CAST:
SAM Female, 30’s
WALT Male, 30’s
JESS / SIMONE Female, 40’s
TOM / MAURICE Male, 50’s
ELLEN / NURSE / CORDELIA Female, 20’s
BRADY / LEAR Male, 60’s
SETTING: Play is set in a theatre. We are watching a rehearsal of a play. The setting for this play is: A hospital bedroom. Simple in layout: a single bed with a chair to the right of bed, a plain locker to the left. On far stage left a curtained window.
Presently a woman, SIMONE, frail, 40’s, enters in an old-fashioned wheelchair, being pushed by a young nurse (20’s). SIMONE wears hospital pyjamas and has a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and has a small satchel in her lap. NURSE helps her onto the bed. As NURSE takes wheelchair away from the bedside, SIMONE looks out towards audience and speaks
SIMONE A lovely room to die in.
NURSE Sorry?
SIMONE is silent.
NURSE Was that French?
SIMONE Yes.
NURSE If you don’t speak English, people won’t know what you’re on about.
SIMONE True.
NURSE helps SIMONE into the bed.
SIMONE May I have my satchel please.
NURSE takes the satchel to hand to SIMONE. A book falls out. NURSE picks it up and looks at it before handing it to SIMONE.
NURSE King Lear? We had to read that for our final exams. Can’t say I liked it.
SIMONE Why?
NURSE Dunno, maybe ’cause she had to die in the end. That made no sense to– oh sorry! I’ve spoiled it now!
SIMONE You ’ave not spoiled anything. I have read the play many times.
NURSE Oh that’s a relief. But if you already know what’s going to happen, why read it again?
SIMONE Because it is beautiful. And very appropriate. You know that the final scene takes place here? In Kent?
NURSE Oh of course! Dover, forgot all about that. Wait, is that why you wanted to stop at the gate?... Tell you what, tomorrow, we can open the gate, go up the hill and you can see Dover from there. Deal?
SIMONE nods with a smile.
NURSE After you’ve had some porridge.
The smile disappears from SIMONE’s face.
NURSE Well, can’t say I didn’t try… It is rude to keep him waiting longer, don’t you think?
SIMONE Hmm?
NURSE Your gentleman friend. He can’t wait all day.
SIMONE No.
NURSE Then I will tell him he can come in. He’s French too? I mean, he understands English?
SIMONE Yes.
NURSE Then he’ll understand me when I tell him not to get you all worked up. I’m not putting up with any more arguments. From either of you. Got it?
SIMONE dutifully nods her head.
NURSE exits. PAUSE. Mumbled talk is heard off stage. Presently, MAURICE enters. He is dressed quite formally in a suit and tie. He speaks to Simone with a serious tone.
MAURICE Simone. You must listen to me. I ‘ave been talking to your doctor. She tells me that you're still keeping up your fight with the enemy. Simone, this is totally unreasonable.
SIMONE Unreasonable?
MAURICE You know that the rations system takes care of the children and the needy first, so you're not depriving anyone of precious food.
SIMONE I ‘ave to do something.
MAURICE You call starving yourself doing something?
SIMONE You know that I've resigned from the Free French. Politics doesn't interest me any longer.
MAURICE You 're not being interested in politics?
SIMONE I'm not, Maurice.
MAURICE Your politics, Simone, are like your heart. They'll always be there, and to the left.
PAUSE
SIMONE I want you to know that I am never going to speak to you again.
MAURICE What do you mean?
SIMONE Exactly that. I am never going to speak to you again. I am serious.
PAUSE
MAURICE You’re going to stop speaking to me? Well, why not, you’ve stopped everything else. Eating, drinking, caring-
SIMONE I ‘ave not stopped caring.
PAUSE
MAURICE So, what ‘as brought this on?
SIMONE Simple. Your radio broadcasts. It’s pure propaganda. What you’ve been saying about Russia, it’s not true.
MAURICE At least you ‘aven’t stopped listening… Simone, this is unfair. Propaganda? This is a situation of defending our own interests. Our own security. We are a provisional government in a foreign country, this country, and we are at war… My god, it is true what they called you, ’the Categorical Imperative in a skirt’. Simone, you are not teaching philosophy any more at Le Puy, this is no time for classroom ethics. If you were more involved in the war, you would see that.
SIMONE And why am I not in the war?
MAURICE Now wait, that is not fair. That is not my fault.
SIMONE Then whose fault is it?
MAURICE I did my best! When you were stuck in New York I got the necessary papers to get you over ‘ere. And when you got stuck in detention once you got ‘ere I got you out. I took your ideas to De Gaulle and got you an office on Hill Street so you could continue working on the new constitution, all that, despite De Gaulle telling me ’No, Maurice, no, she is crazy’.
