Danny and the Deep Blue Sea. John Patrick Shanley. Author bio(s) $10.00. Qty: Full Length, Comedy/Drama 1 man, 1 woman Total Cast: 2, Open Stage ISBN-13: 691. Apply for Rights. FEE: $100 per performance. DANNY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by John Patrick Shanley ROBERTA: I can't stay like I am! I can't stay in this fuckin head anymore! If I don't get outta this fuckin head I'm gonna go crazy! I could eat glass! I could put my hand inna fire an watch the fuckin thing burn and I still wouldn't be outta this fuckin head! What am I gonna do? Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is a full length dramatic comedy by John Patrick Shanley. This dark work finds its title character, Danny – a trucker known as 'The Beast,' and Roberta – a divorced mother of a teenage son who lives with her parents, striking up a haltingly bitter conversation about the demons that unite and divide them.
- Deep Blue Sea Script PDF - 3/20/1998 at Script City ($)
- Deep Blue Sea Script PDF at Script Fly ($)
- Deep Blue Sea Transcript at Script-O-Rama
- Deep Blue Sea Transcript at scripts.com
Note: Multiple links are listed since (a) different versions exist and (b) many scripts posted become unavailable over time. Please notify me if you encounter a stale link.
Other Links:
- Deep Blue Sea ( tt0149261 ) at IMDb
- Deep Blue Sea ( 8914 ) at TheMovieDB.org
Description
Terence Rattigan did not regard the text of The Deep Blue Sea as sacrosanct, and when problems were revealed during the rehearsal process, he revised his script, particularly the last act which was still falling short in spite of multiple rewrites.
Until 1968 it was necessary to submit any new stage play to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office (a department of the Royal Household) to receive a licence for public performance. The Lord Chamberlain received a pre-rehearsal draft of The Deep Blue Sea in early January 1952, and this version, with further corrections, was submitted later that month.
How does this version compare with early drafts of The Deep Blue Sea?
The first two acts are largely the same but Act 3 is significantly different. It is shorter and less repetitive, the order of scenes differs from Rattigan’s original sequence and Mr Miller persuading Hester to go on living has become a much more convincing confrontation.
What do the annotations show?
These annotations are not in Rattigan’s hand but they document the changes made during the rehearsal process. The melodramatic telephone call made by Hester at the start of Act 3 has been replaced with a different, incoming call in which Hester is obliged to maintain a façade of calm, conventional politeness, despite her mounting desperation. A version of this telephone conversation originally appeared later in the act (f. 71), but its removal strengthens the moment of understanding between Mr Miller and Hester directly preceding it.
Were any further changes made?
Danny And The Deep Blue Sea Script Pdf Reader
The Deep Blue Sea opened in Brighton on 4 February 1952 ahead of its London premiere on 6 March. Changes were still being made to the staging, if not the script itself, during the Brighton previews. In a telegram to his American agent, Rattigan reported that the last act had been improved, partly due to the performance of Peggy Ashcroft who played Hester:
ENDING NOW MUCH LESS NEGATIVE AND DEPRESSING SINCE ASHCROFT HAS PLAYED LAST ACT WITH MORE RESERVES OF STRENGTH ALSO REARRANGEMENT OF BUSINESS AT FINAL CURTAIN HAS MADE MORE IMPORTANT SYMBOLISM OF LIGHTING GAS FIRE STOP[1]
Danny And The Deep Blue Sea Script Pdf File
The play opened in New York at the end of 1952 with Margaret Sullavan as Hester. A number of Hester’s lines which had been cut for the English production were restored for Sullavan because she lacked Peggy Ashcroft’s skill at playing subtext.
Danny And The Deep Blue Sea Script Pdf Template
[1] Copy of telegram from Terence Rattigan to Harold Freedman, 9 February 1952. Terence Rattigan Papers, British Library Add MS 74357A, f. 127.