conference is about.
[ Awkward silence. Big Mama looks from face
to face, then belches slightly and mutters, “Excuse me . . . .
“ She opens an ornamental fan suspended about her
throat, a black lace fan to go with her black lace gown and fans her wilting
corsage, sniffing nervously and looking from face to face in the uncomfortable
silence as Margaret calls “Brick?” and Brick sings to the
moon on the gallery. ]
I don't know what's wrong here, you all have such long
faces! Open that door on the hall and let some air circulate through here,
will you please, Gooper?
MAE:
I think we'd better leave that door dosed, Big Mama, till after the talk.
BIG MAMA:
Reveren’ Tooker, will you please open that
door?!
REVEREND TOOKER:
I sure will, Big Mama.
MAE:
I just didn't think we ought t’ take any chance of Big Daddy
hearin’ a word of this discussion.
BIG MAMA:
I swan! Nothing's going to be said in Big
Daddy's house that he cain't hear if he wants to!
GOOPER:
Well, Big Mama, it's—
[ Mae gives him a quick, hard poke to shut
him up. He glares at her fiercely as she circles before him like a burlesque
ballerina, raising her skinny bare arms over her head, jangling her bracelets,
exclaiming: ]
MAE:
A breeze! A breeze!
REVEREND TOOKER:
I think this house is the coolest house in the Delta. Did you all know that
Halsey Banks’ widow put air-conditioning units in the church and
rectory at Friar's Point in memory of Halsey?
[ General conversation has resumed; everybody
is chatting so that the stage sounds like a big
bird-cage. ]
GOOPER:
Too bad nobody cools your church off for you. I bet you sweat in that pulpit these
hot Sundays, Reverend Tooker.
REVEREND TOOKER:
Yes, my vestments are drenched.
MAE [ at the same
time to Dr. Baugh ]:
You think those vitamin B 12 injections are what they're cracked up
t’ be, Doc Baugh?
DOCTOR BAUGH:
Well, if you want to be stuck with something I guess they're as good to be
stuck with as anything else.
BIG MAMA [ at
gallery door ]:
Maggie, Maggie, aren't you comin’ with
Brick?
MAE [ suddenly and
loudly, creating a silence ]:
I have a strange feeling, I have a peculiar
feeling!
BIG MAMA [ turning
from gallery ]:
What feeling?
MAE:
That Brick said somethin’ he shouldn't of said t‘ Big Daddy.
BIG MAMA:
Now what on earth could Brick of said t’ Big Daddy that he shouldn't
say?
GOOPER:
Big Mama, there's somethin'—
MAE:
NOW, WAIT!
[ She rushes up to Big Mama and gives her a
quick hug and kiss. Big Mama pushes her impatiently off as the Reverend
Tooker's voice rises serenely in a little pocket of
silence: ]
REVEREND TOOKER:
Yes, last Sunday the gold in my chasuble faded into th’ purple . . . .
GOOPER:
Reveren’ you must of been preachin’ hell's fire last
Sunday!
[ He guffaws at this witticism but the
Reverend is not sincerely amused. At the same time Big Mama has crossed over to
Dr. Baugh and is saying to him: ]
BIG MAMA [ her
breathless voice rising high-pitched above the
others ]:
In my day they had what they call the Keeley cure for heavy drinkers.
But now I understand they just take some kind of tablets, they call them
“Annie Bust” tablets. But Brick don't need to take nothin’.
[ Brick appears in gallery doors with
Margaret behind him. ]
BIG MAMA [ unaware
of his presence behind her ]:
That boy is just broken up over Skipper's death. You know how poor Skipper
died. They gave him a big, big dose of that sodium amytal stuff at his home and then
they called the ambulance and give him another big, big dose of it at the hospital
and that and all of the alcohol in his system fo’ months an’ months
an’ months just proved too much for his heart . . . . I'm scared of
needles! I'm more scared of a needle than the knife, . . . I think
more people have been needled out of this world than—
[ She stops short and wheels
about. ]
OH! -here's
[ Awkward silence. Big Mama looks from face
to face, then belches slightly and mutters, “Excuse me . . . .