SIMONE Oh… So that is what he thinks of me and my writing for the constitution.
MAURICE Sorry, I didn’t mean for you to find out like this.
SIMONE And you? Do you think I’m crazy?
MAURICE No. Unreasonable. And stubborn… but crazy? No.
PAUSE
MAURICE And still, you’re not going to speak to me again?
SIMONE ’says’ yes, with her gaze.
MAURICE Like I said, unreasonable and stubborn… I guess that it is my fault that you’re ‘ere too. I should have left you lying on your office floor, the office I got for you. Should ‘ave left you there, unconscious, too tired to even stand up. Should have persuaded you to keep on writing ideas, pages on pages, for De Gaulle, pages he would never take seriously.
PAUSE
MAURICE As for the radio broadcasts, I’ll go on saying whatever needs to be said, even if it means that you won’t speak to me.
PAUSE. SIMONE is silent.
MAURICE If that’s the way it has to be… I’ll still visit you.
MAURICE goes to door.
MAURICE I… love you, dearly.
SIMONE is steadfast, refusing to speak and does not meet MAURICE’s gaze. He exits. Long pause. SIMONE takes up her copy of King Lear. She begins to read out loud.
SIMONE Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones:
Had I your tongues and eyes, I'ld use them so
That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone for ever!
I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She's dead as earth. Lend me a looking-glass;
If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,
Why, then she lives.
SIMONE closes book and places it in her lap. Looking out at the audience she speaks.
SIMONE What shall Cordelia do? Love, and be silent.
SIMONE grows tired, weak. She closes her eyes and slowly her head comes to drop to the side.
NURSE enters.
NURSE Well done. You managed to see your friend without raising your voice. An improvement. Let’s see if you can muster up an appetite. Simone?
NURSE stops talking. NURSE approaches SIMONE, and presently realizes that she is dead. SLOW FADE TO BLACKOUT.
Lights up. Some clapping from SAM as she goes to front of stage. JESS sits up on the bed, TOM and ELLEN come back on stage. SAM has a notebook where she has been taking some notes.
SAM Guys, good work. Seriously, really good. Just a few points. (the lights go up and down, as if testing) Jim! I can’t read my, can you give me five minutes?!
TECHNICIAN OK!
SAM So. Jess, Tom, some of those lines coming without a connection. You need to connect more to eachother. Take the lines in first, digest them. Don’t be afraid of the pause. Take the lines in before you respond. PAUSE And we’re dropping the nurse.
ELLEN So I don’t come back in?
SAM No, worked better earlier. We should drop that coming back in.
JESS But doesn’t… I thought the other way was too abrupt.
SAM Yeah, and now it’s too smaltzy, I preferred the raw, no compromise ending. She dies alone. Curtain.
Cast look a little unsure, but say nothing.
SAM Look guys, just don’t drop the ball and we’re in with a real shot with this. OK?
ENTER WALT from back of hall, clapping.
SAM I hear a knocking at the south entrance… Walter, enjoy the show?
WALT Just caught the last act, super!
SAM My sentiments exactly. Look, get dressed guys, makeup off, see you all in, five?
WALT Really coming together.
SAM You’re still not happy with it.
WALT No, not really. That final scene-
SAM Well, that too bad.
WALT Cast are not happy.
SAM Cast not happy? Cast are happy Walt. You just saw the last scene. We however have been here over three hours, nobody’s had lunch, we’re tired so for the last time-
WALT They asked me to talk to you.
SAM They? Who?
WALT Some of the cast are not happy and have asked me-
SAM Asked me to talk to you yes-I’m not deaf.
WALT Don’t shoot the messenger.
SAM Can’t you just go to lunch?
JESS enters.
JESS Problems?
SAM No problems. Walt was just saying what a great production its going to be.
WALT Sam, the cast are not happy-
SAM Oh for godssake!
JESS They aren’t Sam.
SAM Are you involved in all this?
JESS Look, there are some things that, well yeah, I think could be you know…
SAM No I dont know.
JESS Well, improved.
WALT Like that final scene-
SAM Have you two been talking about this?
JESS Sam, I promise, just some ideas, I haven’t been involved in any of the mailing.
SAM Mailing?! OK... Give me a minute here…
WALT Sam, its nothing personal against you, but-
SAM So people are mailing. Behind my back.
ENTER TOM and ELLEN
SAM Are you two in on this mutiny?
TOM What?
SAM Mailing eachother about the play. Behind my back.
ELLEN I said that was a bad idea. No way to behave, I told you all. Sam this is not the way you were supposed to find out. Where the hell is everyone else?
END OF EXCERPT