Insect Play.
Insect Play.
I’ll get you! Damn things are fast. There they go again! (Slight trip backwards) Wha-
Oh…someone here, oh it’s settling on him…Quitely….patient….Carefully…one,two, THREE!
[Butterfly lands on tramp, Lepidopterist stalks quietly and suddenly lunges with net]
Lepidopterist: Don’t move. Careful now…strange about butterflies, you picture them on
flowers, but they’ll land on mud, trash, filth and now they’re landing on you.
Lepidopterist: Idiot! You’ve scared them off, damn you! Flying away…
[Lepidopterist exits chasing the butterflies. Tramp stands up, slowly, takes a slug from bottle]
Tramp:[Tries to stand, stumbles and falls back] Awright, awright, don’t worry, I’m fine. You
thought I was drunk didn’t you? See me like I am, think the worst. Got a poor opinion of me. I
was just….rehearsing! That’s right, rehearsing “The Fall Of Man”, that’s a play for you. The fall
of man. You didn’t think I was drunk, did you flowers? You got too much respect for me. I’m
human, that’s why. Lord of creation, top of the food chain.
Lepidopterist: Fun you call it? I see you don’t have a scientific mind. What you’re seeing is the
overture to procreation. What you call fun is a mad chase to satisfy its natural urges. The male
chases the female, the female allures, avoids, selects, the cycle of sex and creation!
Lepidopterist: Well, they must be identified, then killed very delicately, and pinned quite
precisely and dried out, carefully as to not lose any of the powder, then lastly placed in a sealed
protected display, so no harm will come to them.
Lepidopterist: For the love of nature! If you were educated you’d know—Damn they’re off
again, I don’t have time for this, I’ll get them this time!
Tramp: I guess he’s pretty well educated himself. And me? Maybe I am drunk but if I am, who
cares? Not the reason I’m seeing double. Everything pairs up sooner or later. Birds in the trees,
lovers walking by, and these butterflies. Sure looks like fun. Flirting , flying around. Love is what
they want, guess they’ll get it too. Even if just for an afternoon. Everyone does…or mostly
everyone. Well, here’s the world, butterflies all around, suppose I’ll educate myself, see what
it’s all about.
ACT 1
A cool morning light on the stage, blotches of bright color.Small bar or table, a chez lounge or
similarly luxuriant furniture. Filled glasses with long straws.
Tramp: Man…could get use to this. It’s like paradise, smells pretty too. Odi Colonge.
Tramp: Butterflies! That’s what those were, playin’ for love. I’d stay and watch ‘em if I wasn’t
so…well what the hell, if they don’t want me here they can kick me out . I’ll just have one of
these and get comfortable. That’s right….like paradise.
[Enter Felix]: Iris! Iris! Where did you go? Oh if only I could find a rhyme for you…All I desire is,
Beautiful Iris….Damn, that sounds so uninspired. The star to whom my thoughts aspire is, Iris
Iris Radiant Iris…that isn’t any better, amateurish. Oh I know! She’ll reject me and broken
hearted I’ll write a sad poem to bring tears to her eyes! If only you were ill cold hearted iris, I
would melt you with my loving inquiries[Laughter off stage] Oh! It’s her! [Poses himself, the
image of the troubled artist]
Iris: Why aren’t you over in the field Felix? So many little darlings, flapping around.
Iris: Do hear that Victor? That’s a nice thing to say to a ladies face! Come here you rude little
man. Sit down close to me, no, close to me. Is that what you call close? Tell me, Darling, don’t
women interest you anymore?
Iris: Oh you men can be such cynics! You have your fun, as much of it as you can get, and when
you’re tired you say “I’m weary of them”. Being a woman is just awful.
Victor: Why?
Iris: We never get tired of love. Felix, have you had you had your heart broken? When did you
first fall in love.
Felix: I don’t know. I don’t remember. A long time ago…I was still just a child.
Iris: Ha, a little kitty caterpillar. Was she dark and beautiful?
Felix: As beautiful…
Iris: as what?
Felix: I looked at her. From afar. I wrote poems, letters, my first novel.
Victor: All while munching down on those leaves looking at you, caterpillars eat so much.
Iris: Victor don’t be mean to him! Look, his poor eyes are filled with tears.
Iris: And yours are brown, a nice brown though! I don’t like blue eyes anyway, they can be so
cold. Clytie though, she has green eyes, do you like Clyties eyes Felix?
