Translated material
Dance "Delhi"
Death and passion, apparently, is common nature. Both are an attack, a systemic failure. The playwright and director Ivan Vyrypaev have succeeded in more than many in terms of studying these conditions. Having a pause after the “oxygen” and “euphoria”, where people loved and epic dying epic, he finished “Delhi’s dance” in July 2010, seven one-act plays. The first of them is published in the " Salt magazine ".
Actors:
Catherine
An elderly woman
Andryusha
Nurse
The curtain opens.
Private room for visitors in the city hospital. The room has a coffee table on which there are several magazines. A sofa is next to the table, and a little further a chair. Several advertising posters are hanging on the wall advertising medications.
Catherine sits in a chair. She looks at her watch. He looks at his watch several times in a row.
An elderly woman enters.
An elderly woman: Katya ... Unfortunately, everything is very bad ... Your mother died.
Ekaterina: UV! It is so strange, to feel. You don’t even know how to react.
Elderly woman: I would like to help you myself, but what? I'm with you, you understand, you know that. But what to do?
Ekaterina: Yes, strange. It seems to be such a terrible news, but there is no feeling of horror. I don't feel anything at all. I hear what you said, I understand, yes. I received news, - my mother died. But what to do? I don't even know how to react. I probably have to cry? But I don't want to. Such a strange feeling. I don't feel anything.
An elderly woman: And I also feel very strange. You have such a grief. But how can I help you? I'm with you. But what to do?
Ekaterina: I don't know what to do. Such a strange feeling. Rather, this is not even a feeling, it is the opposite, some kind of anti-feeling. I don't feel anything at all. I probably have a shock, right? Do you think I'm shock, right? Such a strange, inadequate behavior, this is probably a state of shock. My mother died, but I don't feel anything. This is a strange reaction, right?
Elderly woman: I don't know. All I would like to help you. But how? What can I do? I'm with you. With you. Maybe you need to drink? Let me go to the store, buy something to drink?
Ekaterina: Why? Especially if you need to go to the store. No, there is no need for this.
An elderly woman: It will become easier for you when you drink. Believe me. Let's. I go, buy whiskey.
Ekaterina: Yes, no, nothing is needed, thanks. I'm not bad. Strange, huh? I'm not bad at all. But it should be quite the opposite, right? I should be very bad, right? The one who is informed that his mother had died, he should become bad, right? And nothing to me. I'm not bad. I don't feel anything at all. Do you remember our meeting with Andrei, a year ago? In Kyiv? Remember?
Elderly woman: Of course. I remember very well. And this beautiful restaurant, and how you danced, for all of us. Andrey is so cute, so real. He is very reliable, isn't it?
Ekaterina: Yes. Is it true. He is very reliable and he is a saint. Well, not a saint, of course, but close to becoming a saint. In any case, he never lies. It's hard to believe, but it's true. I know that here he is such a person who never lies.
Elderly woman: Yes, he is amazing. And the way he looked at your dance. How he felt your every movement. You know, when I watch how you dance, I always try to merge with your every movement, I seem to try to become with you the whole, or something. And it captures so, so fascinates. And only so you need to look at the dance. In my opinion, everyone should only look at the dance. Well, of course, so few people look, almost no one. But he watched that way. A thin, sensitive person.
Pause.
Elderly woman: Andryusha.
Pause.
Elderly woman: Of course, I remember.
Pause.
Ekaterina: So, he called me yesterday, six months later, as we had not seen.
Elderly woman: Have you seen each other for six months? Why?
Ekaterina: Well, this is not important. And the important thing is that he suddenly decided to call. And we talked so well. True, by phone. But even by phone. I haven’t talked to anyone for a long time. And for me, for me it was a very important conversation. An important and serious conversation that took place on time.
Elderly woman: As they say, what could be better? “An important conversation that took place on time,” which could be better.
Pause.
Ekaterina: By the way, he should come from minute to minute.
Elderly woman: What, what? Who? Andryusha? Here? Now?
Ekaterina: Yes. From a minute to a minute. What is the time?
An elderly woman looks at her watch.
An elderly woman: without twelve minutes five.
Ekaterina: Well, now, after twelve minutes.
Elderly woman: Andryusha will come here?
Ekaterina: Yes. We agreed here. I thought that I would stay here up to five, and then he would drop after me, and we have dinner somewhere.
A nurse enters. In her right hand, she holds a thin folder with papers.
Nurse: Excuse me. I am very sorry that this happened.
And I would like ...
Ekaterina: Sorry, could you go a little later? After half an hour, okay?
Nurse: Yes, yes, over. You just need you to sign in some places, this is such a formality ...
Ekaterina: After half an hour, if possible?
Nurse: But, I also wanted to tell you ...
Elderly woman: We ask you, can we still talk here for about half an hour here? Fine?
Nurse: Good. I will come later. Maybe you need water?
Ekaterina: No, no. Nothing is needed.
Elderly woman: We need to talk.
Nurse: Sorry.
The nurse leaves.
Ekaterina: So, you will see you again soon.
An elderly woman: My God, how unexpectedly.
Ekaterina: How much did you see?
Elderly woman: exactly a year. We generally saw each other only once, then in Kyiv, when you danced.
Ekaterina: Well, now, and now in a few minutes he will come.
Pause.
