Gertrude Stein/Looks like a swine!
Chamber Music is a one-act Absurdist Comedy play written by Arthur Kopit in 1962.
Set in 1938, the play follows insane asylum patients who believe they are various influential women from different historical periods all trapped in the same insane asylum. Disturbed by the idea that they are about to be attacked and killed by the men's ward, the women aim to come up with a plan to prevent the impending attack.
The play uses descriptors to list the characters instead of their actual names. The translations are listed below, by order of appearance:
- Woman Who Plays Records = Constance Mozart
- Woman in Safari Outfit = Osa Johnson
- Woman with Notebook = Gertrude Stein
- Girl in Gossamer Dress = Pearl White
- Woman in Aviatrix's Outfit = Amelia Earhart
- Woman in Queenly Spanish Garb = Queen Isabella I of Spain
- Woman in Armor = Joan of Arc
- Woman with a Gavel = Susan B. Anthony
Chamber Music contains examples of:
- #1 Dime: Joan of Arc's crucifix. Despite the danger it brings to the board meetings and the insistent remarks from Pearl White that it's hit her on the head, she is incredibly defensive of it and refuses to go without it. When it's destroyed in the end, Joan is devastated.
- All for Nothing: Earhart's death is implied to be this. Afterwards, Osa Johnson says they may not even be able to send the body to the men's ward without cooking it in the pot first, which is nowhere to be found.
- Ambiguous Ending: It's never revealed if the group survives the attacks from the men's ward or if Amelia Earhart's body scared them off. After killing her, the group just sits in silence and remarks on what just happened.
- Ambiguous Situation:
- Anachronism Stew: You have Joan of Arc, a military leader from the 1400s, Mozart's wife, and Osa Johnson, an explorer from the late 1800's and early 1900's in the same room. Justified, since the characters aren't actually the historical figures, they're just mad to the point that they think they are.note
- And There Was Much Rejoicing: After Earhart's death, Pearl White steals her goggles and silk sheet and dances around while Gertrude Stein rips up her notebook and sprinkles it over the crowd like snow.
- Ax-Crazy: When the group starts suggesting people to sacrifice, everyone is very on board with the plan and excited, throwing around accusations with frenzied excitement.
- The Cassandra: Amelia Earhart. She insists that she's not actually insane and that she's just trapped in here because they wouldn't believe that she's actually Amelia Earhart.
- Cerebus Syndrome: Slightly downplayed, but when they enact the second plan to fend off the men's ward, the play quickly drops the humor for a darker tone.
- Cigarette of Anxiety: The group all takes a smoke break after the Man In White leaves. They can't actually smoke the cigarettes, though, because they don't have a lighter.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Pearl White is decidedly more loopy than the other inmates, who seem grounded compared to her careless instability.
- Deadpan Snarker: Earhart is this in spades. Justified in that she's the Only Sane Woman in this insane asylum.Woman with Gavel: Will someone please answer Miss Earhart's idiotic question: "How do we know the Men's Ward is going to attack?"(various "we simply know"s)Woman with Gavel: (smiling in triumph) Well. I trust that answers your question.Woman in Aviatrix's Outfit: (smiling back) Oh, yes. Yes, thank you. Indeed it does.
- Department of Redundancy Department:Woman with Notebook: The meeting was called to order at the usual time all being present for the meeting which was called to order at the usual time in order to meet at the usual time might meet at the usual time and thus be meeting then and be a meeting then and a usual one, too. And thus the meeting, having been called to order at the usual time, all being present for the meeting which-- (she is interrupted by a loud yawn from the Woman in Armor)
- For the Evulz: Inverted - Osa Johnson says the group needs a motive to attack the men's ward past self-defense so they can be considered "not evil".
- Gratuitous German: Constance Mozart has a thick German accent and sometimes mixes German and English in her dialogue.Woman Who Plays Records: Oi-yoi-yoi! Povolie! Povolie!!
- Gray-and-Gray Morality: The group is made up of insane people, who, when their lives are threatened, are more than happy to sacrifice one of their own to scare the men's ward off. Earhart, on the other hand, is generally painted in a sympathetic light throughout the story, but when the group is throwing around accusations, she watches with amusement and suggests they sacrifice Isabella.
- The Ghost: The men's ward is only mentioned throughout the story, but neither the audience or the group see them.
- He Who Fights Monsters: In an attempt to scare off the men's ward, the group falls into chaos and ends up killing the Only Sane Woman to ward off the men.
- I'm a Humanitarian:
- Osa Johnson tells a story about how her and her crew were trapped on an island with cannibalistic natives who ate their cameraman.
- Some group members claim the men's ward will eat them when they attack.
- Osa Johnson suggests that they refuse food and water for 3 days and, on the fourth, break into the men's ward and eat them so as to not be motiveless in their killing.
- Laughing Mad: Gertrude Stein is very giggly throughout, occasionally breaking into fits of laughter and scaring the other inmates.
- Mad Doctor: The Man In White. Even moreso if you believe he's an inmate and not truly a doctor.
- Mission from God: Played for Laughs with Joan of Arc,
who's voices aren't encouraging her like with the real Joan of Arc, but are telling her to do mundane things like fix her rusty pants. - Mondegreen Gag:Woman with Notebook: Actually, I don't think [Mozart]'s as good as Haydn, either.
Woman Who Plays Records: Hidin'? Who's hidin'? Hidin' from vat? - Napoleon Delusion: All of the historical women, except for Earhart.
- No Name Given:
- The Man In White's true name is never revealed.
- Done deliberately with the inmates in the script to suggest that they may not really be the person they say they are.
- Only Sane Woman: A literal example with Earhart - she's literally the only person who is the character she says she is, while all of the others are driven mad to the point where they believe they are those people.
- Running Gag:Woman in Armor: Gertrude Stein/Looks like a swine!Woman with Notebook: Joan of Arc/Died in the dark!
- Suddenly Speaking: Queen Isabella doesn't say a word and remains The Stoic for the first half of the play, then out of nowhere, she delivers a long monologue to nobody about Columbus. Ironically, this one time she talks, nobody seems to notice that she even said a word.
- Tragic Keepsake
- For Constance Mozart, a record of one of Mozart's works.
- For Joan of Arc, her giant, 7-foot crucifix.
Joan of Arc/Died in the dark!
