Clybourne Park Read online

  KARL

  Bev, it was never my intention to stir up –

  BEV

  Ohhh, no, I think maybe it was.

  KARL

  (continuous)

  – such acrimonious feelings, but there is a situation, which –

  BEV

  Well, maybe if you had known my son a little better. If anyone had taken the time, the way that Francine took the time –

  (RUSS has produced an envelope from the footlocker. He steps forward removing the letter – on yellow legal paper.)

  RUSS

  Here you go, Karl. Let’s all read a little something, shall we?

  BEV

  What are you - ?

  RUSS

  (reading)

  Dear Mom and Dad.

  BEV

  (realizing)

  Stop it!!!

  RUSS

  (reading)

  I know you’ll probably blame yourselves –

  BEV

  (losing it completely)

  Russ, stop it stop it stop stop stop it!!!!

  JIM

  Russ. Don’t.

  KARL

  (to RUSS)

  I think you’re unstable, Russ. I really do.

  BEV

  (turning back to JIM)

  You see what this is like? You see?

  (to RUSS)

  Well, I refuse to live this way any longer!!

  (She goes into the bathroom and slams the door behind her.)

  RUSS

  (starting over, calmly)

  Dear Mom and Dad.

  JIM

  Russ?

  RUSS

  I know you’ll probably blame yourselves for what I’ve done –

  JIM

  Need you to calm down.

  RUSS

  And you can go fuck yourself.

  KARL

  Well, that is over the line, mister. That is not language I will tolerate in front of my wife.

  RUSS

  (beat, then:)

  She’s deaf, Karl!! Completely – (waving to BETSY, fake-jolly) Hello, Betsy! Go fuck yourself!

  (BETSY smiles, waves back.)

  RUSS

  So here’s what I’ll do for you, Karl: Make ya ten copies of this you can hand ’em out at Rotary. Or better yet. Put it in the newsletter. Rotary news: Kid comes back from Korea, goes upstairs and wraps an extension cord around his neck. Talk that over at the lunch buffet next week.

  BETSY

  (barely audible)

  Kaahhh?

  RUSS

  And Francine walking in at nine in the morning to find him there. You be my guest, Karl. You go ahead and tell those people what kind of house they’re moving into and see if that stops ‘em, because I’ll tell you what, I don’t care if a hundred Ubangi tribesman with a bone through the nose overrun this goddamn place, ’cause I’m through with all of you, ya motherfucking sons of bitches. Every one of you.

  (All stand in silence. We can hear BEV crying from behind the bathroom door. RUSS slowly folds the letter. Finally:)

  JIM

  Maybe we should bow our heads for a second.

  RUSS

  (advancing on him)

  Well, maybe I should punch you in the face.

  (RUSS moves toward JIM, who, in backing away, inadvertently tumbles backwards over a box, toppling a floor lamp as he goes.)

  ALBERT

  Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!!

  KARL

  Easy now. Easy does it … careful – Betsy, go! Betsy?

  BETSY

  Kaahh!! Waaahhhh happneee!?

  FRANCINE

  What in god’s name is wrong with alla you people?

  (to ALBERT)

  Stay out of out of it. Don’t.

  Just stay out –

  (BETSY runs out the front door. ALBERT puts his hand on RUSS’s shoulder.)

  ALBERT

  Hang on. Let’s be civilized, now.

  RUSS

  (whirling on ALBERT)

  Ohoho, don’t you touch me.

  ALBERT

  Whoa whoa whoa.

  RUSS

  Putting your hands on me? No sir. Not in my house you don’t.

  JIM

  (gritting his teeth as he copes with his hernia)

  I’m all right.

  FRANCINE

  (to ALBERT)

  What the hell d’you think you’re doing?

  ALBERT

  Who’re you talking to?

  FRANCINE

  Who do you think?

  KARL

  (to RUSS, as he helps JIM to his feet.)

  Very manly, Russ Threatening a minister.

  ALBERT

  (to FRANCINE)

  Why’re you talking to me like th- ?

  KARL

  (to RUSS)

  Very masculine.

  (KARL and JIM exit out the front door.)

  FRANCINE

  (to ALBERT)

  I think they’re all a buncha idiots. And who’s the biggest idiot of all to let yourself get dragged into the middle of it? Whatcha gonna be now, the big peacemaker come to save the day?

  (KARL sticks his head back in.)

  KARL

  (through the open door)

  You’re mentally unstable, Russ!

  FRANCINE

  (to ALBERT)

  Let ‘em knock each other’s brains out, for all I care. I’m done working for these people two days from now, and you never worked for ’em at all, so what the hell do you care what they do? And now I am going to the goddamn car.

  (FRANCINE exits. During the marital squabble, RUSS has returned the letter to the footlocker and dragged it out through the kitchen. ALBERT is now left alone in the middle of the room. He stands idly for a moment, then moves to right the overturned floor lamp. As he does, BEV enters from the bathroom, blowing her nose.)

  ALBERT

  (seeing BEV)

  It’s all right. Nothing broken.

  BEV

  (as composed as possible)

  Oh oh oh don’t mind that. But thank you so much.

  ALBERT

  No trouble.

  BEV

  And do let me offer you some money for your help.

  ALBERT

  Oh no ma’am, that’s all right.

  BEV

  Ohhh, are you sure?

  ALBERT

  Yes, ma’am..

  BEV

  (finding her purse)

  Well, here, then. Let me at least give you fifty cents.

  ALBERT

  No, now you keep your money.

  BEV

  Or, how about dollar? Take a dollar. I don’t care.

  ALBERT

  Ma’am?

  BEV

  Or take two. It’s just money.

  ALBERT

  Happy to help.

  BEV

  Or take something. You have to take something.

  ALBERT

  No ma’am. But -

  BEV

  What about this chafing dish? Did you see this dish?

