Key Words
Cerebral Palsy, 1960's, physical health attitudes, breaking fourth wall, dark comedy,family, old fashion opinions generation gap, difficult mother, molly coddling, teacher, actors, strained relationships, Bristol, marriage, suffering, ignorance
Play Length 1 hour. 45 mins
Characters 6, 2 male, 4 female
Brian 33
Shiela 33
Joe 11
Grace 65
Freddie 40-45
Pam 40-45
Time 1960's
Accents West Country, RP
Place Bristol, England
Set A nineteen sixties living room, junk shop purchases
Specificity. The play could be set in other English settings. The genders are set and should not be changed. The time period is suited to the period as the content was shocking to the 60s/70s era. Cerebral Palsy had never been discussed so openly.
Synopsis
‘A Day in the Death of Joe Egg’ is a dark comedy based around the lives of Brian, Sheila and their eleven year old daughter Joe. Brian and Sheila’s lives evolve around Joes extreme case of Cerebral Palsy and epilepsy.
As a way of diffusing the struggle of having a daughter with such crippling conditions, they often use controversial humour to make light of the challenging circumstances they find themselves in. Joe is often the butt of their jokes, which would have proved controversial to the 60s audiences.
Sheila's "actor friend" Freddie and his snotty wife Pam are of the attitude that anyone with a physical disability should be in a home. Grace, Brian's molly coddling mother is very much in agreement.
The play was ground breaking when it was introduced to the 60s theatre audience. Cerebral Palsy was not discussed so openly and seeing it on the stage whilst being a basis to humour was shocking. The play is ageless, a modern day audience can still relate to the humour and topics on show. Making the play hugely relevant to modern audiences, a revival is surely not far away.
Monologues and duologues
Page 9
Key words School, classroom, teacher, students, comedy, farts, discipline, detention, breaking the fourth wall.
Length 2 mins
Character(s) Brian
Type Monologue
Synopsis Brian speaks to the audience as if they were his class in detention, at the end of the school day. He leaves the students stood as he pops out to collect his coat from the staff room. Brian never returns leaving the students stood there.
Snippet
Brian: That’s enough! Another word and you’ll be here till five o’clock...You’re The losses...Right-hands on heads...stand on your seat...who was that? Whoever did that can open the window before we all get gassed...I’m going to get my coat from the staff room now. And you will be as quiet as mice-no fish-till I get back.
Exits
Page 11-24
Key words Love, relationships, disability, sex, dynamics, daughter
Length 12 mins
Character(s) Brian and Sheila. Note: Joe is present during the duologue, but does not speak.
Type Duologue
Synopsis This is an introduction to Brian and Sheilas life, how they cope with marriage and having Joe, their severely disabled child.
Note: Joe is present during he duologue but does not speak.
Snippet
Brian: Lets go to bed, come on
Sheila: Ow-don’t!
Brian: What?
Sheila: Your hands are cold you’ve just come in
Brian: Lets go to bed
Sheila: At quarter to five?
Brian: I came home specially
Sheila: The usual time
Brian: Yeah, but I was going to keep them in
Sheila: ...Did you say you would?
Brian: Yes
Sheila:...Then why didn’t you?
Brian: I kept imagining our bed, our room, your legs thrashing about-
Page 24-26
Key words Father, daughter, comedy, controversial, sex deprived, frustrated, going through the motions, breaking the fourth wall, love.
Length 4 mins
Character(s) Brian
Type Monologue
Synopsis Brian talks of his admiration for his wife Shiela, for her patience and love of their daughter, Joe, highlighting his lack of connection with her.
Note: Much of Brian’s dialogue is with Joe in the room. This needs to be considered by the actor.
Snippet
Brian: ...you look pale , Joe. Is it those nasty fits? Never mind...we’ll have a bit of a chinwag round the oil heater...Joe and Daddy have a lovely cup of tea then Joe have a nice hot bath...what am I doing talking to you? Might as well be talking to the wall... Sheila embraces all
Living things...i get my hug somewhere in between the budgerigar and the stick-insect...
Page 26-27
Key Words Jealousy, frustrations, relationships, marriage, husbands, points of view, breaking the fourth wall.
Length 2 mins
Character(s) Shiela
Type Monologue
Synopsis Shiela discusses her annoyance of Brian, his childish behaviour, his lack of trust and jealousy of her and Joe’s relationship.
Snippet
Shiela: One of these days I’ll hit him. He thinks because he throws a tantrum I’m going to stay home and comfort him...I blame his mother. She gave him the kind of suffocating love that makes him think the world revolves around him...it makes my blood boil...a grown man jealous of poor Joe.
Pages 44-45
Key Words Love, hope, anguish, faith, belief, frustration, false hope, memories, breaking the fourth wall. Daughter, Disability, Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy.
Length 3 mins, 45 secs
Character(s) Shiela
Type Monologue
Synopsis Sheila is heartfelt and touching as she discusses her love and struggles with her daughter Joe.
Snippet
Sheila: I join in the jokes to please him. If it helps him live with her, I can’t see the harm...I’d made a little tower...I got on with my dusting and when I looked again I saw she’d knocked it down...soon as Bri came home, I told him. I think he said something stupid like-you know-“That’s great, put her down for piano lessons.”
Page 62-63
Key Words Disability, ignorance, opinions, judgmental, class, Nazi’s, breaking the fourth wall.
Length 2 min, 30 secs
Character(s) Pam
Type Monologue
Synopsis Pam discusses her snooty and ignorant views on Joe and her disability.
Snippet
Pam: (Talking about Joe) ...once Freddie’s set eyes on a lame dog , you might as well talk to the moon...I can’t stand anything N.P.A. Non-Physically Attractive. Old women in bathing suits-and skin diseases-and cripples....if you knew...they had a cure in the Nazi laboratories , would you refuse to let them use it?...
Pages 65-66
Key Words Disability, ignorance, opinions, old age, loneliness, knitting, cinema, breaking the fourth wall.
Length 3 mins
Character(s) Grace
Type Monologue
Synopsis Grace, Brian's mother gives her opinion on her granddaughter disability and discusses her lonely life as an OAP
Snippet
Grace: ...there’s nothing much to fill in the afternoons and no one wants to sit about like a mutt...knitting passes the time and if you didn’t have some diversion , you’d sit around like a blooming nun...the poor mite dribbles...she can’t seem to regulate the flow. Her garments after a few hours on, they’re stiff with saliva...she should wear a plastic bib, it would be such a saving on wool...
Pages 78
Key Words Nagging, talking to yourself, old people, elderly, no filter, complaining, selfish, rude, breaking the fourth wall.
Length 2 mins
Character(s) Grace
Type Monologue
Synopsis. Grace talks comedically about being old
Snippet
Grace: ...Going out of the warm on a night like this is the best way if you want a o catch a cold...if I’ve got to stand about waiting for buses in this, I shall catch my death...Talking to myself. no but it’s an old car with no heater and dragged from all directions...
Links to writer:
If you should wish to purchase the play you can do so at Amazon or Faber and Faber
Alternatively please follow the links below:
Or
Other plays by the author: The Freeway, The National Health, Lingua Franca
ISBN 0-571-08369-2
Written by Joshua Ashley-Smith
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