Iris: I suppose so, she’s so flat though. You’re such bad judges of women, you poets.
Victor: Have you read the last poem that Felix published? It was published in the spring
anthology.
Felix: No, no! I won’t let you read it to her. It’s bad, it’s old, I grew out of that phase long ago.
Victor: There’s nothing true. The earth and sky were false when first created; And you and I will
surely lie when love is consummated.
Iris: That’s so witty, isn’t it Victor? How did you think of it? What’s consummated Felix?
Victor: From the Latin, Consummare. It means that love has [cough] achieved its aim.
Iris: Oh, how scandalous Felix! Do poets always have such filthy minds?
Iris: Why?
Iris[Looking for an excuse]: Victor, will you go get my fan in the garden?
Felix: Iris, Iris, how can you stand him, That artless jerk, that preening jock!
Iris: Victor?
Felix: He’s so cruel, how he talks about love and you and everything!
Iris: Poor Victor? But he’s so…soothing. No Felix, let’s talk about Poetry. I adore poetry. You’re
so clever, “When love is consummated” …Felix? Tell me, aren’t poets terribly savagely
passionate?
Felix: Iris, I grew out of what was in that poem, a long time ago.
Iris: Oh really? What if I were to ask you ask you to kiss me? Would you be rough with me or
gentle?
Iris: Come on, be brave little Felix. A faint heart never won. Tell me who you write that poem to
at least? To Clytie?
Felix: No. I didn’t write it for any woman. Or…well maybe I wrote it to every woman.
Iris: Oh really?! Every woman? Ha, are you such a man whore? Well you have to tell me one
thing, who are you [whispering into felixs ear as he blushes] now?
Iris: Promise
Iris: Really?
Iris: Oh you’re such a liar! How many women have you told that one to? I can see right through
you Felix, you think you’re quite the seducer, don’t you?
Felix: Iris please! Don’t tease me. I’ve had some awful experiences, or dreamed them at least.
I’ve had countless love affairs, all terrible disappointments. A poet lives in his dreams Iris. I’ve
known all women and I’ve known none. It’s true.
Iris: Then why do you say you’re done with women? Tired of them?
Felix: Oh Iris, everyone is cruel to the thing they love.
Iris: You mean other women? You love Clytie? The slut.
Iris: You have such thoughtful eyes Felix. And you’re so creative. What are you thinking about
now?
Felix: I-iris, I…
Iris: I feel so strange today. It’s so awful being a woman. I wish I were a man, to seduce and kiss
and dominate. Felix, I would be such an aggressive man .I’d take whoever I wanted, brutally,
savagely. It’s too bad you aren’t a girl…but we could pretend couldn’t we? You be Iris, I’ll be
Felix, strong hungry….
Felix: No, Iris, --It’s too dangerous to be Felix, to have to live through what I do, desiring
something—
Iris: Oh. The impossible. Of course, that’s what’s really important. Not what’s right in front of
you. You’re right, always right. What’s taking victor so long? Would you go get him ?
Iris: Or at least blind. But you know really, you’re a crude man. When you talking to a woman
you shouldn’t go on about what isn’t there.
Felix: The unattainable is there though Iris.
Iris: Where?
Iris: My reflection? Is that what you long for? Well then that’s what you can kiss.
Felix: Because there is no true love except for what you can’t have.
Iris: Oh well what happened to “Shall surely lie when love is—“
Iris: Then make up something new for me, now. Something romantic.
Felix: Now that at last we have met. Think you, I care what may follow? Let me be snared in a
net or eaten by a swallow. For now I’ve tasted of bliss, I’ve flown to where the fire is. If only I
could die in a kiss with beautiful passionate Iris.
Iris: That awful Clytie, with her idiot flavor of the week., and just as we—
[Enter Clytie] Clytie: Oh Iris, Otto says…oh you’re here with Felix. How’re you Felix? Oh ha what
did I interrupt, you’re blushing Felix.
[ Enter Otto ]
Otto: Got you now, Clytie – Oh Iris, and you’re with Felix, great, how are you? [FELIX sits down,
sighing]
Iris: Take care of yourself, Clytie. Victor, see how thin she’s getting. You’re looking terrible – you
really are.
Clytie: Thank you, sweetie. You’re like a mother to me, aren’t you?
Iris: (to Clytie) Wait a second. What have you two been doing? Your dress is half undone.
Clytie: Thank you, darling – Felix! You look so sad. What’s the matter cutie?
