~{\\m\~ ~''°f\h ccloJr - ft°\CM ©.foo~
-CPC\~beiwem ,. SCENE III
~hit\.\CO¼e0 \ht'\ ~he,,
R,Re(dt.~Tht Poker Night. \ <::o~\sbca±~ I
'""'"\J"'"' There is a picture of Van Gogh's ofa billiard•parlour at night. The kitchen
now suggests that sort of lurid nocturnal brilliance, the raw colours of child-
hood's spedrum. Over the yellow linoleum of the kitchen table hangs an
eltctric bulb with a vivid green glass shade. The poker players-STANLEY,
STEVE, MITCH and PABLO-wear coloured shirts, solid blues, a purple,
a red-and-white check, a light green, and they are men at the peak of tl,eir
physical manhood, as coarse and direct and powerful as the primary colours.
Tliere are vivid slices of watermelon on the table, whisky bottle, and glasses.
The bedroom is relatively dim with only the light that spills between tht
portiere.s and thro,,gh the wide window on the street.
For a moment there is absorbed silence as a hat1d is dealt.
Anything wild this deal?
STEVE:
PABLO: One-eyed jacks are wild.
STEVE: Give me two cards.
PABLO: You, Mitch?
MITCH: I'm out.
J
PABLO: One.
MITCH: Anyone want a sho_J
STANLEY: YC2h. Mc.
PABLO: Why don't somebody
back a load of chop sucy?
STANLEY: When I'm losing you .
(Openers! Get off the table, Mitch. Nothing belongs 011 a poker,,
table but cards, chips and whisky. .
. . ' 6
1He lurchei un anJ tossrs some watermelon ri11ds to tlie floor. ~\le
~ r ~,~ ~ ·~
MITCH: Kind of on your high horse, ain't you? ~\ ~l!,.. $ (
ClC\"U~~
, 6\-oJ\ .~ ~ ct')Mpa!voo Wku\
Of\nk. ~ pcn~w -esa.b out
SCENE Ill
ca_r-as &' ro"i: 25
STANLEY! How many?
Sr1v1: Give me three.
STANLEY: One.
MITCH: I'm out again. I oughta go home pretty soon.
STANLEY: Shut up. • -· . 1 ,.
M1rcu: I gotta~?' m~~~r. s4~ d<y\t go to sleep until I come in
'at night. ~ o\e / e~'W\eXl C.
STA.NLEY: Then why don't you stay home with her'
MITCH: She says to go out, so I go, but I don't enjoy it. All the while
I keep wondering how she is.
STANLEY: Aw, for God's sake, go home, then!
PABLO: What've you got?·
STEVE: Spade flush.
MITCH: You all are married. But I'll be alone when she goes.- ~,. ... l . (}.('
.I'm going to the bathroom. ••. , ~~~,
STANLEY: Hurry back and we'll fix you a sugar-tit. \'\\\O\ t~.
MITCH: A-;,, lay off. [Ht crosses throttgh tht btdroom into tht bathroom.]
STEVE [dealing a hanJJ: Seven card stud. [Telling his joke as ht deals.]
This ole nigger is out in back of his house sittin' down th'owing
com to the chickens when all at once he hears a loud cackle and this
young hen comes lickc~ split around the side of the house with the
rooster right behind her and gaining on her fast.
STANLEY (impatient with the story): Deal!
STEVE: But when the rooster catches sight of.the nigger th'owing
the com he puts on the brakes and lets the hen get away and starts
pecking com. And the old nigger says, "Lord God, I hopes I never
gits that hongry I"
StBVB and PABLO laugh. The sisttrs apptar around the corner of the
building. ·
Smu: The game is still going on:· • 8\. obSe ~ ~i\\t
BtANCHB:Howdoilook? ~-i>o..\~~a
STBLtA: Lovdy, Blanche. • - \J( ~ , ·~
BtANCHI: I feel so hot and frazzled. Wait till I powder before yQ_u '1,, L
open the door. Do I look done in? fc"
l ~ (bfhp\lO le()fs col
St1ttA: Why no. You are as fresh as a daisy. (Qr\\ t
•I.. \.,.. _
BLANCBB: One that's been picked a few days. 2 ) ~~~ ~ I.Ol'Ul ~
STELLA o~ the door and they enter. •,·.
