The play is set in an
operating theatre at the outer rim of the known world. The operating room is full of seals,
penguins, otters and narwhals. There is a grey-skinned man, almost
anesthetized, on the table. He is
being operated upon by a doctor dressed in leopard-skin shorts, a flamboyant
Hawaiian style shirt and a yellow pith helmet. Four gigantic, stringless
marionettes shuffle about the operating table, hoping to be of assistance.
PATIENT: I can’t
think clearly.
DOCTOR: Neither
can I.
PATIENT: But you’re the doctor.
DOCTOR: You
think so? Okay, let’s agree on
that. And so that makes you the patient.
You’re supposed to be experiencing the focus illness always brings to
the sufferer.
1st MARIONETTE: How
about having the patient provide a birth scream? Just to get things underway.
DOCTOR (to Patient):
Can you manage that?
PATIENT: I’ll
try. [he screams]
ALL FOUR MARIONETTES: Wonderful!
DOCTOR (enthusiastic): And the dawn came
up like thunder!! [looks down
admiringly at the patient] Can you
keep it up for awhile?
PATIENT (turning purple in the face and gasping): Why why why?
DOCTOR: I want
your birth scream to last until your death—which should be [checks his watch]
in about twenty minutes or so.
Then the one sustained scream will serve both as your birth scream and
your death agony. You think you
can do that for me?
PATIENT: I’ll try
[begins screaming loudly again).
ALL FOUR MARIONETTES:
Wonderful!!
[The patient expires]
DOCTOR (to the four Marionettes): He was good, didn’t you think?
ALL FOUR MARIONETTES:
Wonderful!!!
(curtain)
