Sunday, October 07, 2012

Bitches is crazy part 2

We did a reading of my play DOWN BY THE BOATHOUSE, which is a response to TALLEY'S FOLLY and I resumed arguing about TF with the actor I mentioned in my original post "Bitches is Crazy" and he confirmed, unintentionally, that the basic premise of the play is exactly what I said it is: bitches is crazy.

The clincher was when we were discussing the moment in the play when Sally tells Matt to leave the boathouse. He refuses and then she screams for her brothers' help. He covers her mouth.

When I reminded the actor of this moment, he said that of course Matt had to do that because Jews in 1940s Missouri could be shot just for being Jews.

Putting aside whether or not that was true, that Jews were just being shot point-blank for being Jews in Missouri, I asked him if he thought that Sally wanted Matt to be killed. He said no. So I pointed out that Sally might have a better idea of what her brothers might do, seeing as how she actually knew them well and Matt did not, and she judged that they weren't going to simply execute Matt on the spot. And the actor said no, that doesn't matter, because she was too emotional at that time to make a good judgment, so Matt had to cover her mouth.

She was "emotional" because she asked Matt to leave the boathouse and he refused. And in the script she's no more emotional than he is.

But of course Matt had to take charge of the situation, because as I said in my original essay, while Sally may not be crazy, Sally is a woman, and bitches is crazy. And that's why you have to take control and show them what they're supposed to do.

And of course there's this in the script:

(Her last words are muffled by Matt's hand as he grabs her and holds her fast. She tries to speak over his lines.)
                     MATT

              (Grabbing her.)

Vilde chaya! you are a crazy woman! We could both be shot with that gun. People do not scream and yell and kick.
  (She stops struggling.)

People are blessed with the beautiful gift of reason and communication.

              (He starts to release her.)

                    SALLY
Cliffy!

                    MATT

               (Grabbing her again.)

How can such a thing happen? When they passed out logic everybody in the Ozarks went on a marshmallow roast. You are rational now?
(He releases her. She moves away. Matt stands where he can block her exit.)
Once you calm the bitch down and she becomes "rational" you block the door of the boathouse. To show how much you respect her, of course.

Naturally the actor refused to concede my point. He got mad when I pointed out that he believed that Matt understood the situation better than Sally herself did, even though it was Sally's property and Sally's brothers and Sally's neighborhood.

I'm sure to him it is such a natural inclination, to believe that the man is the rational one, even though he was the one who was behaving badly. That's what our culture says is the right way to think and this actor can't think himself out of that box. So really, it's pointless to argue - unlike Matt, you have to just walk away.