|
Eugene O’Neill
American Playwright
1888-1953 A selection from
THE HAIRY APE
Narrated by Lloyd James
This file is 4.9 MB;
running time is 10 minutes
alternate download link
This audio program is copyrighted by Redwood Audiobooks.
Permission is granted to download for personal use only;
not for distribution or commercial use.
SCENE—Twilight of the next day. The monkey house at the Zoo. One
spot of clear gray light falls on the front of one cage so that
the interior can be seen. The other cages are vague, shrouded in
shadow from which chatterings pitched in a conversational tone can
be heard. On the one cage a sign from which the word "gorilla"
stands out. The gigantic animal himself is seen squatting on his
haunches on a bench in much the same attitude as Rodin's
"Thinker." YANK enters from the left. Immediately a chorus of
angry chattering and screeching breaks out. The gorilla turns his
eyes but makes no sound or move.
YANK—[With a hard, bitter laugh.] Welcome to your city, huh?
Hail, hail, de gang's all here! [At the sound of his voice the
chattering dies away into an attentive silence. YANK walks up to
the gorilla's cage and, leaning over the railing, stares in at its
occupant, who stares back at him, silent and motionless. There is
a pause of dead stillness. Then YANK begins to talk in a friendly
confidential tone, half-mockingly, but with a deep undercurrent of
sympathy.] Say, yuh're some hard-lookin' guy, ain't yuh? I seen
lots of tough nuts dat de gang called gorillas, but yuh're de
foist real one I ever seen. Some chest yuh got, and shoulders, and
dem arms and mits! I bet yuh got a punch in eider fist dat'd knock
'em all silly! [This with genuine admiration. The gorilla, as if
he understood, stands upright, swelling out his chest and pounding
on it with his fist. YANK grins sympathetically.] Sure, I get yuh.
Yuh challenge de whole woild, huh? Yuh got what I was sayin' even
if yuh muffed de woids. [Then bitterness creeping in.] And why
wouldn't yuh get me? Ain't we both members of de same club—de
Hairy Apes? [They stare at each other—a pause—then YANK goes on
slowly and bitterly.] So yuh're what she seen when she looked at
me, de white-faced tart! I was you to her, get me? On'y outa de
cage—broke out—free to moider her, see? Sure! Dat's what she
tought. She wasn't wise dat I was in a cage, too—worser'n yours—
sure—a damn sight—'cause you got some chanct to bust loose—
but me—[He grows confused.] Aw, hell! It's all wrong, ain't it?
[A pause.] I s'pose yuh wanter know what I'm doin' here, huh? I
been warmin' a bench down to de Battery—ever since last night.
Sure. I seen de sun come up. Dat was pretty, too—all red and pink
and green. I was lookin' at de skyscrapers—steel—and all de
ships comin' in, sailin' out, all over de oith—and dey was steel,
too. De sun was warm, dey wasn't no clouds, and dere was a breeze
blowin'. Sure, it was great stuff. I got it aw right—what Paddy
said about dat bein' de right dope—on'y I couldn't get IN it,
see? I couldn't belong in dat. It was over my head. And I kept
tinkin'—and den I beat it up here to see what youse was like. And
I waited till dey was all gone to git yuh alone. Say, how d'yuh
feel sittin' in dat pen all de time, havin' to stand for 'em
comin' and starin' at yuh—de white-faced, skinny tarts and de
boobs what marry 'em—makin' fun of yuh, laughin' at yuh, gittin'
scared of yuh—damn 'em! [He pounds on the rail with his fist. The
gorilla rattles the bars of his cage and snarls. All the other
monkeys set up an angry chattering in the darkness. YANK goes on
excitedly.] Sure! Dat's de way it hits me, too. On'y yuh're lucky,
see? Yuh don't belong wit 'em and yuh know it. But me, I belong
wit 'em—but I don't, see? Dey don't belong wit me, dat's what.
