The playwright who humanised hitmen decades before Pulp Fiction
Decades before Quentin Tarantino humanised hitmen by having them discuss burgers before a kill in Pulp Fiction, Harold Pinter had them in a basement flat talking tabloid news stories in his 1957 work The Dumb Waiter.
Both Tarantino's 1994 movie Pulp Fiction and Pinter's 1957 play set the banal against the brutal, teasing out the humour amid a rising sense of foreboding.
'It's that banality of what's right in front of you, coupled with knowing what's behind it … It makes me … very, very tense, because, you know, it's almost like violence is always lurking,' observes Ensemble Theatre artistic director Mark Kilmurry.
Kilmurry is directing The Dumb Waiter for a Pinter double-header with The Lover in a season beginning at Ensemble next month.
The Dumb Waiter follows the idle conversation between two hitmen, Gus and Ben, who wait in a basement flat for their next job while a dumb waiter (a kind of lift) delivers puzzling food orders to the pair.
Anthony Taufa plays one of the hitmen opposite Gareth Davies, who is on double duties performing The Lover with Nicole da Silva.
'It's killing time, killing people … it is also the idea of doing this so on the regular that this becomes just another day. This is just work, and this is the things that these two people have to do,' Taufa says.
'So I think it's like waiting on a set as well. You're always waiting to do something for like three minutes, then you leave again.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
Samuel L. Jackson once survived being dragged by New York subway train in harrowing accident
While Samuel L. Jackson is no stranger to intense scenes on the silver screen, the Hollywood actor recalled a near-death experience that almost took his life. The Pulp Fiction star opened up about the harrowing moment he was nearly killed after a serious incident on a New York subway train in 1988. 'I got dragged by a subway train in New York … I got dragged by the A train,' Jackson revealed on the Mad Sad Bad podcast with host Paloma Faith. 'I was in the middle door of the last car, and it was a long-ass train station. And when the door closed on my foot, [the] train took off. So, I'm sitting there thinking, I'm like, 'Oh, f**k, I'm going to die.'' Jackson, 76, recalled how the accident unfolded in a split second. After the subway doors clamped down on his foot, Jackson found himself stuck as the train began to move, dragging him toward the tunnel. 'I could see the tunnel coming, and I couldn't figure out anything that I could grab or hold on to and get close to the train, so I wouldn't get killed in the tunnel,' he continued. While his life flashed before his eyes, he explained, a person on the train had crutches and rushed to halt the train. 'It just slowed down really, really slow,' Jackson recalled. 'Until all of a sudden the train stopped.' Jackson continued to share his perspective on nearly dying as he experienced the brush with death. 'Things slow down when you're looking at death,' he remarked. 'I've been in car accidents and if I see them, it's almost like everything is slowing down, and you know there's nothing you can do to get out of the way.' When asked whether fear had gripped him while he was trapped in the subway doors, Jackson shared his honest thoughts. 'When I was being dragged, all I could think of was, it was going to be a really sad Christmas, because it was like a few days before Christmas,' he said. 'So I was going to miss my birthday and all that. I was like, 'Damn, it's gonna be f***ed up. It's gonna be a f***ed up Christmas this year.'' The Unbreakable actor previously detailed the accident to Vanity Fair. He shared that he had suffered a complete tear of his ACL and a partial tear of his meniscus, plus 'lots of cartilage damage.' Jackson had to get his right knee surgically repaired after the incident. This resulted in him spending ten months on crutches and more than a year in physical rehab. 'For the rest of his life, he would have a couple of extra screws in his right leg,' the magazine reported.
