Previously Published

All 'That Fall

Endgame
Happy Days
How It Is
Krapp's Last Tapc and Other Dramatic Pieces
h'lurphy
Poenls in English
Proust
Stories & Texts for Nothing
Three Novels: Molloy, Malone Dies, The Unnamable
IVaiting for Godot
IVa t t
Bram Van Velde
(wi t h Georges Duthuit and Jacques Putnam)
Samuel Beckett /Q
and other. short dramatic pieces
Grove Press, Inc.
New York
Come and Go
dramaticule
f or John Calder
FI . 0
I
VI Age undeter~llinable
RI 1
l
Sitting cei~tre side by side stage right to left FLO, VI, and
RIJ. Very erect, faciilg front, hands clasped in laps.
Silence.
\!I: Ru.
Rlr: YCS.
VI: Flo.
~ 1 . 0 : Yes.
vl : When did we three last meet?
RU: Let us not speak.
Silence.
Exit VI right.
Silence.
~1 . 0 : Ru.
R U: Yes.
F1.o: IVhat do you think of Vi?
RU: I see little change. ( ~1. 0 inoves to cadre seat, whispers
iit Rtl's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (They iook at each other.
~ r . 0 puts her finger to her lips.) Dt xs she not realize?
~1. 0: God grant not.
Enter VI. FLO and RU turn back front, resume pose. vr
sits right. Sileitce.
FLO: Just sit together as we used to, in the playground at
Miss Wade's.
68 / Samuel Beckett
RU: On the log.
Silence.
Exit FLO left.
Silence.
RU: Vi.
VI : Yes.
RU: How do you find Flo?
\!I: She seems much thc same. ( RU moves to centre seat,
whispers in Vi's ear. Appalled.) Oh! (Tltey look at
each other. RU puts her finger to her lips.)Has she not
been told?
RU: God forbid.
Enter ~1. 0. R U alid VI turn back front, resume pose. FLO
sits left. SiIeizce.
RU: Ilolding hands . . . that way.
FLO: Ilrcaming of . . . love.
Sileilce.
Exit RU right.
Silence.
vr: Flo.
F1. o: Yes.
\ {I: I-low do jrou think 1111 is looking?
FLO: One sees little in this light. (v1 moves to centre seat,
lc~llispers in Flo's ear. ~l ppal l ed. ) Oh! (They look at
each other. v1 puts her finger to her lips.) Does she
not know?
VI : Plcasc God not.
Erlter RU. VI and FLO t ur l ~ back front, resurile pose. RU
sits right. Silence.
\.I: hIay we not spcak of thc old days? (Silence.) Of what
Come and Go / 69
l
callie after? (Silence.) Shall we hold hands in the old
way?
After a ~i i or ne~i t they join hands as follows: Vi's right
hrjrld ~vitll Rtl's right Ildnd, Vi's left hand with Flo's
left hand, Flo's riglrt hand with Ru's left hand, Vi's
clrtrls being abolv lill's left arm and Flo's right arm.
?'he tllree pairs of clasped hands rest on the three Zaps.
Silence.
Silence.
NOTES
Successive positions
1 Flo Vi Ru
Ru
Flo Ru
3, Vi Flo Ru
{ Ru
Ru
5 Vi Ru Flo
6 lvi Vi F'lo Flo
I-lands
R u V i Flo
W
Lighting
Soft, from above only and concentrated on playing area.
Rest of stage 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 differentiatio~l three
figures as alike as possible. Light shoes with rubber soles.
I-lands made up to be as visible as possible. No rings
apparent.
t
Come and Go / 71
Seat
Narrow benchlike seat, without back, just long enough t o
accomn~odate three figures almost touchiilg. As little visible
as possible. It should not be clear what tbey are sitting on.
Exits
l' llc figures arc not secn to go off stagr They should dis-
allpear a few steps from lit area. If d a i not sufficient to
allow this, recourse s ho~~l d be had to screens or drapes as
little visible as possible. Exits and entrances slow, without
sound of feet.
Ohs
'I'lircc \'cry different sounds
Voices
As low as compatible with audibility. Coloudess except for
three "ohs" and two lines following.