Come and Go

Come and Go Dramaticule by SAMUEL BECKETT for John Calder 256 SAMUEL BECKETT Note: This final stage of the text of Beckett's Come and Go is based on the carbon copy of a typescript labelled "TS 3" and initialled by the author . It is published here for the first time (see SI4 of the accompanying list of manuscript stages, p. 251) and is reproduced with permission of Washington University Libraries, St. Louis, Missouri. Further reproduction is prohibited. The typescript has been collated with all other available manuscript material. Three typographical errors have been corrected : a full stop has been added following Ru's first "Yes"; the stage direction "Silence." which was inadvertently omitted before the line "Holding hands ... that way." has been reinserted; and the spelling of "accommodate" has been corrected in the Notes. The speakers' names have been capitalized, following Beckett's practice in all other printed versions of the play. Sincere thanks are due to Grove Press, Inc. and the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Washington University Libraries, and in particular to Samuel Beckett, for granting permission to publish this text. Breon Mitchell Characters FLO VI Age undeterminable RU Sitting centre side by side, very erect, facing front, hands clasped in laps, stage right to left FLO, VI and RU. Silence. VI Ru. RU Yes. VI Flo. FLO Yes. VI When did we three last meet? RU Let us not speak. Silence. Exit VI right. Silence. FLO Ru. RU Yes. FLO What do you think of Vi? RU I see little change. (FLO moves to centre seat, whispers in Ru's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each other. FLO puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not realize? FLO God grant not. Enter VI. FLO and RU turn back front, resume pose. VI sits right. Silence. FLO Just sit together as we used to, in the playground at Miss Wade's. 257 258 SAMUEL BECKETT RU On the log. Silence. Exit FLO left. Silence. RU Vi. VI Yes. RU How do you find Flo? VI She seems much the same. (RU moves to centre seat, whispers in Vi's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each other. RU puts her finger to her lips.) Has she not been told? RU God forbid. Enter FLO. RU and VI turn backfront, resumepose. FLO sits left. Silence. RU Holding hands ... that way. FLO Dreaming ... oflove. Silence. Exit RU right. Silence. VI Flo. FLO Yes. VI How do you think Ru is looking? FLO One sees little in this light. (VI moves to centre seat, whispers in Flo's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They look at each other. VI puts her finger to her lips.) Does she not know? VI Please God not. Enter RU. VI and FLO turn backfront, resume pose. RU sits right. Silence. VI May we not speak of the old days? (Silence.) Of what came after? (Silence.) Shall we hold hands in the old way? After a moment they join hands as follows: Vi's right hand with Ru's right hand in Ru's lap, Vi's left hand with Flo's left hand in Flo's lap, Flo's right hand with Ru's left hand in Vi's lap, Vi's arms resting on Ru's left arm and Flo's right arm. Silence. FLO Ru. (Silence.) Vi. (Silence.) I can feel the rings. Silence. Curtain COME AND GO 259 NOTES Successive positions. l. Flo Vi Ru { Flo Ru 2. Flo Ru 3. Vi Flo Ru { Vi Ru 4. Vi Ru 5. Vi Ru Flo {Vi Flo 6. Vi Flo 7. Ru Vi Flo Hands. Ru Vi Flo ~ Lighting. Soft, from above only and concentrated on seat. Rest ofstage as dark as possible. Costume.. Full-length coats, buttoned high, dull violet (RU), dull red (VI), dull yellow (FLO). Drab nondescript hats with enough brim to shade faces. Apart from colour differentiation three figures as alike as possible. Light shoes with rubber soles. Hands made up to be as visible as possible. No rings apparent. Seat. Narrow benchlike seat, without back, just long enough to accommodate three figures almost touching. As little visible as possible. It should not be clear what they...