Stage Directions

Stage Directions

1. Movement

   • P: (puts his book down, taps out his pipe)
     • Perhaps he is consciously choosing to give J a chance and put aside his inhibitions
   • J wipes the knife handle clean of fingerprints
     • Demonstrating that he does care about P
   • He holds the knife, not to attack but to defend
     • Is this really true though?
     • Perhaps P only thinks it's in defense, but he was clearly very angry before
     • Still ends up killing J
   • J moves to P's bench, this is the first time he has sat during the play
     • The fact that there was another bench but he refused to sit highlights J's refusal to fit to what society wants him to be
   • The tickling

2. Facial Expression

   • P seems hypnotised
     • meta-theatre
   • He forces a laugh, he seems uncomfortable
     • Peter is trapped by his idea of what is socially polite, he can't leave because he knows that would be considered rude.
   • Peter winces
     • Peter reacts in a similar way to how the audience would at hearing these stories, through this he becomes the audiences surrogate

3. Tone

   • P: (lightly; by reflex) Ha, Ha!
   • Peter generally wavers between calm, distant and confused with some changes to furious.
   • J screams, sounding like an infuriated and fatally wounded animal
   • P: (with disgust and immpotence) You want me to give up this bench
     • He is offended that someone would ever ask something of him
   • Jerry is generally very aggressive and intense
   • P: (almost whining) No
     • Emphasises the immaturity of their argument
   • Jerry wearily finishes his story
     • He himself is sick of what a sorry story his life makes
     • Has shared too much