STILLA: 'Vell, well, well. I see you boys arx still at it! ~ • • · •
SUNL IT:~ you been? ! ~ • U'M\tJ'ia.\-~ t:crtrcl~
l.;~ \ \J.\(e ro\~ ~~ CM~
G\Jef ~ ..1
-CPC\~beiwem ,. SCENE III
~hit\.\CO¼e0 \ht'\ ~he,,
R,Re(dt.~Tht Poker Night. \ <::o~\sbca±~ I
'""'"\J"'"' There is a picture of Van Gogh's ofa billiard•parlour at night. The kitchen
now suggests that sort of lurid nocturnal brilliance, the raw colours of child-
hood's spedrum. Over the yellow linoleum of the kitchen table hangs an
eltctric bulb with a vivid green glass shade. The poker players-STANLEY,
STEVE, MITCH and PABLO-wear coloured shirts, solid blues, a purple,
a red-and-white check, a light green, and they are men at the peak of tl,eir
physical manhood, as coarse and direct and powerful as the primary colours.
Tliere are vivid slices of watermelon on the table, whisky bottle, and glasses.
The bedroom is relatively dim with only the light that spills between tht
portiere.s and thro,,gh the wide window on the street.
For a moment there is absorbed silence as a hat1d is dealt.
Anything wild this deal?
STEVE:
PABLO: One-eyed jacks are wild.
STEVE: Give me two cards.
PABLO: You, Mitch?
MITCH: I'm out.
J
PABLO: One.
MITCH: Anyone want a sho_J
STANLEY: YC2h. Mc.
PABLO: Why don't somebody
back a load of chop sucy?
STANLEY: When I'm losing you .
(Openers! Get off the table, Mitch. Nothing belongs 011 a poker,,
table but cards, chips and whisky. .
. . ' 6
1He lurchei un anJ tossrs some watermelon ri11ds to tlie floor. ~\le
~ r ~,~ ~ ·~
MITCH: Kind of on your high horse, ain't you? ~\ ~l!,.. $ (
ClC\"U~~
, 6\-oJ\ .~ ~ ct')Mpa!voo Wku\
Of\nk. ~ pcn~w -esa.b out
SCENE Ill
ca_r-as &' ro"i: 25
STANLEY! How many?
Sr1v1: Give me three.
STANLEY: One.
MITCH: I'm out again. I oughta go home pretty soon.
STANLEY: Shut up. • -· . 1 ,.
M1rcu: I gotta~?' m~~~r. s4~ d<y\t go to sleep until I come in
'at night. ~ o\e / e~'W\eXl C.
STA.NLEY: Then why don't you stay home with her'
MITCH: She says to go out, so I go, but I don't enjoy it. All the while
I keep wondering how she is.
STANLEY: Aw, for God's sake, go home, then!
PABLO: What've you got?·
STEVE: Spade flush.
MITCH: You all are married. But I'll be alone when she goes.- ~,. ... l . (}.('
.I'm going to the bathroom. ••. , ~~~,
STANLEY: Hurry back and we'll fix you a sugar-tit. \'\\\O\ t~.
MITCH: A-;,, lay off. [Ht crosses throttgh tht btdroom into tht bathroom.]
STEVE [dealing a hanJJ: Seven card stud. [Telling his joke as ht deals.]
This ole nigger is out in back of his house sittin' down th'owing
com to the chickens when all at once he hears a loud cackle and this
young hen comes lickc~ split around the side of the house with the
rooster right behind her and gaining on her fast.
STANLEY (impatient with the story): Deal!
STEVE: But when the rooster catches sight of.the nigger th'owing
the com he puts on the brakes and lets the hen get away and starts
pecking com. And the old nigger says, "Lord God, I hopes I never
gits that hongry I"
StBVB and PABLO laugh. The sisttrs apptar around the corner of the
building. ·
Smu: The game is still going on:· • 8\. obSe ~ ~i\\t
BtANCHB:Howdoilook? ~-i>o..\~~a
STBLtA: Lovdy, Blanche. • - \J( ~ , ·~
BtANCHI: I feel so hot and frazzled. Wait till I powder before yQ_u '1,, L
open the door. Do I look done in? fc"
l ~ (bfhp\lO le()fs col
St1ttA: Why no. You are as fresh as a daisy. (Qr\\ t
•I.. \.,.. _
BLANCBB: One that's been picked a few days. 2 ) ~~~ ~ I.Ol'Ul ~
STELLA o~ the door and they enter. •,·.
STILLA: 'Vell, well, well. I see you boys arx still at it! ~ • • · •
SUNL IT:~ you been? ! ~ • U'M\tJ'ia.\-~ t:crtrcl~
l.;~ \ \J.\(e ro\~ ~~ CM~
G\Jef ~ ..1
