Department of English

Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University

 

The Philadelphia

(1992)

 

David Ives

(July 11, 1950 – )

 

Notes

Ives' short play The Philadelphia premiered in 1992 at the New Hope Performing Arts Festival.

67  Philadelphia

67  Greg Pliska: In another edition of the play, Ives' dedication to Pliska reads "This play is for Greg Pliska, who knows what a Philadelphia can be" (72). Ives wrote the libretto for The Secret Garden, a 1991 opera from Frances Burnett's children's book commissioned by the Pennsylvania Opera Theater, that Pliska composed music for.

72  cheese steak: 
Philly cheesesteak
Whiz Wit Philadelphia cheesesteak at Campo's Deli, "Top 10 Spots for
Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks"
  • "What Is a Cheesesteak?," Visit Philadelphia
    A cheesesteak is a long, crusty roll filled with thinly sliced sautéed ribeye beef and melted cheese. Generally, the cheese of choice is Cheez Whiz, but American and provolone are also common choices. The art of cheesesteak preparation lies in the balance of flavors, textures and what is often referred to as the “drip” factor. Other toppings may include fried onions, sautéed mushrooms, ketchup and hot or sweet peppers.
  • "The History of the Philly Cheesesteak," Fox News (2012)
    A cheesesteak is made up of thinly sliced, sauteed rib eye beef and melted cheese on a long, crusty roll. Common toppings include fried onions, hot or sweet peppers, sauteed mushrooms and ketchup. A cheesesteak hoagie is a combination of a cold hoagie (as subs are called in the Philly area), and the traditional hot cheesesteak. These have lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.

  • "How To Order a Philly Cheesesteak (in Philadelphia)," Visit Philadelphia (2014; 1:26 min.)

  • "Pat's vs. Geno's: Philly Cheesesteak War!," Rhett and Link (2008; 3:55 min.)


73  And frankly, Scarlett, I don't give a shit: allusion to the famous parting line of Rhett Butler near the end of Gone with the Wind, the film version rather than the novel, it seems
Gone with the Wind, dir. Victor Fleming, perf. Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, MGM, 1939, film
  • Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind (1936)
    Fragments of words came back to her and she quoted parrot-like: “A glamor to it—a perfection, a symmetry like Grecian art.”
    Rhett said sharply: “Why did you say that? That’s what I meant.”
    “It was something that—that Ashley said once, about the old days.”
    He shrugged and the light went out of his eyes.
    “Always Ashley,” he said and was silent for a moment.
    “Scarlett, when you are forty-five, perhaps you will know what I’m talking about and then perhaps you, too, will be tired of imitation gentry and shoddy manners and cheap emotions. But I doubt it. I think you’ll always be more attracted by glister than by gold. Anyway, I can’t wait that long to see. And I have no desire to wait. It just doesn’t interest me. I’m going to hunt in old towns and old countries where some of the old times must still linger. I’m that sentimental. Atlanta’s too raw for me, too new.”
    “Stop,” she said suddenly. She had hardly heard anything he had said. Certainly her mind had not taken it in. But she knew she could no longer endure with any fortitude the sound of his voice when there was no love in it.
    He paused and looked at her quizzically.
    “Well, you get my meaning, don’t you?” he questioned, rising to his feet.
    She threw out her hands to him, palms up, in the age-old gesture of appeal and her heart, again, was in her face.
    “No,” she cried. “All I know is that you do not love me and you are going away! Oh, my darling, if you go, what shall I do?”
    For a moment he hesitated as if debating whether a kind lie were kinder in the long run than the truth. Then he shrugged.
    “Scarlett, I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and glue them together and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken—and I’d rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived. Perhaps, if I were younger—” he sighed. “But I’m too old to believe in such sentimentalities as clean slates and starting all over. I’m too old to shoulder the burden of constant lies that go with living in polite disillusionment. I couldn’t live with you and lie to you and I certainly couldn’t lie to myself. I can’t even lie to you now. I wish I could care what you do or where you go, but I can’t.”
    He drew a short breath and said lightly but softly:
    “My dear, I don’t give a damn.”
  • Medora Perkerson, "Interview with Margaret Mitchell," WSB radio (1936)



Writing

Ives looks for unusual subject matter; he considers it a personal challenge. And he likes to challenge actors; not because of hostility towards them—just the opposite. He thinks actors deserve more credit than playwrights. "I can sit comfortably in the back of the theatre, while they're up there risking everything." Some actors say they've taken his roles because they thought his ideas were too crazy to be staged and wanted to see for themselves. "I'm a trouble-maker," he said. "I like to create problems."

