob)
SARAH
I’d … I’d …
CHARLIE
You’d cry; you’d cry your eyes out.
SARAH
I’d … cry; I’d … I’d cry! I’d … I’d cry my eyes out! Oh … Leslie!
LESLIE
(Trying to comfort SARAH)
It’s all right, Sarah!
SARAH
I want to go back; I don’t want to stay here any more.
(Wailing)
I want to go back!
(Trying to break away)
I want to go back!
NANCY
(Moves to SARAH, to comfort her)
Oh, now, Sarah! Please!
SARAH
Oh, Nancy!
(Bursts into new sobbing)
I want to go back!
NANCY
Sarah!
CHARLIE
I’m sorry; I’m … I’m sorry.
LESLIE
Hey! Mister!
(Hit)
You’ve made her cry; she’s never done anything like that.
(Hit)
CHARLIE
I’m sorry, I … stop that!
I’m sorry; I …
(Hit)
… stop that!
LESLIE
You made her cry!
(Hit)
CHARLIE
STOP IT!
LESLIE
I ought to tear you apart!
CHARLIE
Oh my God!
(LESLIE begins to choke CHARLIE, standing behind CHARLIE, his arm around CHARLIE’s throat. It has the look of slow, massive inevitability, not fight and panic)
NANCY
Charlie!
(SARAH and NANCY rush to stop it)
SARAH
Leslie! Stop it!
CHARLIE
Stop … it …
LESLIE
(Straining with the effort)
You … made … her … cry … mister.
NANCY
Stop! Please!
SARAH
Leslie!
CHARLIE (Choking)
Help … me …
(LESLIE suddenly lets go; CHARLIE sinks to the sand)
LESLIE
Don’t you talk to me about brute beast.
SARAH (To LESLIE)
See to him.
LESLIE (Cold)
Are you all right?
CHARLIE
Yes; yes, I am.
(Pause)
LESLIE
(Attempts a quiet half joke)
It’s … rather dangerous … up here.
CHARLIE (Looks him in the eye)
Everywhere.
LESLIE
Well. I think we’ll go back down now.
NANCY
(Hand out; a quiet, intense supplication)
No!
LESLIE
Oh, yes. I think we must.
NANCY
No! You mustn’t!
SARAH (As a comfort)
Leslie says we must.
(LESLIE puts his paw out)
NANCY
No!
(CHARLIE takes it)
LESLIE
This is how we do it, is it not?
SARAH
(Watching; tentative)
Such a wonderful thing to want to do.
LESLIE (Tight; formal)
Thank you very much.
NANCY
No!
CHARLIE (Eyes aver
ted)
You’re welcome.
NANCY
NO!
LESLIE (Sighs)
Well.
(LESLIE and SARAH start moving up to the upstage dune to exit)
NANCY (In place)
Please?
(NANCY moves to follow them)
SARAH
It’s all right; it’s all right.
NANCY
You’ll have to come back … sooner or later. You don’t have any choice. Don’t you know that? You’ll have to come back up.
LESLIE (Sad smile)
Do we?
NANCY
Yes!
LESLIE
Do we have to?
NANCY
Yes!
LESLIE
Do we have to?
NANCY (Timid)
We could help you. Please?
LESLIE (Anger and doubt)
How?
CHARLIE (Sad, shy)
Take you by the hand? You’ve got to do it—sooner or later.
NANCY (Shy)
We could help you.
(LESLIE pauses; descends a step down the dune; crouches; stares at them)
LESLIE (Straight)
All right. Begin.
(NANCY and CHARLIE look at each other.)
CURTAIN
ALSO BY EDWARD ALBEE AVAILABLE FROM THE OVERLOOK PRESS
ALSO BY EDWARD ALBEE AVAILABLE FROM THE OVERLOOK PRESS
THE COLLECTED PLAYS OF EEDWARD ALBEE
VOLUME 1 (1958–1965) 978-1-58567-884-6 $25.95
VOLUME 2 (1966–1977) 978-1-59020-053-7 $25.95
VOLUME 3 (1978–2003) 978-1-59020-114-5 $25.95
“A major playwright who helped to change the shape of contemporary drama here and abroad.”
—VINCENT CANBY, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Albee throws the abyss in our faces with exhilarating, articulate, daring and dark, grown-up dazzle.”
—CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“One of the genuinely great living American dramatists.”
—BEN BRANTLEY, THE NEW YORK TIMES