Clytie: Thinking? What are you thinking about to make you so sad looking?
Felix: To misuse.
Iris: Felix and love? As if! He wrote something about women – wait…
Victor: Felix, you bastard– how many women have you fed that line to?
Otto: ‘And you and I will surely lie” – Oh I get it Haha – very good.
Iris: Darling, you don’t know the first thing about poetry. But you’ll never guess what a beautiful
rhyme Felix made .Go ahead Guess.
Victor: What?
Iris: Oh, you’re awful. You’ve no sense of art or poetry, or anything. I’m over this .
Victor: The rhymes of our little friend Felix
Clytie: (yawning) Oh, I’m bored with all the artsy literary talk. It’s getting annoying.
Iris: Is she? Are you bored, Victor? I feel like kissing you. Catch me – catch me if you can.
Clytie: What wreck! And she’s really getting out of shape! Felix!
Felix: Yes?
Clytie: How could you fall in love with someone like that?
Felix: I? What would make you think that ? That was over – long ago.
Clytie: I get it. Iris is so ignorant – and such thick legs. No, Felix, you don’t know women. Sit here
beside me – no, closer. You’ve no idea what they’re like – their minds, their souls, and their
bodies. You’re so young.
Clytie: You must be young – it’s the fashion. To be young, a butterfly, and a poet – Is there
anything more beautiful in the world?
Felix: It is not beautiful, it’s agony. The fate of the young is to suffer, and a poet to suffer a
hundredfold.
Clytie: It’s the fate of a poet to be terribly happy. Ah, Felix, you remind me of my first love.
Clytie: Nobody – I forget. None of my lovers was the first. Oh, that Victor! I hate men. Let’s be
friends, Felix – like two girls together?
Clytie: Love’s nothing to you. Love’s so common I want something special, something
pure,something new.
Felix: A poem!
Felix: Listen!
Felix: I’ll think of an end in a minute. My problem is that I mature so fast that I outgrow my own
work before I can finish it and then have to rewrite the start.
Clytie: That’s too bad. Otto, can’t you leave your hair alone.
Otto: Ninety-nine.
Otto: Ninety-nine.
Clytie: Mmm your voice is so rough– like thunder. Otto, you work out don’t you?
Otto: cly-cly-cly-----
Tramp: What an idiot, chasing after a skirt like. I’m lucky I’m alone.. And women like that, just a
trap with pretty wings.
[clytie flying in from the other side, and powdering herself at a mirror]
Clytie: Whew! Just managed to get away from him, only just!
Tramp: So that’s high society, primping up like that. Put on your make up and show a little more
skin.
Clytie: Are you a butterfly?
Clytie: You’re so different! What all this on your face? And – oh, it pricks!
Tramp: Get off, it’s just stubble, been awhile since I shaved.
Clytie: [approaching] Let me touch you. You’re so different from the other butterflies.
Tramp: I know people like you butterflies, flirting and holding hands, kissing and running away
to the next. I’m over it. Better off not trying, for me and the girls. Now leave me alone ya tramp.
Tramp: Get away ya cheap slut, no means no! You’ve had enough.
[Enter Iris]
Clytie: And what have you been up to? What happened with Victor?
Iris: Oh right , I remember him now. Well that was just for fun anyway, nothing serious. But you
won’t believe what happened, it was too funny. [Laughter]
Iris: Ha we didn’t even make it that far, he was chasing me and suddenly a bird swooped down
and ate him!
Clytie: Really?
Iris: Swear to god. He was handsome but not too fast on the wings I guess. Then guess what
happened.
Iris: Well right after Victor was eaten up, Otto comes your otto—
Clytie: who?
Iris: Otto, from earlier? Deep voice and not too smart?
Clytie: Oh right!
Iris: Well right after victor was swallowed Otto comes flying , his eyes all desire, starting at me
like a piece of meat and then he starts chasing after me “Love me iris, love me”
Iris: You’re jealous aren’t you? [Mimicking Otto] Otto loves wonderfully.
[Enter Otto]
Clytie: Follow me then lover, come after me! {Exits opposite direction]
Tramp: Idiots.
Felix: Whose that? Well any audience will do I guess, I’ll read the end to you. ‘I answered each
new-comer is only supreme for an hour’.
Felix: The fruit may fall in the summer but spring will renew the flower.
Tramp: What a life, having fun, fliting around. Nice life for those butterflies.