The Hanged Man
[1972] (New Press, Toronto, 1972)
Création Domino Theatre, Kingston, Ontario, 1973 sous le titre de The Hanging Rope Traducteur(s) Laurence Bérard (Auteur féminin) Philip W. London (Auteur masculin) Nombre de personnages 12 Personnage(s), 10 Homme(s), 10 Acteur(s) | |
Original
- Original en français par Robert Gurik sous le titre de Le pendu [1967] (Leméac Éditeur, 1970) aussi disponible en ligne sur le site ADEL inc.(2003) 12.95$
- Troupe du Gésù, La troupe les Masques au Théâtre du Gézù, le 24 mars 1967
- Ce texte a été présenté en lecture publique par le CEAD au Théâtre de Quat'Sous, le 19 décembre 1966 et au Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, à Paris, le 27 avril 1970.
Résumé
This play is a parable about human greed and corruption. In a seedy mining town, two derelicts, father and son, one posing as a cripple, the other as a blind man, plot a new scheme. Acting on the theory that a hangman's rope is a talisman, they announce that the son will hang himself and proceed to sell off, in advance, sections of the long, murderous rope. It sells like hell and hell comes closer with every sale.
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- Décor: An abandoned, crumbling mine hut. The walls are made of badly joined boards. Large gap in the rear, allowing a view of a sad countryside dominated by a rock hill. Dirt floor: the boards making up the wall are simply buried in it. At the rear is a door at the top of a staircase made opening to the mine, half blocked by fallen timbers. An old coal car off the rails. In the centre a very wobbly table, empty boxes, etc. And old mattress, most of its stuffing gone, serves as a bed.
- Caractéristiques des personnages: JOEL
THE FATHER
JULES
INSECTOR CLANGOR
LULU
THE LAME MAN
BISHOP
FIRST MAN
SECOND MAN
SINGER
FIRST CHILD
SECOND CHILD
- Chansons: 10 songs sung by one of the children characters or by the Singer seated at one end of the stage.
Extrait
« FATHER : Everybody knows the story. They strung up some big shots here and that's when they found this mine. When they were digging the graves. / JOEL : I know all that. What's it got to do with the rope? / FATHER : What's it got to do with the rope! Don't you know a hanging rope brings good luck and happiness? Even a Chinaman knows that! You get a piece of the rope and you gotta get lucky. / JOEL : Yeah, sure, that's what people say. / FATHER : So that makes us rich! We'll sell the hanging rope! »