Get me? Tinkin' is hard—[He passes one hand across his forehead
with a painful gesture. The gorilla growls impatiently. YANK goes
on gropingly.] It's dis way, what I'm drivin' at. Youse can sit
and dope dream in de past, green woods, de jungle and de rest of
it. Den yuh belong and dey don't. Den yuh kin laugh at 'em, see?
Yuh're de champ of de woild. But me—I ain't got no past to tink
in, nor nothin' dat's comin', on'y what's now—and dat don't
belong. Sure, you're de best off! Yuh can't tink, can yuh? Yuh
can't talk neider. But I kin make a bluff at talkin' and tinkin'—
a'most git away wit it—a'most!—and dat's where de joker comes
in. [He laughs.] I ain't on oith and I ain't in heaven, get me?
I'm in de middle tryin' to separate 'em, takin' all de woist
punches from bot' of 'em. Maybe dat's what dey call hell, huh? But
you, yuh're at de bottom. You belong! Sure! Yuh're de on'y one in
de woild dat does, yuh lucky stiff! [The gorilla growls proudly.]
And dat's why dey gotter put yuh in a cage, see? [The gorilla
roars angrily.] Sure! Yuh get me. It beats it when you try to tink
it or talk it—it's way down—deep—behind—you 'n' me we feel it.
Sure! Bot' members of dis club! [He laughs—then in a savage
tone.] What de hell! T' hell wit it! A little action, dat's our
meat! Dat belongs! Knock 'em down and keep bustin' 'em till dey
croaks yuh wit a gat—wit steel! Sure! Are yuh game? Dey've looked
at youse, ain't dey—in a cage? Wanter git even? Wanter wind up
like a sport 'stead of croakin' slow in dere? [The gorilla roars
an emphatic affirmative. YANK goes on with a sort of furious
exaltation.] Sure! Yuh're reg'lar! Yuh'll stick to de finish! Me
'n' you, huh?—bot' members of this club! We'll put up one last
star bout dat'll knock 'em offen deir seats! Dey'll have to make
de cages stronger after we're trou! [The gorilla is straining at
his bars, growling, hopping from one foot to the other. YANK takes
a jimmy from under his coat and forces the lock on the cage door.
He throws this open.] Pardon from de governor! Step out and shake
hands! I'll take yuh for a walk down Fif' Avenoo. We'll knock 'em
offen de oith and croak wit de band playin'. Come on, Brother.
[The gorilla scrambles gingerly out of his cage. Goes to YANK and
stands looking at him. YANK keeps his mocking tone—holds out his
hand.] Shake—de secret grip of our order. [Something, the tone of
mockery, perhaps, suddenly enrages the animal. With a spring he
wraps his huge arms around YANK in a murderous hug. There is a
crackling snap of crushed ribs—a gasping cry, still mocking, from
YANK.] Hey, I didn't say, kiss me. [The gorilla lets the crushed
body slip to the floor; stands over it uncertainly, considering;
then picks it up, throws it in the cage, shuts the door, and
shuffles off menacingly into the darkness at left. A great uproar
of frightened chattering and whimpering comes from the other
cages. Then YANK moves, groaning, opening his eyes, and there is
silence. He mutters painfully.] Say—dey oughter match him—wit
Zybszko. He got me, aw right. I'm trou. Even him didn't tink I
belonged. [Then, with sudden passionate despair.] Christ, where do
I get off at? Where do I fit in? [Checking himself as suddenly.]
Aw, what de hell! No squakin', see! No quittin', get me! Croak wit
your boots on! [He grabs hold of the bars of the cage and hauls
himself painfully to his feet—looks around him bewilderedly—
forces a mocking laugh.] In de cage, huh? [In the strident tones
of a circus barker.] Ladies and gents, step forward and take a
slant at de one and only—[His voice weakening]—one and original—
Hairy Ape from de wilds of—[He slips in a heap on the floor and
dies. The monkeys set up a chattering, whimpering wail. And,
perhaps, the Hairy Ape at last belongs.] More information about Eugene O’Neill from Wikipedia
More selections (3) in this category: Drama More selections (15) in the iTunes category: Arts/Performing Arts
|
|
