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    Small Tragedy (TCG Edition)
    Small Tragedy (TCG Edition)
    Small Tragedy (TCG Edition)
    Ebook170 pages1 hour

    Small Tragedy (TCG Edition)

    By Craig Lucas

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    About this ebook

    "Full of itnerest, intelligence, amusement, and spine-chilling verity. . . . A play to see and ponder, staying with you, in typical Lucas fashion, long after you leave the theater."—Village Voice

    An amateur production of Oedipus elicits social and political tension among its actors, generating meaningful revelations about tragedy in the contemporary world. Lucas's topical and complex play is a remarkably funny, sharply articulated missive aimed at the heart of a generation.

    Craig Lucas's plays include Ode to Joy, Missing Persons, Reckless, Blue Window, Prelude to a Kiss, God's Heart, The Dying Gaul, Stranger, Prayer for My Enemy, The Singing Forest, and the book for The Light in the Piazza (music and lyrics by Adam Guettel).

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTheatre Communications Group
    Release dateApr 24, 2018
    ISBN9781559368391
    Small Tragedy (TCG Edition)

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      Book preview

      Small Tragedy (TCG Edition) - Craig Lucas

      ACT ONE

      SCENE 1

      JEN: Looking back, I still couldn’t say whose tragedy this is, was. Hakija’s? Fanny’s, Chris’, Paola’s, Nate’s? Mine. Or if it even is a tragedy. Nate explained to us all once what constitutes tragedy and what is simply a very sad thing. He neglected to say whether a tragedy belongs to the participants, to those suffering, or to the people watching them suffer.

      SCENE 2

      Onstage: Paola, Jen, Nathaniel. In the corridor: Christmas and Hakija.

      JEN: Nice to meet you.

      NATHANIEL: You’re readinnnnng—?

      JEN AND PAOLA: Jocasta.

      NATHANIEL: Anything you want to ask me?

      JEN: No, I think it’s pretty clear. You—?

      PAOLA: I’ll read Oedipus.

      JEN: Okay.

      PAOLA: Jocasta, the man we sent for earlier, is that the man he means?

      JEN: . . . Sorry.

      NATHANIEL: Take your time.

      PAOLA: I’ll give it to you again: Jocasta, the man we sent for earlier, is that the man he means?

      JEN: What man? Who cares what he means? Why even ask, forget it, it’s not worth knowing.

      PAOLA: What? I can’t stop now when I’m about to see the truth of my birth!

      JEN: By the gods, I beg you stop! If you love your own life, stop, I’ve been tortured enough, haven’t I?

      PAOLA: You stop! Even if I’m discovered to be the child of slaves, you’re not disgraced!

      JEN: Please, do what I say, don’t ask why!

      PAOLA: You’ll never stop me from finding out the truth.

      JEN: I want what is best for you.

      PAOLA: That is the very thing that’s tormenting me.

      JEN: "God help you, Oedipus, and keep the truth away from you. Secrets should be kept."

      PAOLA: Someone go find the shepherd, let my wife take pride in her nobility.

      JEN: Goodbye, my poor, deluded, lost, cursed, those are the last names I’ll ever give you.

      NATHANIEL: Good. Very good. Nice.

      JEN: Thanks.

      NATHANIEL: Thanks. Very much.

      JEN: It’s been a long time since I’ve auditioned.

      NATHANIEL: No, that was wonderful, thank you.

      JEN: Weren’t—? I think I missed you at Yale by one year.

      NATHANIEL: Oh. Yeah? Are you Equity?

      JEN: No, long story. I—I’m just finally getting back to it.

      NATHANIEL: Well, thank you.

      JEN: Can I do another speech?

      JEN: Please? I’ll be quick.

      NATHANIEL: Sure. (To Paola) It’s okay. / You’re great. I love you.

      JEN: This is the Messenger, right after . . . Well . . .

      "Jocasta’s dead: her own hand.

      You weren’t there, you can’t know how horrible it was.

      I was. I was there. She burst in, our queen,

      Now demented and wringing her hair,

      Running through doors, running, then locks herself in the bedroom, crying:

      ‘Laius! Here is our bed! Soiled.

      Filthy soil bringing forth a husband by a husband,

      And children by a child! All soiled.

      We made love!’ . . . Which we does she mean?

      We move—But then the son, husband, king, prince, raving, stamping up and down, bellows:

      ‘A weapon! Now! Where is she? Find me that double breeding ground!

      Where?’

      And hurls himself against the door, again, breaking the bolts, falling to his knees before: Wife . . . mother . . . hanging by the neck, twisted.

      He removes her golden brooches, fingering them,

      Holding them up,

      Then rams the long pins into:

      ‘Wicked, wicked eyes! You’ll never know,

      Never know my shame,

      Go dark for all time,

      Blind to what you should not have seen,’

      Now? This chant goes up: ‘Loved her, loved her,’

      Each time striking once more, deep in, dripping, oozing bloody

      muck,

      ‘Loved her, loved her.’

      Such happiness.

      Once. Now: ‘Catastrophe!

      Throw wide the doors.

      Let all Thebes see, father-killer, mother . . . No, too rank to say.

      I AM THE PLAGUE!

      I AM THE PLAGUE!

      I AM THE PLAGUE!’

      Look. The gates are opening."

      I thought I should . . . familiarize myself with what she goes through . . . you know . . . if I was going to actually play the part. Anyway . . . It’s a beautiful translation.

      (Paola and Jen exit into the corridor.)

      PAOLA: Chris Massaccio?

      CHRISTMAS: Right.

      JEN: Good luck.

      CHRISTMAS: Thanks.

      (Christmas and Paola go onstage. Jen and Hakija remain in the corridor. Jen is upset.)

      PAOLA: Chris Massssssacio, Nathaniel Townsende.

      CHRISTMAS: Hey.

      NATHANIEL: Christmas?

      CHRISTMAS: No. Chris Massaccio.

      JEN: I’m sorry.

      NATHANIEL: Did you want to ask me anything?

      CHRISTMAS: Yeah, I did.

      HAKIJA: Didn’t go well?

      (Jen exits.)

      CHRISTMAS: —I mean, I don’t believe that, do you, that things are predetermined?

      NATHANIEL: Neither do they, they thought they were fated, big difference, but it doesn’t matter what I believe, they believed it.

      CHRISTMAS: But how do you make sense out of the play, then— like now?

      NATHANIEL: Like now? Youuuu believe it while you’re doing it.

      CHRISTMAS: But still that leaves the audience going, What the hell does this have to do with me? / And what—?

      NATHANIEL: Well, b / ut—

      PAOLA: We’re running about—

      NATHANIEL: By that logic, I’m, you’re not wrong, it’s a very good question, but you couldn’t get anything from Hamlet, we don’t believe in

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