Staging DeLillo Rebecca Rey B.A. (Hons), The University of Western Australia, 2006 10322929 This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The University of Western Australia School of Social and Cultural Studies Discipline of English and Cultural Studies 2012 Abstract This thesis examines the plays of Don DeLillo. Although DeLillo‘s novels have received much critical discussion, his theatre works, with a few exceptions, have been largely ignored in literary circles. This thesis focuses on DeLillo‘s plays to rectify, in part, the lack of scholarship on this topic. In what follows I will examine each of DeLillo‘s six playtexts in chronological order, devoting a chapter to each of his main plays. Common themes emerging across the oeuvre are the centrality of language, the human fear of death, the elusiveness of truth, and the deception of personal identity. In order to provide a comprehensive critical analysis of DeLillo‘s plays, I will draw on a wide range of sources, including DeLillo‘s novels, personal notes and correspondence, interviews with the writer, and theatre performance reviews, in order to reach a better critical understanding of DeLillo‘s plays. This unprecedented examination of DeLillo‘s plays contributes not only to a deeper understanding of his other fictional works, but is rewarding in itself, as the plays can stand alone as being worthy of critical attention. In Chapter 1, I present an analysis of DeLillo‘s ‗The Engineer of Moonlight‘ (1979)—his first published, but as yet unperformed, playtext. ‗The Engineer‘ bears striking similarities in theme with DeLillo‘s earlier novel Ratner’s Star (1976). In Ratner’s Star, the young protagonist, Billy Twillig, is involved in cracking a code from outer space using the methodology of pure mathematics and logic. In contrast, the protagonist of ‗The Engineer‘, Eric Lighter, turns these same methodologies inwards in an attempt to better understand himself and his madness, a madness that stems from his obsession with mathematics itself. For Eric, the nature of his self and madness ultimately proves to be elusive, and beyond the purview of his mathematical methodology. I examine the motifs of madness, mathematics, game- playing and their interconnections as they appear in ‗The Engineer‘. We then enter the realm of metatheatre in Chapter 2, with DeLillo‘s The Day Room (1986). This play involves a confusing and comedic circus of characters that leaves the audience guessing as to which characters are genuinely mad and which are merely acting. The theme of the deception of identity is explored through the complications introduced by shifting character roles reminiscent of the work of Pirandello, and through unreachable truths indicative of Beckettian concerns. I also ii explore several wider facets present in the playtext: metatheatricality, paranoia, and the link between acting and death. Chapter 3 provides a brief intermission, involving a short, playful, look at DeLillo‘s two one-minute plays, ‗The Rapture of the Athlete Assumed Into Heaven‘ (1992) and ‗The Mystery at the Middle of Ordinary Life‘ (2000). These two playlets are almost directly opposed in presentation and mood, yet they contain a common interest in the deep layers of lives led. ‗The Rapture‘ portrays a victorious tennis star at the height of his extraordinary win, and ‗The Mystery‘ is a quiet meditation on married life; both are moving examinations of core human relationships, desires, and motivations. Chapter 4 focuses on Valparaiso (2003), DeLillo‘s most technological and technocentric work for the stage. When Michael Majeski boards a plane to the wrong city, he finds himself in the centre of the media spotlight, and enjoys it. I briefly examine the characteristics and role of technology in Valparaiso and DeLillo‘s wider oeuvre, and the centrality of technology in the creation and maintenance of contemporary celebrity. Finally, I combine my thoughts on technology and the celebrity process to evaluate DeLillo‘s portrayal of Michael‘s identity. The relationship between language and death is the focus of Chapter 5‘s analysis of Love-Lies-Bleeding (2005). This playtext portrays a family‘s struggle with the decision of whether or not to euthanise its patriarch, Alex Macklin. I view this work through the lens of the philosophy of death, exploring the ethics of euthanasia. This is followed by an analysis of the language of death and the methods of coping with death. Finally, I conclude by drawing together the common themes relating to language, death, truth, and personal identity examined in the above theatre works. The importance of this research lies in its original