The Bald Soprano

The strokes of the Smiths’ clock underpin everything that happens in The Bald Soprano. From the very first moments of the play, the clock roots the Smiths’ world in absurdity by striking 17 times, prompting Mrs. Smith to deliver the first line of the play: “There, it’s nine o’clock” (9). As the play continues, the clock continues to strike at irregular intervals, following no sort of pattern, at times striking a record 29 times (18), or at times striking “as much as it likes” (19). It strikes loudly and repetitively during moments of awkwardness, and it strikes nervously as the characters grow increasingly hostile toward each other at the end of the play. When the Fire Chief asks for the time, Mrs. Smith informs him that they “don’t have the time” as the clock is “contradictory, and always indicates the opposite of what the hour really is” (34). The clock seems to have a mind of its own, responding to the events of the play and its own desires, rather than any external concept of time.

The erratic striking of the clock contributes to the sense of chaos and collapse of meaning on stage, helping support the theme of absurdity.