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RONALD TAVEL
ing. He paces back and forth downstage fumbling with the
basket. He throws it on the floor, seizes the edge of the table.
Jo,
as if in a trance, applies her makeup.
MIKIE
(the height of tension):
Litter basket!
FILMMAKER
(calmly):
No, that won't do. Take it again.
"Kitchenette"-take two.
MIKIE
picks up the basket, exits upstage left, returns immediately
and repeats his performance with even greater tension and
suspense.
MIKIE: Litter basket!
FILMMAKER: Again.
MIKIE: Litter basket!
FILMMAKER: Again.
MIKIE: Litter basket!
FILMMAKER: Again. Slowly.
MIKIE: Litter basket! ! !
Jo
(after very long pause):
What did you say, darling?
MIKIE: Lit-ter bas-ket! !!
Jo: Oh.
Very long pause.
MIKIE:
I
said litter basket!
Jo
(long pause):
I
know, dear. You said litter basket.
MIKIE: Well, don't you care at all?
Jo
(long pause):
Of course
I
care about litter baskets, dear, but
what do you want me to do about them?
MIKIE
(sitting on the commode):
Rummage around in them....
Jo
(long pa.use):
I
do rummage around in litter baskets, dear, that's
how
I
found you.
MIKIE
(ecstatic, rushing over to her):
I
love you, Jo.
J
0
( pause):
That's obvious, Mikie.
MIKIE: You see, Jo,
I
only brought it up because people are always
throwing away worthwhile things. They're always throwing worth–
while things into the litter basket.
Jo
puts down her mascara equipment, gets up and goes over to
the litter basket now lying near the sma'll box. She bends over,
rear end up and toward the audience, legs perfectly straight, and
begins picking objects out and examining them. She finds panties
and brassieres and empty beer cans. She makes two piles on the
table, one of the undergarments
aoo
one of the beer cans. She