Elderly woman: Sorry that I am interfering in your personal life, but I can't help but ask you? ..
Ekaterina: Yes?
Elderly woman: What is he? He seems to be in love with you, right? This is not just courtship, this is something serious on his part?
Ekaterina: Oh my God! Oh no! What are you?! No! Of course not. He is married. Anyway, this is not at all that you ...
Elderly woman: is Andryusha married? Are you serious? Is he married?
Ekaterina: And he has children. It seems two. And he has a good family. We are not at all in this relationship. Oh Lord! You always thought that we have a novel with him?
Elderly woman: Well, of course. I was just sure. And what, is it not? Tell me honestly, are you just hiding, just hiding? I understand that he is married.
Catherine: Oh Lord! No. Are you so fool? No! Oh no, are you not so fool?
Elderly woman: I'm sure, really.
Ekaterina: No!
An elderly woman: You just hide. I'm sure. You still behave like that, because you are hiding ...
Ekaterina: You are a fool, Lord, what a fool! Ha ha!
Catherine laughs.
Elderly woman: Well, well. I do not believe this laughter. You are on purpose!
Ekaterina: Oh, no. No need to mix me.
An elderly woman: This is not a real laughter, this is a pretense. I see you through.
Catherine laughs more and more, she has an attack of laughter.
Ekaterina: I can’t hear this, I ask you, stop grinding stupidity, I will die from laughter now.
An elderly woman: This laughter does not work on me. Moreover, now I finally see that you have a novel. This laughter is proof of this. Admit it!
Catherine dies with laughter.
Ekaterina: I ask you!
Elderly woman: Yeah! There is something tragically unhealthy in this laughter! Yeah! Got it! Your secret is revealed!
Ekaterina: I ask you!
Catherine laughs and cannot stop. Andrey enters. He stops at the door, looks at the laughing Catherine with surprise.
Ekaterina: Do not be surprised at my laugh, if you find out the reason, you will also laugh.
Andrey: Can I bring water? Want?
Ekaterina: No water is needed, stop. I don't have a tantrum, but I'm really funny. Ugh!
Catherine comes a little, calms down. Andrei goes into the room, sits on the sofa next to Catherine.
Ekaterina: Fu-y! This is not because my mother died and my hysteria died, as you probably thought. This is not that. And this is because you see this person. You are familiar, do you remember?
Andrey: Well, of course. You were in Kyiv.
An elderly woman: We just remembered this.
Ekaterina: And she decided that we have a novel. She thinks you and I are lovers.
Andrey: N-yes. Funny.
An elderly woman: In fact, this is not my business.
Andrey: In fact, this is not so.
Ekaterina: This is simply impossible.
Andrey: Well, theoretically, this is of course possible ...
Ekaterina: You have children. And then you love your wife.
Andrey: Well, yes. Everything seems to be so. Although .... Although, what is love? This, as they say, is a big question.
A long pause.
Elderly woman: What do you think is love? Do you know about this?
Pause.
Andrey: I know what happened. Alina Pavlovna died. I was told there below. Take my condolences. I don't even know what to say.
Elderly woman: Yes, I would also like to help, but how? But what?
Ekaterina: Strange. It has been half an hour now, but I still do not feel anything so tragic. I generally feel something completely different. This is very strange. When I laughed, I was so funny. So really funny. And now, even during the laughter, I thought, now, I probably look like a woman who has a tantrum because of the death of her mother. And this is not so. I laughed, however, I laughed just from a joke. Because here she thought that we have a novel. What stupidity. And funny. True, funny. And strange. I really love mom. Love. We had such a relationship, so frank, until yesterday, when she had an attack. But I don't feel anything. I laughed, however, because of the joke. Is it true. Because of the joke. True, true. It's so funny! Think that Andrei and I have a novel. What romance? God! Funny.
Pause.
Catherine: Then in Kiev, I looked at him and thought, Lord, this is he. Yes, Andrey. Then I thought just like that "it is he." And when I began to dance, I began to feel it. Feel that it's you. I started my dance, just as usual. First for everyone. And then I suddenly felt ... if you believe me, if you now understand that I am not exaggerating, it suddenly told me my heart: “It is he!” As in literature, this is often described - “the heart whispered to her,” and this is exactly how. This happened just that. As described in the literature. My heart whispered to me during the dance. Dance, you know, it's all for me. My dance is my truth, my meaning. And during the dance I heard my heart. And my heart told me: "It is he."
Catherine takes Andrei's hand in her hand. He looks into his eyes.
Ekaterina: It's you. I love you, Andrey. I was going to tell you this today and now said.
Andrei silently looks at Catherine. An elderly woman turned away from them and cries. A nurse enters.
Nurse: Excuse me, please. I understand you have a strong grief. But we need to help you. And so that we can help you, you need to sign these papers. The fact that you will not make an autopsy, and a few more documents. And only after that we give the body to the morgue. This must be done.
The nurse serves the papers to Catherine. Catherine reads. Signs one paper. Then the second. Then she looks at Andrei. Andrei looks at her. Catherine signed the paper again. An elderly woman sits in the corner and cries. Catherine signs papers.
The curtain closes.
Actors go on the forefront in front of the curtain, bow to the public.
Moscow, 2009.
Illustration: Andrey Noskov / Salt