  ALBERT

  Well, we got plenty of dish-

  BEV

  Not one of these. Francine told me.

  ALBERT

  Well, that’s very kind of you, but –

  BEV

  She said you didn’t have one and somebody should take it and -

  ALBERT

  (overlapping)

  But we don’t need it, ma’am.

  BEV

  (continuous)

  – make use of it, so if you let me just wrap it for you.

  ALBERT

  (finally raising his voice)

  Ma’am, we don’t want your things. Please. We got our own things.

  (Pause. BEV is shocked.)

  BEV

  Well.

  ALBERT

  (gently)

  Trying to explain to you.

  BEV

  Well, if that’s the attitude, then I just don’t know what to say anymore. I real
ly don’t. If that’s what we’re coming to.

  ALBERT

  Ma’am, everybody’s sorry for your loss.

  BEV

  (holding back tears, nobly righteous)

  You know, I would be … So proud. So honored to have you and Francine as our neighbors. And the two children.

  ALBERT

  Three children.

  BEV

  Three chil— We would … Maybe we should learn what the other person eats. Maybe that would be the solution to some of the – If someday we could all sit down together, at one big table and, and, and, and … (trails into a whisper, shakes her head)

  ALBERT

  Evening, ma’am.

  (ALBERT goes. BEV is left alone. After a moment, RUSS enters to fetch the shovel. He carries a pair of work gloves. Seeing BEV, he stops, unsure of what to say.)

  BEV

  Where’d you find the gloves?

  RUSS

  Under the sink.

  BEV

  And where are you going to dig the hole?

  RUSS

  Under the, uh … What’s that big tree called?

  BEV

  The crepe myrtle.

  RUSS

  Under that.

  BEV

  Kind of late now, isn’t it?

  RUSS

  (shrugs)

  Do it tomorrow.

  (He leans the shovel against the wall. Pause. He stands idly, apologetically.)

  RUSS

  Kinda lost my temper.

  BEV

  (nods, then)

  Well, that’s what happens. As we know.

  (He slowly moves to sit in the chair he sat in at the start of the act, then looks back at BEV.)

  RUSS

  Know what I did the other day? Up there at the house?

  BEV

  What?

  RUSS

  Driveway to the office. Timed it. Know how long that’s gonna take me now?

  BEV

  Five minutes?

  RUSS

  Six and a half.

  BEV

  Well, you’ll have a leisurely breakfast.

  RUSS

  Read the paper. Cup of coffee and bang.

  BEV

  Hmm.

  RUSS

  Five-oh-seven, right back at your doorstep.

  BEV

  And what’ll I do in between?

  (RUSS is caught off-guard.)

  RUSS

  I, I, uhhh … Well, gee, I guess, whatever you … Any number of …

  BEV

  Things.

  RUSS

  Projects.

  BEV

  Projects.

  RUSS

  To keep ya occupied.

  BEV

  I suppose you’re right.

  (He turns on the radio. Music. He looks back at BEV, who stares into space.)

  RUSS

  (feebly, with a little sweep of the arm)

  Ulan Bator!

  (BEV smiles vaguely. The lights slowly fade. End of Act I.)

  Act II

  (September 2009. Three o’clock, Saturday afternoon. There is an overall shabbiness to the place that was not the case fifty years earlier. The wooden staircase railing has been replaced with a cheaper metal one. The oak mantelpiece and most of the woodwork have been painted over several times, the fireplace opening is bricked in, linoleum covers large areas of the wooden floor and plaster has crumbled from the lath in places. The kitchen door is now missing, and we can see through to an exterior door. The front door stand propped open.)

  (Lights rise to find six people facing each other in a rough circle. To one side, STEVE and LINDSEY with KATHY, and to the other KEVIN and LENA with TOM, all dressed in generic casual clothes for a weekend afternoon. It is warm, and some have iced drinks. LINDSEY is visibly pregnant. They sit upon improvised seating- crates, abandoned furniture, etc. STEVE, LINDSEY and KATHY study xeroxed documents while the others watch. Finally:)

  TOM

  Everybody good?

  LINDSEY

  I’m good.

  STEVE

  Good by me.

  KATHY

  Go for it.

  TOM

  So, I guess we should start right at the top.

  STEVE

  Question?

  TOM

  And I know we all got questions.

  STEVE

  The terminology?

  TOM

  So let’s go one at a time: Steve.

  STEVE

  The term frontage?

  TOM

  Right.

  STEVE

  Frontage means?

  LINDSEY

  Where are we looking?

  STEVE

  First page.

  TOM

  Frontage means -

  (deferring to KATHY)

  Did you want to – ?

  KATHY

  (to STEVE)

  Means the portion facing the street.

  TOM

  Thus, front.

  STEVE

  (to TOM)

  Portion of the property?

  KATHY

  (to STEVE)

  Of the structure.

  STEVE

  (to TOM)

  Or portion of the structure?

  TOM

  The facade.

  LINDSEY

  I’m not seeing it.

  KATHY

  Second paragraph.

  TOM

  Bottom of the page.

  STEVE

  Where it says “minimum recess of frontage”?

  TOM

  Meaning, distance from.

  KATHY

  (to STEVE)

  From the edge of the property.

  TOM

  Exactly.

  STEVE

  Is what?

  TOM

  Is the “recess”.

  STEVE

  Not the frontage.

  TOM

  The frontage is what you’re measuring to.

  LINDSEY

  Got it.

  STEVE

  I’m confused.

  LINDSEY

  And “edge of the property” means as measured from the curb?

  KATHY

  Correct.

  TOM

  Not from the sidewalk?

  KATHY

  From the curb.

  TOM

  Uhh - I’ll check, but I don’t think that’s right.

  KATHY

  Up to and including.