AN ABSURD EVOLUTION: NEIL LABUTE AND THE PROGRESSION OF THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD By WILHELMINA MCLAFFERTY Bachelor of Sciences in Speech/Theatre Education Bachelor of Arts in English Education Culver-Stockton College Canton, MO 2007 Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate College of the Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS May, 2009 AN ABSURD EVOLUTION: NEIL LABUTE AND THE PROGRESSION OF THE THEATRE OF THE ABSURD Thesis Approved: B. Peter Westerhoff Judith Picard Cronk Matthew Tomlanovich A. Gordon Emslie Dean of the Graduate College ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Maria Beach, Ph.D. B. Peter Westerhoff, MFA Judith Picard Cronk, MFA Matt Tomlanovich, MFA iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 Beginning of the Theatre of the Absurd ..................................................................1 LaBute’s Similarities to the Absurd .........................................................................3 Progression of the Absurd ........................................................................................8 Purpose of Study ....................................................................................................10 II. DESTRUCTION AND DECISION IN THE MERCY SEAT AND BECKETT’S ENDGAME ............................................................................................................12 Destruction in Relationships ..................................................................................16 Decision .................................................................................................................26 III. STAGING CRUELTY: FEAR AND CONTROL IN FAT PIG AND GENET’S THE BALCONY ..............................................................................................................30 Power .....................................................................................................................32 Gender Struggle .....................................................................................................36 Social Class ............................................................................................................38 Pretend ...................................................................................................................44 IV. (DIS)ILLUSIONMENT: IDENTITY AND SOCIAL SACRAFICE IN THE SHAPE OF THINGS AND PINTER’S THE DUMB WAITER ...........................................47 Mystery ..................................................................................................................48 Society....................................................................................................................54 Victimization of the Individual .............................................................................61 Identity and the “Other” .........................................................................................63 Human Loneliness .................................................................................................68 Truth .......................................................................................................................71 iv Chapter Page V. ANALYSIS OF REASONS TO BE PRETTY .........................................................75 Tragicomedy ..........................................................................................................76 Pacing .....................................................................................................................79 Language ................................................................................................................80 Repetition ...............................................................................................................81 Cruelty ...................................................................................................................82 Self Versus Society ...............................................................................................85 VI. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………….87 WORKS CITED ..........................................................................................................89 v CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Samuel Beckett. Eugene Ionesco. Jean Genet. Edward Albee. Harold Pinter. These are all names associated with the Theatre of the Absurd, according to Martin Esslin who coined the term in his book The Theatre of the Absurd . Because of Esslin’s book, most scholars define Absurdism as a post-World War II phenomenon. The Theatre of the Absurd gives a 400+ page description of the term “Absurdism” and applies it to playwrights whose works share a number of similar characteristics. While this book is incredibly thorough, its discussion of Absurdism and its playwrights only goes through its publishing date, 1969. Forty years later, analysis of contemporary works proves Esslin was slightly wrong—Absurdism is not merely a post-World War II phenomenon, but may be associated with post-destruction. The post-September 11 th works of Neil LaBute maintain the themes and characteristics of traditional Absurdism, and they, too, address issues of disaster. The Beginning of the Theatre of the Absurd Esslin’s description of Absurdism in his The Theatre of the Absurd is an account of the beginning of Absurdism. The book was written too early to analyze its aftermath, what Absurdism has become. Samuel Beckett, one of the first Absurd 1 playwrights, wrote works which were radical for their time. For example, Beckett’s Waiting for Godot was a drastic change from the norm for its first audiences in 1955, causing near riots in Western Europe (Esslin, Absurd 1). The circular plot revolves around two tramps waiting for a man named Godot. During their wait, they are stumbled upon by Pozzo and Lucky, a master and his slave. Then, a messenger boy comes to tell the two tramps that Godot will not arrive that day. The second act is very much like the first, with a visit from Pozzo and Lucky, and the same message from the boy. With “nonsense” language and no climax, the first audiences had difficulty understanding the play. Two years later, it was well-received at the San Quentin penitentiary by hundreds of convicts. One prisoner said of the play, “‘Godot is society”’ (qtd. in Esslin 2). It was not until several years later, in 1964, that Waiting for Godot was accepted by ordinary theatre-goers; its production at the Royal Court Theatre in London was “extremely favourably received by the critics” (Esslin ix). Perhaps Beckett was ahead of his time, as his play took nearly a decade for society to accept. Now, over a half-century later, many audiences consider Absurd tendencies ordinary. While the Absurdist style may not have become apparent in mainstream theatre until World War II, it is still being utilized. Specifically, the works of contemporary playwright/screenwriter Neil LaBute use the characteristics and themes of the theatre of the Absurd. While LaBute’s works are not nearly as radical in situation as the works of pioneer Absurdists, they maintain the principal devices which define the style. Furthermore, LaBute employs such devices in a way that has not merely preserved Absurdism, but has altered the style to reach contemporary audiences. 2 Overview of LaBute’s Application of Absurd Characteristics and Themes First, it is necessary to examine the term ‘absurd’ before attempting to apply it to theatre. The well-known Absurdist playwright Eugene Ionesco defines ‘absurd’ as, ‘“that which is devoid of purpose. [ . ] Cut off from his religious, metaphysical, and transcendental roots, man is lost; all his actions become senseless, absurd, useless”’ (qtd. in Esslin 5). Similarly, in the context of music, “absurd” means “out of harmony” (Esslin 5). David Hesla expands on this lack of harmony by saying human existence itself is absurd, “because being human and existing are mutually contradictory” (Hesla 8). These three explanations of ‘absurd’ are quite similar as well as applicable to the characteristics key to the Theatre of the Absurd, which include: Verbal nonsense and devaluation of language, tempo and speedy character reactions, images which are at the same time “broadly comic and deeply tragic,” revealing of ultimate realities of the human condition, and dreamlike forms of thought (Esslin 282-361). Thematically, Absurdism is “intent on making its audience aware of man’s precarious and mysterious position in the universe” (Esslin 353) and brings to the forefront man’s discontent with this ambivalent position. Devaluation of language is a key feature of the Theatre of the Absurd, and a common feature of Neil LaBute’s plays. Tom Wilhelmus, author of the article, “Morality and Metaphor in the Works of Neil LaBute” compares LaBute to well- known Absurd playwrights with his observation: LaBute’s language is poetic—a poetry of hesitations, clichés, qualifications, evasions, and doubts—and emulates the practice of 3 contemporary playwrights such as Beckett, Albee, and Pinter by turning the cliché-ridden speech of the tribe into carefully constructed art. (Wilhelmus 62). LaBute creates characters whose language and dialogue consists of those hesitations, as they hesitate in their decisions in what to say or do; their dialogue consists of those clichés, as they stereotype those around them and use the same words and actions as everyday people; their language illustrates those doubts, through what