E.G.O.: The Passions of Eugene Gladstone O’neill: A play in two acts (excerpted)
Rent from DeepDyve- E.G.O.: The Passions of Eugene Gladstone O’neillA play in two acts (excerpted)
Grants of rights have been secured from the Yale Committee on Literary Property (for words of Eugene O’Neill) and Maura O’Neill Jones (for words of her grandmother Agnes Boulton O’Neill) and various artists or photographers for images suggested for projections or other uses.
E.G.O.: The Passions of Eugene Gladstone O’Neill is fully protected by copyright laws of the United States of America. It is a violation of copyright to present any performance, reading, cutting, scene or excerpt of this play without the prior written consent of the playwright. It is also a violation to amend the play in any way; to copy, store or transmit all or any part of the play by any means including electronic or mechanical, whether by making photocopies, audio or video recordings, videotapes, films or other methods; or to store in any retrieval system or transmit any or all of the play without permission in writing from the publisher. This play may not be performed, whether or not admission is charged, without payment of royalty to the playwright. For all rights and copies of the play, please contact Jo Morello, 6620 Grand Point Avenue, University Park, FL 34201-2125. Email: jo@jomorello.com. Phone: 941.351-9688. FAX: 941-306-5042. Website: jomorello.com [End Page 239]
| Cast | |
| Aggie (Agnes Boulton) | 25–35. Eugene’s second wife. Dark, slender, tall. Attractive. |
| Gene (Eugene O’Neill) | 29–65. Tall, thin, very dark eyes, hair, mustache. Dazzling smile. In later years, impeccably dressed, sometimes a cane. |
| Jamie O’Neill | 39–42. Eugene’s older brother. Stocky. Resonant voice. |
| Carlotta Monterey | 38–65. Eugene’s third wife. Dark, glamorous. Strong voice, slight British accent, proud carriage. In later years, dark clothes, long skirts, a cane, sunglasses. |
| Saxe Commins | Four years younger than Eugene; dark hair. (May be doubled with Jamie.) |
Act 1—Scene 1
Late 1917. An unseen player piano plays a ragtime song of the era, e.g., “12th Street Rag,” in the seedy Golden Swan bar, Greenwich Village. Aggie, 25, sits with a drink. She watches the door nervously. Gene, 29, and Jamie, 39, enter, somewhat inebriated, very cold. They see her.
Good gawd!
I thought she was in Russia.
She is. That’s somebody else. . . . The girl I’m going to marry.
Five’ll get you ten it’s your old flame. Get ready to pay up. (Jamie starts toward her. Gene joins him.)
I saw her first. Get lost!
Not ’til I collect my bet. (reaches Agnes first) What ho! Look who’s here!
Who?
Ah, my beauteous damozel, don’t be coy. . . . You’ve changed. Not so wild-looking anymore. A pretty Irish rose.
How much have you had to drink?
Not enough. I got lost in the subway, looking for a big blonde with bad breath. (Looks closely) Sorry. My mistake. You remind me of someone else. (Offers a flower from his lapel) Accept this, please, with my apology. And my poem: “Filling with fragrance the winds that have caught thee. Who art thou, pretty one? What is thy care?” (Gene extends his hand. Jamie pays the bet.) [End Page 240]
Who are you?
Jamie O’Neill, Broadway sport, actor, poet, bar habitué, roué.
Eugene Gladstone O’Neill. Playwright. Poet. Drunk.
Eugene Gladstone O’Neill . . . E . . . G—
My friends call me Gene.
Why is such a fair maiden all alone?
Should I rent an escort?
No need. I’m free.
I’m waiting for someone.
And here I am! Forget him.
Her. My friend Christine.
Christine Ell? She’s a regular. A peach. You have good taste in friends. May I become one? (She takes the flower.)
And I?
I’m Agnes Boulton. Fiction writer, farmer, new girl in town.
That’s why I haven’t seen you before. I’m here almost every...
