The Revisionist

Jesse Eisenberg

• Publisher: Grove Press
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9780802192738
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: American Drama
• Index: Literature

A play by the multitalented actor: "[Eisenberg] has a wry ear and a knack for unsentimental poignancy that keeps The Revisionist emotionally compelling." — USA Today Though he first became known for his acting in films ranging from The Squid and the Whale to The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg has also emerged as an acclaimed literary talent—a regular contributor to the New Yorker and a highly praised playwright.
In The Revisionist, his second play, young writer David arrives in Poland with a crippling case of writer's block and a desire to be left alone. His seventy-five-year-old second cousin, Maria, welcomes him with a fervent need to connect with her distant American relative. As their relationship develops, she will reveal details about her postwar past that test their ideas of what it means to be a family. This "tightly structured, deeply human play about the truthful mess of human experience" ( Exeunt Magazine ) had its world premiere at the Cherry Lane Theatre in New York in spring 2013, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Vanessa Redgrave and directed by Kip Fagan.
"A rewarding account of cultural collision that yields unexpected reflections on the centrality of family in our lives—whether we idealize them or take them for granted…As a playwright, Eisenberg's intentions seem clear. He takes a critical swipe at himself, and by extension, his entitled generation."— Hollywood Reporter

SCENE 1

A television is on, playing CNN International:

CNN Long saddled with its image as one of Asia’s poorest nations, Vietnam’s economy in the last decade has come along in leaps and bounds. Foreign investors’ eyes are lighting up at the prospect of grabbing a piece of the action now that Vietnam has been voted into the World Trade Organization.

A loud buzzer is sounded. The television continues. The buzzer rings again. A lamp comes on, dimly lighting:

A three-room cramped apartment in Szczecin, Poland, a large, run-down city on the Baltic Sea. A living room and small bedroom flank a narrow kitchen. The kitchen table is set for two.

There are framed photographs on every surface and wall.

Maria jumps off the couch and switches on a light. She frantically moves to her apartment’s intercom, pressing it—buzz. She fixes herself at a small mirror and lights a candle on the table. There is a knock at the door and she swings it open.

MARIA I never wanted to die so much!

David stands at the door, offstage.

DAVID Hello, Maria.

MARIA You had me that my heart was in my mouth!

DAVID It’s nice to see you. Thank you. In advance.

MARIA I was going to stick my head in the oven, but it take so long to heat, I change my mind. You three hours late!

DAVID Yeah, sorry, my plane was delayed. I didn’t have your telephone number. Can I please come inside?

MARIA I give you my phone number so you should have it.

Maria rushes to a small notepad in the kitchen as David enters holding a suitcase and shouldering a book bag.

He is dressed sloppily, a hoodie obscuring his face.

DAVID Well I don’t need it now, I don’t need it anymore. I’m here, Maria.

MARIA Still, I give you. Maybe for the emergency.

She scribbles her number and thrusts it at him.

MARIA (cont.) You can read this?

DAVID Sure, it’s legible.

MARIA You could use in America too, you know.

DAVID That’s fine.

MARIA Now you look at me.

DAVID Yeah, my bags are kind of heavy—

MARIA Stand straight up, your back. Look at me.

DAVID I have a laptop in here—

Maria gently pulls back his hoodie and holds his shoulders.

MARIA You look like him. Your grandfather. Is like a picture.

DAVID (squirming away) I’d like to put my bags down now.

MARIA Of course, you put in your room.

DAVID Okay, thank you.

MARIA (leading him into the bedroom) Did you think you would not have your own room?

DAVID I didn’t consider it.

MARIA You probably think we all live in a small hut in Poland.

DAVID No, I guess I kind of thought I would have a room.

MARIA Well it’s a terrible tiny room. But you put your bags down. You talk to me about something. I want to know your trip, your famil...