Typists and the Tiger

THE STORIES: THE TYPISTS. When Paul Cunningham reports for work addressing postcards for a mail-order house, he makes it clear to his fellow worker, Sylvia Payton, that his employment is strictly temporary. Paul, a married man, is studying law at night, and with his uncle already in successful practice there is every hope that his future will be a promising one. Sylvia, the supervisor of the two-employee office, has a few dreams herself-mostly of the romantic variety so often indulged in by not so young spinsters with widowed mothers to support. Paul and Sylvia hit it off well, and as Paul's temporary tenure stretches on from weeks to months to years they become involved in the shared experiences of close daily contact. And, within the short span of the play, they begin to age and grow gray. While they go on chattering of the important things that have happened to them and of the bright future that will be coming up any day, the futility of their existence becomes increasingly evident. And when they finally dodder off with friendly good night to their unseen employer we have witnessed a cycle of life complete with the humor, sadness, self-delusion and reconciliation that underlie and infuse the human condition. (1 man, 1 woman.) THE TIGER. Ben is a natively intelligent but slightly unstrung young man in revolt against a system which consigns him to being a mail carrier and to living in a tumble-down basement apartment. In a gesture of defiance he kidnaps a young woman and drags her to his lair, the object being that she, at least, will do as and what he orders-fulfilling the urge for domination that life has hitherto denied him. At first Ben is abrupt and sharp with his victim, playing cat and mouse with her in the hope that she will begin to panic and squirm. But while Gloria, a suburban housewife and mother, is hardly used to this sort of thing, she is also somewhat dissatisfied with the status quo herself. At first she must listen, but soon she is the one who leads the touching and funny conversation that ensues. Mutual confessions and confidences are forthcoming, and by the time Ben reveals that his dream of becoming a teacher was shattered by an inability to cope with French, Gloria is ready and willing to take on the job of tutoring him. But he sticks to his resolve to have his way with her and she, in turn, fools him again by being less the protesting victim than the willing conspirator. In the end he lets her go-but already she is making plans to drop by every Thursday when her dull husband will take it for granted that she is off playing bridge with friends. (1 man, 1 woman.)Schisgal, Murray is the author of 'Typists and the Tiger ' with ISBN 9780822211501 and ISBN 0822211505.