analysis of Don DeLillo‘s plays, proving their literary worth, and hence providing an essential contribution to the already comprehensive scholarship on his novels. iii CANDIDATE’S DECLARATION: This thesis does not contain work that I have published, nor work under review for publication. iv Acknowledgments This project was supported by the School of Social and Cultural Studies at The University of Western Australia. I am particularly grateful for the Completion Scholarship that bestowed extra time and freedom of thought, and would like to thank UWA Convocation and Graduate Women WA for scholarships that allowed me to travel for research and conferences. In my major research trip to Austin in the United States, I had the pleasure of meeting the helpful staff at the Harry Ransom Center who kindly guided me through the enormous Don DeLillo Collection. The day-to-day life of this thesis was made sweeter by the companionship and camaraderie of my postgraduate colleagues and friends. My co-ordinating supervisor, Steve Chinna, has been a wonderful mentor throughout with his gentle kindness, attention to detail, and unwavering good nature. I am also indebted to Tony Hughes D‘Aeth and Ryan Cox for providing lucid feedback on final drafts. Lastly, I thank my parents and my family. This has all been made possible because of their past personal sacrifices and courage, and their continuing unconditional support. I dedicate this work wholeheartedly to them. v Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................... ii Declaration Page ................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgments ................................................................................................ v Table of Contents ................................................................................................ vi List of Illustrations ............................................................................................. vii Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: ‘The Engineer of Moonlight’ (1979) and the Logical Life ................ 13 1.1. Two Methodologies of Logic in ‗The Engineer‘: Mathematics and Play 1.2. Methodologies of Logic in DeLillo‘s Novels 1.3. The Elusive Nature of Truth 1.4. Conclusion Chapter 2: Playing with Metatheatre in The Day Room (1987) ........................... 46 2.1. Metatheatre and its Effects 2.2. The Connection Between Death and Acting 2.3. Conclusion Chapter 3: Intermezzo: One-Minute Plays ........................................................ 77 3.1. ‗The Rapture‘ of the Extraordinary 3.2. ‗The Mystery‘ of the Ordinary Chapter 4: Technology and the Celebrity Circus in Valparaiso (2004) ................ 86 4.1. The Relationship Between Technology and its Users 4.2. A Visible Celebrity with an Invisible Secret 4.3. Language: Speech and Silence 4.4. Conclusion Chapter 5: Love-Lies-Bleeding (2005): Speaking of Life and Death ................... 127 5.1. The Philosophy of Death and the Ethics of Euthanasia 5.2. Specialised Terminology and Naming 5.3. Conclusion: A Silent End Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 156 Bibliography .................................................................................................... 158 vi List of Illustrations Chapter 2: The Day Room Figure 1: Grass‘s metal stand, The Garage Theatre photograph ........................... 59 Figure 2: Characters‘ uniforms, Northark Drama photograph ............................. 60 Figure 3: Promotional photograph for Theatrix production ................................. 60 Figure 4: The Garage Theatre photograph .......................................................... 60 Chapter 4: Valparaiso Figure 1: Stage set-up paper representation. ........................................................ 92 Chapter 5: Love-Lies-Bleeding Figure 1: Promotional photographs, Breitbart website ................................. 130–131 Figure 2: Photograph of Alex in performance, Breitbart website ......................... 131 Figure 3: ‗Saturday Cartoon‘, Birmingham Blues, August 25, 2007 ...................... 139 Figure 4: Photograph of production, Steppenwolf Theatre Company ...................... 145 vii Introduction Although Don DeLillo is well known for his novels, such as the popular White Noise (1985) and Underworld (1997), he has rarely been acknowledged as a playwright. In an attempt to rectify, in part, the lack of scholarship on this topic, and bring some critical notice to these largely unstudied texts, this thesis focuses on DeLillo‘s plays. A study of DeLillo‘s plays will contribute not only to a deeper understanding of his other