by Will Dunne
Character physicality. Aloysius’s final words to Flynn in the play are “And cut your nails.” This is a response to the fact that he wears his fingernails “a little long,” an idiosyncrasy that may suggest to some the claws of a predator, but that also provides an innocent explanation for the incident Aloysius witnessed on the first day of school: a boy recoiling from Flynn’s touch.
Objects and elements. From fountain pens and ledgers to ballpoint pens and notebooks, the physical life of the play is the everyday stuff of a school and church. Shanley occasionally uses this physical life to reveal his characters, as in scene 5, when the telephone on Aloysius’s desk helps show that she is not afraid to tackle problems, whether she is calling the caretaker about a fallen tree limb or contacting a mother about possible abuse of her son.
When Flynn arrives for a meeting with Aloysius, the physical realm gives him an opportunity to establish the chain of command without uttering a word: he sits in her chair at her desk. It is a small power play but one that fuels her animosity toward him. The stage directions state, “She reacts, but says nothing.” A bowl of sugar provides another opportunity to show the divide between them. When tea is served and Flynn displays his sweet tooth by asking for sugar, Aloysius rummages through her desk to find the sugar she stored there last year during Lent and then forgot. She reluctantly offers him one lump, but, to her dismay, he asks for three.
Natural environment. Scene 4 in the garden ends with the sound of a wind so cold that Aloysius must pull her shawl tightly around her. After James’s disturbing report about Donald Muller and Flynn, this sudden change in weather suggests difficult times ahead. From a storytelling perspective, the wind also serves a practical purpose. It will cause a tree limb to fall overnight in the church courtyard. This, in turn, will cause James to be late for the meeting in scene 5, creating the first opportunity for Aloysius and Flynn to be alone.
Scene 7 begins and ends with the caw of a crow, an ominous sound suggesting danger. The first caw announces the arrival of Flynn, who comes upon James alone in the garden. The final caw seems to comment on Flynn’s success in convincing her that he is innocent of wrongdoing. Flynn’s response to the predatory bird: “Oh, be quiet.”
■ TOPDOG/UNDERDOG
Setting: A rooming-house room
All of the dramatic action takes place in a single room in a rooming house somewhere in America. This is Booth’s “humble abode,” but Lincoln also has been living here since his wife, Cookie, threw him out. Although the location is not identified, we know from Lincoln that he lives in “the big city” and that, at the arcade where he works, one can smell the ocean. Such clues suggest that they live in a large urban area on the east or west coast. The lack of specific identifying information adds to the sense of limbo that dominates the setting, described thus: “A seedily furnished rooming house room. A bed, a reclining chair, a small wooden chair, some other stuff but not much else.”
As the play unfolds, we learn that the room has neither running water nor a private bathroom. There is a telephone, but it has been turned off due to nonpayment of the bill. Booth sleeps at night in the bed, while Lincoln sleeps in the recliner. For privacy, they can set up a folding screen to separate the two sleeping areas. At one point, Lincoln tells Booth, “You’re living in thuh Third World, fool.” It is this very world Booth wishes to rise above.
The rest of the rooming house remains unknown. The brothers never discuss other roomers and the only sign of a landlord is the fact that the rent is due on Fridays. The neighborhood is likewise not discussed, except for mentions of Lucky’s, the local bar that Lincoln frequents, and the corner payphone that they use to make calls. Other notable offstage locations include the arcade where Lincoln works, the department store where Booth steals, and the place where Grace lives.
Time: Winter, circa 2000
The timeframe is identified only as “Now.” If the play takes place around the time it was written, the year is about 2000. The wearing of coats and references to cold weather suggest that it is winter. The action spans a period of eight days, beginning and ending on a Thursday evening.
Physical life examples
Clothing. Featuring a frock coat, stovepipe hat, fake beard, and white pancake makeup, Lincoln’s work outfit brings his job as an Abraham Lincoln impersonator onstage so we can see how he looks when arcade customers shoot at him with toy guns. The costume also suggests how little attention Lincoln pays to his appearance. He thinks nothing of wearing his costume home on the bus, even though it makes him look ridiculous. Booth, on the other hand, is obsessed with how he looks, especially when attempting to court his ex-girlfriend Grace. This is why he uses his shoplifting skills to acquire expensive clothing for himself and his brother. The nice new suits provide an opportunity for the brothers to bond as they “style and profile.”
Character physicality. The complex personal dynamics between Lincoln and Booth trace back, in part, to their age difference combined with the physical fact that they are brothers. Lincoln, born first, has always been “big brother Link,” a distinction that has put Booth in the position of being the “little brother” and fueled his desire to outshine Lincoln in every way. At the same time, their family connection is what keeps them together under the same roof in spite of their intense rivalry.
Dexterity with playing cards is another physical trait that contributes to the brothers’ push-and-pull relationship. Lincoln has developed remarkable skill in manipulating cards and once used it to make big money on the street. Booth’s lack of such dexterity has left him jealous of his brother, yet also dependent on him to launch a card hustling scheme. It is Lincoln’s refusal to ply his trade for his brother’s benefit that triggers the central conflict of the play.
