pinter plays: party politics

 

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Moonlight


"In my opinion it is derived... from... his mother's death... Moonlight is redolent of death; it is the story of a dying person, actually a man nursed by his wife, whose sons refuse to come home to say goodbye to him (from Must You Go? 2/3 Dec 1992).

"Harold very firm that... Bridget, who is a ghost, is dead because she ahs committed suicide" (from Must You Go? 15 Jan 1993).

 

The New World Order

Pinter The New World Order
Pinter New World Order
 

 

do you want to know something about this man the level of ignorance that surrounds us you know what language means to you I feel so pure

Des and Lionel prepare to torture a blindfolded man.

Two speaking roles and one non-speaking role.  The premiere was in the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London on 19 Jul 1991.  Bill Patterson played Des, Michael Byrne played Lionel and Douglas McFerran the blindfolded man.  Pinter directed, design was  by Ian MacNeil and lighting by Kevin Sleep (from Plays 4).  The play lasts for around ten minutes.

You can watch part of the play here.
The poster is from the San Antonio's Attic Rep production directed by Emily M Harris.  The first photo is from a production by students of the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London directed by Daniel Nicholson-Porter.  The second photo features Nigel Reed and Richard Pilcher from the Middlebury College site (click on the images for the sources).
 

 

 

Party Time

Pinter Party Time


"[after a visit to Tennessee Williams grave Pinter has] had an idea for a piece using a sudden ending to a young man's life: a fierce white light.(This was the first intimation of the play called Party Time (from Must You Go?  25 Oct 1985).

Harold Pinter Party Time

 

 

Ashes to Ashes

 

click for link

Pinter is quoted as saying Rebecca "is the artist who cannot avoid the world's pain"(from Must You Go? 23 Feb 1995).

 

Celebration

Pinter Celebration

chase permission
 
 1999 "In 1999 Harold was toying with a play tentatively entitled Restaurant.  He had begun it late one September when we had been unlucky in our very, very loud neighbours at the next-door table in a famous West End restaurant.  It was not going well.
16 Aug 1999 He said that he had chucked in Restaurant because the people in it were just too nasty.
18 Aug 1999 Harold worked on the play, which is now called Anniversary.
  There's now a Waiter, the best character in the play... Harold's original title of Celebration...

From Must You Go? by Antonia Fraser.

 

Press Conference

Harold Pinter Press Conference

we were defending ourselves against the worm / and we still are critical dissent is acceptable- if it is left at home there is of course, however, always room for confession, extraction and redemption

Another short sketch, under 400 words.  The Minister of Culture, formerly head of the secret police, gives a press conference.

 
 25 Nov 2001 "We discuss Harold's idea years ago for a play as a sequel to One from the Road, in which the wrecked parents... meet the torturer... as a party.
27 Nov 2001 Harold found 'nothing' in the ten or so pages he had written.
4 Jan 2002 Harold read me a 'sketch'- former Mister of Police becomes Minister of Culture.  He said: 'It's very crude.'.... I realize that it's the relic of the plat he began as a sequel to One for the Road.

From Must You Go? by Antonia Fraser.

Pinter played the minister.  The sketch was part of an  evening of sketches in the National Theatre, London on 8 and 11 Feb 2002.  The director was Gari Jones (from Plays 4).  The other pieces were That's Your Trouble, The Black and White, Tess and Trouble in the Works.

 

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