Asked if he's ever thought of writing serious plays, Ives revealed he wrote a somber piece for Lives of the Saints and dropped it because it didn't fit with the lighter scenes. "But my comedies all have a serious side," he said. "Comedy is serious." Ives and director Rando also recalled that his Ancient History, a one-acter presented three years ago at Primary Stages, was basically serious.

Why are so many of Ives' plays short?, an audience member wanted to know. "I'm impatient," Ives said. "When I watch a play I say 'Okay, I get the point, now end it. I don't want to see any more.' I like things short and to the point."

—Steve Cohen, "David Ives Discusses His Lives in Rare Philadelphia Q&A," Playbill (1999)

 


 

 

Comprehension Check

  • What do Polish duck blood, cream of kidney, deep-fried gizzards, calves' brains with okra, and pickled pigs' feet have in common (69)?
  • What is the difference between aspirin and Bufferin, Advil and extra-strength Tylenol (70, 71)?
  • Why is it strange that Mark could buy the Toronto Hairdresser but not the Daily News in New York (71)?
  • What does City of Brotherly Love refer to (73)?
            


 

 

Study Questions

  • What is the importance of the waitress?

           

 

 

Review Sheet

Characters

Al, Allen Chase – "California cool; 20s or 30s" (74); "Is your name Allen Chase? [...] It is indeed" (73); "The garment district is your life!" (74)

Mark, Marcus – "Frazzled; 20s or 30s" (74)

Waitress, Sharon – "weary; as you will" (74); "I've been in a Cleveland all week" (79); "I hope you won't reveal your name. [...] Sharon" (79)
Susie – Al's wife/girlfriend (73, 79); "You know Susie packed up and left me [Al] this morning" (73)


Place 

bar/restaurant – "A bar/restaurant. A table, red-checked cloth, two chairs, and a specials board" (69)

Philadelphia – "metaphysically you're in a Philadelphia [...] in a Philadelphia, no matter what you ask for, you can't get it. You ask for something, they're not gonna have it. You want to do something, it ain't gonna get done. You want to go somewhere, you can't get there from here" (72)

Los Angeles – "I woke up in a Los Angeles. And life is beautiful!" (73)

Baltimore – "Maybe I was in a Philadelphia all along and never knew it! (77) [...] You might've been in a Baltimore. They're practically the same" (78)

Cleveland – "It's like death, without the advantages" (79)

 


 

Vocabulary

comedy
one-act
character
characterization
dialogue
conflict
irony
pun

 


Sample Student Responses to David Ives' The Philadelphia

Response 1:

 

 

 


 

Reference

 


Links

 



Media
  • The Philadelphia, Pulp Productions (2011)

  • The Philadelphia, Stony Brook Actor's Conservatory (2012; 9:15 min.)

  • "David Ives Interview," Charlie Rose (1994; 13:13 min.)

  • "Interview with David Ives," Studio Theatre (2014; 8:06 min.; Ives speaks on honesty in the theater, on writing comedy, on auditions, etc.)

  • Jim Price, "Crafting Comedy with David Ives," The Dramatists Guild of America (2011; 48:56 min.)

 


David Ives

 


 

 

Reference

Ives, David. The Philadelphia. All in the Timing: Fourteen Plays. New York: Vintage, 1995. 67–79. Print.

 

Further Reading

Ives, David. All in the Timing: Fourteen Plays. New York: Vintage, 1995. Print.

Ives, David. Time Flies and Other Short Plays. New York: Grove, 2001. Print.


 

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Last updated February 5, 2017