Objects and elements. The gun that Booth keeps in his pants, the plastic cup that Lincoln uses to pee during the night, and other physical objects here reflect the brothers’ criminal and impoverished lives. This physical realm is dominated by a three-card monte setup: three playing cards and a cardboard playing board atop two mismatched milk crates, one stacked on top of the other. The setup is a focal point of the dramatic action since it represents Booth’s hope for a lucrative future and Lincoln’s rejection of his shady past.
Other important objects include the girlie magazines under Booth’s bed, which embody his delusional approach to women; $500 in a tied-up nylon stocking, which represents his final memory of his fleeing mother; and the family photo album, which brings the past into the present.
Much of the physical life consists of what the brothers bring to the room as the play unfolds, such as Chinese takeout food, wads of cash, whiskey, and a variety of stolen goods. For Lincoln and Booth, almost anything can spark sibling rivalry. They compete over such items as the takeout food (who gets the “skrimps”), a box of condoms (who needs the largest size), and a pair of neckties (who gets the better color). Their physical surroundings thus trigger and reflect their constant struggle for topdog position.
Natural environment. The only reference to the natural environment is to the cold weather outside, which adds to the harsh feel of the world beyond the brothers’ room.
■ THE CLEAN HOUSE
Setting: A metaphysical Connecticut
The general setting is described as: “A metaphysical Connecticut. Or, a house that is not far from the city and not far from the sea.” With Lane’s living room at its center, the physical landscape is a fluid realm that includes both mundane and magical elements and enables settings occasionally to merge, as when snow falls in Lane’s living room while Charles traipses through Alaska. It is a landscape that thus reflects the play’s magic realism. Over twenty-eight scenes, the settings include:
• Lane’s living room. The main setting is described as “A white living room. White couch, white vase, white lamp, white rug.” This epitome of spotlessness suggests the manufacturing term “white room” or “clean room,” an area kept virtually free of dust and other contaminants so that certain
products, such as precision parts, can be assembled or repaired. The transformation of this clean room into a dirty room becomes a physical metaphor for the play’s theme, as the characters learn to accept life’s messes.
• Ana’s balcony. In act two, a balcony appears above the living room. It is described as “a small perch, overlooking the sea” and has French doors that lead to the unseen room where Ana lives. The height and airiness of this setting provide a clear contrast to Lane’s meticulously controlled living room below.
• Other places. Additional settings are minimally suggested. In the opening of act two, for example, Lane’s living room becomes a hospital so we can witness how Charles and Ana fall in love. Some scenes take place in the realm of imagination, mostly Matilde’s, as in act one, scene 9, when she pictures her parents at a Brazilian café laughing hysterically.
Time: Fall, present day
The script does not state when the story takes place. Character attitudes, dialogue, and medical references suggest a contemporary timeframe. Story events, such as apple picking and swimming in the sea, suggest that it is early fall.
Most scenes span a period of a few weeks. The latter half of act two suggests longer lapses of time between scenes to allow for the return of Ana’s cancer and for Charles’s trip to Alaska. Befitting the play’s magic realism, time is skewed to fit the story. In act two, scene 12, for example, Charles notifies Ana by telegram that he has found a yew tree in Alaska for her, but that he can’t take it aboard a commercial plane. Time speeds up offstage so he can learn to fly a private plane and return with the tree by the end of the next scene.
Physical life examples
Clothing. Lane wears white to match her living room and her relentless desire for cleanliness. Matilde wears black because she is in mourning for her parents. These wardrobe choices not only embody who these women are but also create a physical contrast between them. Other costume choices help tell the story as well and eliminate the need for words. In act two, scene 6, the sunglasses and sunhats worn by Matilde and Ana instantly create the atmosphere of a sunny day. A few scenes later, Charles begins to appear in a parka, apparel that reminds us that he is in Alaska, far removed physically and emotionally from the women in the living room.
Character physicality. Many story events center on the physical fact that Ana has cancer. It explains how Charles and Ana meet and later provides a catalyst for the other three women to band together. After Ana’s surgery, references to her scarred torso have a lyrical quality and thus do not detract from her beauty and charisma. Another key physical fact in the world of this particular story is that one can literally die laughing. This phenomenon is established early in the play when we learn how Matilde’s mother died, and leads ultimately to Ana’s death from laughter after Matilde whispers a “cosmic joke” in her ear.
Lane’s wounded wrist has two dramatic functions: it implies that she attempted suicide after learning about Charles’s infidelity, and it demonstrates her need to cover up life’s messes. Rather than admit the truth, she twice claims to have cut herself accidentally with a can opener.
Objects and elements. As one might expect in a play about cleaning that features two doctors, the physical life includes cleaning supplies and medical items. Less predictable is the underwear that Virginia finds as she folds her sister’s household laundry. Virginia’s reaction to Charles’s underwear enables us to discover her secret crush on him: “It’s a little weird to be touching my brother-in-law’s underwear. / He’s a very handsome man.” The same laundry also yields women’s underwear that is not Lane’s—“Too sexy”—and thus foreshadows the revelation of Charles’s infidelity.