“ She opens an ornamental fan suspended about her
throat, a black lace fan to go with her black lace gown and fans her wilting
corsage, sniffing nervously and looking from face to face in the uncomfortable
silence as Margaret calls “Brick?” and Brick sings to the
moon on the gallery. ]
I don't know what's wrong here, you all have such long
faces! Open that door on the hall and let some air circulate through here,
will you please, Gooper?
MAE:
I think we'd better leave that door dosed, Big Mama, till after the talk.
BIG MAMA:
Reveren’ Tooker, will you please open that
door?!
REVEREND TOOKER:
I sure will, Big Mama.
MAE:
I just didn't think we ought t’ take any chance of Big Daddy
hearin’ a word of this discussion.
BIG MAMA:
I swan! Nothing's going to be said in Big
Daddy's house that he cain't hear if he wants to!
GOOPER:
Well, Big Mama, it's—
[ Mae gives him a quick, hard poke to shut
him up. He glares at her fiercely as she circles before him like a burlesque
ballerina, raising her skinny bare arms over her head, jangling her bracelets,
exclaiming: ]
MAE:
A breeze! A breeze!
REVEREND TOOKER:
I think this house is the coolest house in the Delta. Did you all know that
Halsey Banks’ widow put air-conditioning units in the church and
rectory at Friar's Point in memory of Halsey?
[ General conversation has resumed; everybody
is chatting so that the stage sounds like a big
bird-cage. ]
GOOPER:
Too bad nobody cools your church off for you. I bet you sweat in that pulpit these
hot Sundays, Reverend Tooker.
REVEREND TOOKER:
Yes, my vestments are drenched.
MAE [ at the same
time to Dr. Baugh ]:
You think those vitamin B 12 injections are what they're cracked up
t’ be, Doc Baugh?
DOCTOR BAUGH:
Well, if you want to be stuck with something I guess they're as good to be
stuck with as anything else.
BIG MAMA [ at
gallery door ]:
Maggie, Maggie, aren't you comin’ with
Brick?
MAE [ suddenly and
loudly, creating a silence ]:
I have a strange feeling, I have a peculiar
feeling!
BIG MAMA [ turning
from gallery ]:
What feeling?
MAE:
That Brick said somethin’ he shouldn't of said t‘ Big Daddy.
BIG MAMA:
Now what on earth could Brick of said t’ Big Daddy that he shouldn't
say?
GOOPER:
Big Mama, there's somethin'—
MAE:
NOW, WAIT!
[ She rushes up to Big Mama and gives her a
quick hug and kiss. Big Mama pushes her impatiently off as the Reverend
Tooker's voice rises serenely in a little pocket of
silence: ]
REVEREND TOOKER:
Yes, last Sunday the gold in my chasuble faded into th’ purple . . . .
GOOPER:
Reveren’ you must of been preachin’ hell's fire last
Sunday!
[ He guffaws at this witticism but the
Reverend is not sincerely amused. At the same time Big Mama has crossed over to
Dr. Baugh and is saying to him: ]
BIG MAMA [ her
breathless voice rising high-pitched above the
others ]:
In my day they had what they call the Keeley cure for heavy drinkers.
But now I understand they just take some kind of tablets, they call them
“Annie Bust” tablets. But Brick don't need to take nothin’.
[ Brick appears in gallery doors with
Margaret behind him. ]
BIG MAMA [ unaware
of his presence behind her ]:
That boy is just broken up over Skipper's death. You know how poor Skipper
died. They gave him a big, big dose of that sodium amytal stuff at his home and then
they called the ambulance and give him another big, big dose of it at the hospital
and that and all of the alcohol in his system fo’ months an’ months
an’ months just proved too much for his heart . . . . I'm scared of
needles! I'm more scared of a needle than the knife, . . . I think
more people have been needled out of this world than—
[ She stops short and wheels
about. ]
OH! -here's
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