A Cream cracker under the settee.

“A Cream cracker under the settee” wrote by Alan Bennett. Written for television a television script, a cream cracker under the settee is one of six commissioned by the BBC in 1987. Collectively they were called “talking Heads”. Each of the plays unfolds the story of one central character by using their spoken thoughts. Bennet explores various themes in the plays, each monologue is the story of the events that change a person’s life, some are tragic, some are humorous, all explore themes which skilfully use dramatic devices to keep and maintain the audience’s interest to think about and respond to when they watch the plays.

A dramatic monologue is a play which there is only one performer. The dramatic monologue was poetic form perfected and exploited by Robert Browning although earlier poems exhibited many of its characteristics. It resembles the soliloquy where a character in a play utters his thoughts aloud. But in a stage soliloquy, the speaker addresses other characters and even the audience; the conversation is that the audience overhears him/her talking to themselves.

“A cream cracker” is set in the home of Doris an elderly lady at the age of seventy-five, it is mainly situated in the living room of her semi-detached house, but does stray to her hall. The play begins when the camera fades up to a view of Doris sat awkwardly on a low chair rubbing her leg, in the morning. Then Doris starts to talk to her self about how stupid it was to of tried to stand on a buffet and dust a wedding photograph of her and Wilfred (her husband).

Since there is only one performer in the play the audience can focus all their attention on Doris’s story and character. The audience are immediately involved with Doris and her predicament because at the start of the play she is sat ‘awkwardly’ on a low chair, ‘rubbing her leg’. As the play progresses we learn more about her such as, she had a still born baby, and that she was married to Wilfred for a very long time and that he wanted a dog to ease the upset of loosing a baby.

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Her mood begins as defiant, she goes against what Zulema has told her, not to try and attempt any housework because she is too old and frail, but she ignores the words of Zulema and try’s to dust but as the day goes on she begins to feel a little bit stupid, thinking about her leg and what she has done to it, and then her mood changes to an angry mood because it wouldn’t of happened if Zulema would dust properly and not “half dust”, then it progresses to a distressed mood thinking about her life and how it has changed and how it would have been different if her baby was born alive, and later goes back to a slightly angry mood, angry because she cant do anything as her leg is ‘damaged’ or probably broken, but at the end she is distort knowing she may not get any help and might struggle to survive through the night because she is becoming more and more paralysed through out her body.

The audience feel sad and maybe a little upset for Doris because she has had a pretty hard life and now can’t get any help, and may pass away in the night.

The performer of the play (Thora Hird) obviously must use many acting skills such as pauses…several are indicated in the script, these give the audience time to reflect or think about the situation, they also control the pace of the play, they establish mood…moments of quietness/inactivity, and so on. Facial features are essential in defining one mood from another and the feelings and emotions of the character to get the audience more involved.

Alan Bennett uses dramatic devices to good effect to keep the audience attentive and interested, such as pauses…during pauses…moments when nothing happens or is said…the audience share Doris’s feelings, N.B. pause at line 112…young boy…realise a chance has gone. Will she get another?

Doris’s character engages the interest of the audience, through her recollections, we get a picture of Wilfred’s character and their marriage.

Doris also brings to life for the audience the other characters e.g. Zulema and Wilfred. This is done by Doris recollecting and imitating their voices and remembering conversations:-

Device for keeping audience interested in action,
Gives actress a chance to vary the tone of the lines and suggest the characters she is remembering. E.g. line 10, “…the Ewbank is out of bounds.” Imitating Zulema.

Tension is created briefly at certain moments when the audience wonder if she will be rescued and helped. As time draws on increasingly the audience become involved since they have learnt a great deal about Doris and can sympathise with her predicament.

The arrival of the policeman is a turning point and creates tension.

The writer uses humour to change the mood and helps keep the interest of the audience. Doris has a well developed sense of humour. She makes several humorous comments in the play. E.g. having “cracked” the photo she quips. “We’re cracked Wilfred”

This is effective because it keeps the audience amused and interested in the play, it keeps the play going not letting it drag on and get boring.

Alan Bennett explores several themes through the play such as ‘old age’, ‘loneliness/isolation’ and ‘how life is precious’ these add to the interest of the audience because they all will be old or will know someone old in there life time, and how it could be for them or someone they know, and why to respect life wise you could end up like Doris all alone with no help, dying slowly.

The play made me think about how I should treat my life and family because I don’t want to be all on my own when I am old and frail, passing away.

I think the main mood of the play is distressed and angry because she is looking back on her life and she is reminiscing on her past thinking what could be different and how her still born baby would of changed things for the better, and humorous imitating all the things that Zulema had said to her, but then it changes quite a few times from defiant to feeling stupid to angry then distressed as she reviews her life.

There are moments of tension for example when the little boy enters her front garden, this makes people think “Is Doris saved…?”, and when the police man arrives and asks if she is alright, this makes people think “can she be that stupid as last time to say she’s ok?” it makes them think “ …what’s going to happen? Will she call for help or wont she?”

Doris’s use of language is interesting because she uses old words to explain things and talks as if she was still in the 19th century when she was growing up, not modern day language, that is why it seems so strange to us, some examples of this are in line 108 “he’s spending a penny”, which nowadays means having a wee, and in line 163 “jersey costume” meaning a two-pieced knitted outfit, and “swill the flags which means wash the pavement”

Since Doris is the only character we give more attention to her and no other people, and we get to know her a lot better and we don’t get confused with characters, but since she is the only character in this it is a lot harder for the director because the play may seem bossing for the actor/actress :- they have to be on there own all the way through the play, and it isn’t very exciting just one person, there isn’t much variation.

The ending of the play is interesting and creates a feeling of confusion because you don’t exactly know what has happened to Doris, is she ok? Or has she passed away in the night? It also creates a feeling or sorrow ness for Doris thinking that that could be anyone of our relatives or even us one day.

I think, sadly she passed away in the night, because it sounds like she had broken her leg and in line 156 “this one’s going numb now.” Like her whole body will soon be paralysed and she will not be able to do anything.

Thus, I consider Bennett’s choice of a dramatic monologue in this play as interesting and challenging for the writer, actress, director and audience. By his skilful use of dramatic devices he successfully overcomes potential problems in maintaining interest. I don’t normally like things like this but the way Alan Bennett produced this masterpiece I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

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