Norris - Clybourne Park: [a play]

Table of Contents

Bruce Norris

Bruce Norris is the author of the play Clybourne Park, which had its world premiere at Playwrights Horizons Mainstage Theater and was also produced at the Royal Court Theatre. It won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 2011 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play, the 2010 London Critics Circle Award for Best New Play, and the 2010 Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play. His other plays include The Infidel (2000), Purple Heart (2002), We All Went Down to Amsterdam (2003), The Pain and the Itch (2004), and The Unmentionables (2006), all of which had their premieres at Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago. His newest play, titled A Parallelogram, premiered there in July 2010. His work has also been seen at Playwrights Horizons (New York), Lookingglass Theatre (Chicago), Philadelphia Theatre Company, Woolly Mammoth Theatre (Washington, D.C.), Staatstheater Mainz (Germany), and the Galway Festival (Ireland), among others. He is the recipient of the Steinberg Playwright Award (2009) and the Whiting Foundation Prize for Drama (2006), as well as two Joseph Jefferson Awards (Chicago) for Best New Work. As an actor he can be seen in the films A Civil Action and The Sixth Sense, and in the recent All Good Things. He lives in New York.

ACT I (1959)

ACT II (2009)

Note: In the original production, the actor playing Jim and Tom also played the role of Kenneth. In some subsequent productions a separate actor was hired to play the role of Kenneth alone.

BEV

Youre not going to eat all of that, are you?

(He turns down the radio.)

RUSS

(with his mouth full)

Whaddya say?

BEV

What ice cream is that?

RUSS

Um. (Looks at the carton.) Neapolitan.

BEV

Well, dont feel compelled to eat that.

RUSS

(shrugs, barely audible)

Going to waste.

(He turns the radio back up and FRANCINE enters from the kitchen, wearing a maids uniform. RUSS remains in the foreground as BEV joins her.)

FRANCINE

(to BEV)

So, if its all right Im just going to put these candlesticks here in the big box with the utensils.

BEV

That is what I would do, yes, but you do mean to wrap them first?

FRANCINE

Oh, Yes maam.

BEV

Oh. Now: Francine: I was wondering about this chafing dish, which we have practically never used.

FRANCINE

Yes maam.

BEV

Do you own one of these yourself?

FRANCINE

No, I sure dont.

BEV

Because I do love to entertain though for the life of me I cant remember the last time we did. But still, it does seem a shame to give it away because its just such a nice thing, isnt it?

FRANCINE

Oh, yes it is.

BEV

And its just looks so lonely sitting there in the cupboard so: I was wondering if this might be the sort of thing that would be useful to you?

FRANCINE

Ohhhh, thank you, I couldnt take that.

BEV

(re: chafing dish)

See how sad he looks?

FRANCINE

You dont want to be giving that to me.

BEV

Well, nonetheless Im offering.

FRANCINE

No, I dont think I should.

BEV

Well, you think about it.

FRANCINE

But thank you for offering.

BEV

You think about it and let me know.

FRANCINE

Yes maam.

BE\/

And do put some paper around those.

FRANCINE

Yes maam.

(FRANCINE goes into kitchen. BEV continues packing, passing RUSS as she crosses.)

BEV

Thats a funny word, isnt it? Neapolitan.

RUSS

(turns off radio)

Funny what way?

BEV

What do you suppose is the origin of that?

RUSS

Uhhh Naples, I imagine.

BEV

Naples?

RUSS

City of Naples?

BEV

Noooo.

RUSS

Of or pertaining to.

BEV

That would not be my first guess.

RUSS

Yup.

BEV

I would think it had something to do with neo, as in something new, and then theres the politan part which to me would suggest a city, like metropolitan.

RUSS

Could be.

BEY

Meaning new city or something to that effect.

RUSS

(shrugs)

Told you what I think.

BEV

Because a person from Naples, I mean they wouldnt be called, well, not Napoleon, obviously. I guess that was already taken! (laughs, then serous) On the other hand, you do say Italian. But cities, though, and specifically ones that end in S, because there must be a rule of some sort, dont you think? Help me think of a city other than Naples that also ends in S?

(Pause.)

RUSS

Uhhh

BEV

Oh fiddle. Um.

RUSS

Des Moines.

BEV

Not a silent S.

RUSS

Brussels.

BEV

All right. There you go. And how do we refer to them?

RUSS

Belgians.

BEV

But, the people from the city.