In act one, scene 13, the objects on the coffee table gain dramatic potency when Virginia rearranges them to ease her stress. Besides showing her cleaning compulsion, the rearrangement advances the plot when Lane sees it and realizes that Matilde is not the one who has been cleaning her house. “These objects on the coffee table,” she tells Virginia, “that is how you arrange objects.” Other key physical items include the apples that manifest Matilde’s and Ana’s enjoyment of life; the houseplant that Virginia uses to make an operatic mess in Lane’s living room; the chocolate ice cream that the four women savor as they find a common bond; and the enormous yew tree that looms in the living room as a physical reminder of Charles’s folly.
Natural environment. Key elements of the environment include the dust that in act one, scene 7, helps create a telling portrait of Virginia. As soon as Matilde leaves the room, Virginia runs her finger over the tabletops to test for dust. Other environmental elements include the snow and wind in Lane’s living room as Charles treks alone through Alaska.
ANALYZING YOUR STORY
Explore the physical realm of your story.
WHERE THE STORY HAPPENS
• What is the general setting for your story and how would you describe it?
• What parts of the general setting do we see onstage? Identify the specific scene settings and describe each with a focus on what matters most.
• What is the most interesting physical detail of each scene setting?
• Are there any specific settings that could be eliminated or combined? If so, which scenes would be affected and how would this change the story?
• Are there any new settings that need to be added? If so, what settings would they be, which scenes would be affected, and how would this change the story?
• Listen to the general setting. Loud or quiet, familiar or unfamiliar, what sounds do you hear? What opportunities have you missed, if any, to use sound to tell the story?
• Explore the setting through your other senses. What do you smell? Taste? Feel? What opportunities have you missed, if any, to ground the story in sensory experience?
• What objects or physical elements are most pivotal to the dramatic action?
• Have you missed any opportunities to use objects or elements to show, not tell, the story?
• What information does the physical realm suggest about the characters—for example, what does it reveal about their interests, values, and lifestyles?
WHEN THE STORY HAPPENS
• What is the general timeframe for your story? Identify the year, season of the year, and any other important details about when the dramatic action takes place.
• In what specific ways does this general timeframe affect the dramatic action? How would the story be different if it took place earlier or later in the characters’ lives?
• From the beginning of the play to the end, how much time elapses?
• Would the play be better served by a time period that is either more compressed or more expanded? If so, how would this change the story?
EMOTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Drama is an emotional experience for the characters, the actors, and ultimately the audience. The world of a dramatic story thus has an emotional environment that both reflects and influences life here.
While individual characters may experience a gamut of feelings as the dramatic journey unfolds, there is often a pervading emotion that sets a tone for the story and affects how characters behave. For example, the mood or atmosphere may be friendly (Our Town by Thornton Wilder), rebellious (The Heidi Chronicles by Wendy Wasserstein), or ominous (Shining City by Conor McPherson). Whether positive or negative, this emotional environment will later be translated into physical terms by the set, lighting, sound, and costume designers, but it begins in the script with the character and story choices made by the writer.
■ DOUBT: A PARABLE
Pervading emotion: Fear
Dominated by characters dressed in black and taking place mostly in a cheerless principal’s office, the world of Doubt has an aura of austerity. Like the wind that blows through the bare branches of the garden, the mood here is cold and threatening, especially when concerns about penmanship and classroom performance are replaced by suspicions of child abuse. This is a world where music, art, and dance are dismissed and where dan
ger can lurk anywhere, even in a church rectory. Underlying this mood is a pervasive sense of fear that fuels story events.
In scene 5, Sister James tells Sister Aloysius that the students of St. Nicholas are uniformly terrified of her, and Aloysius replies, “Yes. That’s how it works.” Fear is the fuel with which she runs her school and keeps it performing to her standards. This approach helps explain why James, in a brief outburst of courage and honesty, compares St. Nicholas to a prison.
Aloysius’s philosophy of intimidation is introduced in scene 2, when she coaches James on how to be a moral guardian of her students: “Liars should be frightened to lie to you.” This guiding principle will drive her attempts later to force Father Flynn to confess wrongdoing. While she never elicits that confession, she does scare him into courses of action that he had not anticipated. For example, Flynn ends his friendship with Donald Muller “for fear of it being misunderstood.” He also retreats from his threats to have Aloysius sent away, “for fear of doing further harm” to the school. In the end, he agrees to request a transfer from St. Nicholas because he fears either that Aloysius has acquired incriminating evidence against him or that her relentless campaign will damage his reputation beyond repair.
It is fear of danger that colors Aloysius’s perception of Flynn from the start and leads to her increasing concerns about him. At one point, she describes the priest as a wolf in search of little stray sheep. It is with this wolf in mind that she urges James, in scene 2, to be on the lookout for signs of trouble among the students.