Sky News AU
27-05-2025
- Sky News AU
'Time travelling now?': Fans voice concern for former Silverchair frontman Daniel Johns after bizarre post referencing 1994 Pulp Fiction premiere
Daniel Johns has seemingly alluded to time-travelling in his latest social media post, leaving fans concerned and confused. The former Silverchair frontman, 46, took to Instagram on Monday to share a photo of himself draped in a pink paisley robe jacket, sitting against a plush green velvet backdrop. With his striking purple-and-blue hair and a knowing stare into the camera, Johns also showed off his neck tattoo that reads "DREAMS" a nod to his musical project with Luke Steele from Empire of the Sun, as well as a rose inked on his left hand. "Just got back from Cannes, the 1994 Pulp Fiction premiere was incredible- I always wanted to see it on the big screen!" he wrote. "Great job @tarantinouniverse and cast @johntravolta @samuelljackson #brucewilliss @umathurman / heading to a rave next week!" While the post quickly amassed nearly 16,800 likes (at time of writing), its strange caption raised eyebrows. "Time travelling now?" one fan asked, while another wrote: "1994DanielJohns is that you?" Another fan noted this isn't the first time Johns has referenced time travel, pointing to an earlier post marking his birthday on April 22, where he wrote: "I have to go back in time to finalise something and as a result I won't be on socials… All is love xx." Others saw deeper symbolism in his reference to 1994- the year Silverchair exploded into fame after their breakthrough single 'Tomorrow' hit number one on the ARIA charts. Originally named Innocent Criminals, the band was formed in Newcastle in 1992 by Johns and his childhood friends Ben Gillies and Chris Joannou. Rebranded as Silverchair in 1995, the trio would go on to become one of the country's most successful rock acts, selling more than 10 million albums and winning a record 21 ARIA Awards from 49 nominations. But by May 2011, the band announced they were going into "indefinite hibernation", citing a "lack of spark" between members. In 2023, Ben and Chris released a memoir titled 'Love & Pain: The epic times and crooked lines of life inside and outside Silverchair', detailing the rise and fall of the band and their complicated relationship with Johns. The book was supported by a two-part episode of Australian Story, which aired on ABC, but Johns was notably absent from the special and later claimed he was denied a chance to preview the memoir despite being asked to approve several of his songs for use. "I was told again that Ben and Chris would not give me a copy to read. That's why the iView use was denied," Johns claimed in a statement at the time. "I have never sought to block their book, I merely asked to receive a copy in advance to fact check it. "I was concerned about my personal health records being discussed, I don't think that's unreasonable." Since Silverchair's disbandment, Johns has launched a solo career with two albums, TALK (2015) and FutureNever (2022). He has been open about his struggles with anxiety, addiction, anorexia, and arthritis, particularly in his 2021 Spotify podcast, "Who Is Daniel Johns?'. In the series, he spoke about his five-year marriage to Australian pop star Natalie Imbruglia from 2003-2008, describing it as "the best marriage ever." In a notable episode, Johns famously stated, "I wouldn't even get Silverchair back together for a million dollars with a gun to my head." More recently, he described himself as "a truly independent artist" who loves "making everything on my own terms". It's understood that Johns still lives in Newcastle. If you or anyone you know needs help: Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800 Lifeline – 13 11 14 Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
19-05-2025
- Perth Now
Hollywood star Tim Roth: There is no one way of grieving
Tim Roth believes there is "no one way of grieving". The 64-year-old actor lost his son Cormac to germ cell cancer, aged 25, in October 2022, and Tim believes there isn't a right or wrong way of coping with loss. He told the Guardian newspaper: "There is no one way of grieving. People react differently – everyone does – otherwise there would be a cure for it." Tim filmed 'Poison', his latest movie, while Cormac was battling cancer. The veteran actor considered dropping out of the movie amid Cormac's health troubles - but his son encouraged him to commit to the project. Tim said: "He was unfazed by me doing the film. He thought it was a good thing. He was probably wanting to get me out of the house as well. "It had his seal of approval, otherwise I wouldn't have done it. If he needed me to stay close, I would have been staying close." Tim was trying to remain optimistic about his son's chances of survival at the time. The actor shared: "At that point we were trying to remain positive because he was still with us." 'Poison' tells the story of a couple torn apart by bereavement, and Tim is convinced that grief is an "individual" thing. He said: "The film has such a truth to it because it shows that how you grieve is as individual as a fingerprint. "Now with my friends and family I see that everyone is doing and handling that differently and need to be respected for it." Meanwhile, Tim recently admitted to having had a "healthily messy" career. The actor has starred in a host of well-known movies, including 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Pulp Fiction' and 'The Hateful Eight' - but Tim admits that there's also been a chaotic element to his career. He told The Hollywood Reporter: "My feeling is that the career that I was after was anarchy. I always like that - and chaos. "So, I always do a film to finance another film. Because a lot of these films that I love to do, these crazy films I love to do, have no money. They're the little independent things that are trying and are struggling to be made even more now than ever. So you got to do the ones that finance them. But sometimes they are terrible, and sometimes they are great, and sometimes the little independents don't work. "I think my career is healthily messy."
