The Gathered Leaves

Andrew Keatley

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781848424906
• eBook ISBN: 9781780016481
• Topic: Letteratura
• Subtopic: Teatro britannico

A moving, poignant and funny family drama that sees the weight of family history, of reputation, and of expectation, all descend on one family over Easter weekend in 1997.

For more than seventeen years, the Pennington family has never been together in the same room. But now, on the eve of William's seventy-fifth birthday, all three generations have gathered with the intention of putting the past behind them. If only it were that simple…

And time is running out. Especially for William, as the world he has always known begins to crumble around him.

Andrew Keatley's play The Gathered Leaves was first performed at Park Theatre, London, in July 2015.

ACT ONE

Spring, 1964.

A low sun. Some woodland on the fringe of a private property belonging to the Pennington family.

YOUNG SAMUEL PENNINGTON and YOUNG GILES PENNINGTON are dressed in a somewhat peculiar fashion for teenage boys – YOUNG SAMUEL wears a dress shirt, a cravat, a blazer, trousers and has a bandage around his head; YOUNG GILES wears trousers, a shirt and a cardigan. They have fashioned a kind of rudimentary base – stools, a table, assorted bric-a-brac, several school exercise books and a wooden box.

They are engaged in a scene of heightened drama. YOUNG SAMUEL is sitting in a chair and is turned slightly away from YOUNG GILES – who approaches cautiously. YOUNG SAMUEL holds a plastic cup filled with water.

YOUNG GILES. ‘Doctor – some very strange things are happening. I feel we’re in a very dangerous position; this is no time for personal quarrels.’

YOUNG SAMUEL. ‘Meaning?’

YOUNG GILES. ‘I think you should go and apologise to Barbara at once.’

YOUNG SAMUEL. ‘I’m afraid we have no time for codes and manners. And I certainly don’t underestimate the dangers if they exist. But I must have time to think. I must think. (Rises from then chair, and walks away from his brother.) Rash action is worse than no action at all. Hmmm?’

YOUNG GILES. ‘I don’t see anything rash in apologising to Barbara! (Follows his brother to where he is now stood.) Frankly, Doctor, I find it / hard to keep pace with you.’

YOUNG SAMUEL (breaking character). No!

YOUNG GILES. What… what / is it?

YOUNG SAMUEL. You did it wrong again.

YOUNG GILES. Did I?

YOUNG GILES brings out a piece of paper from his pocket – and looks at it.

YOUNG SAMUEL. Yes. Exactly the same as last time. It needs to be like this: (Adopting slightly different voice.) ‘Frankly, Doctor, I find it hard to keep pace with you.’ Do it like that. Like I just did it.

YOUNG GILES. Does it really matter that much?

YOUNG SAMUEL. Yes. Yes it does; it matters very much indeed.

YOUNG GILES. Why though?

YOUNG SAMUEL. Because it’s not the same otherwise.

YOUNG GILES. But why does it have to be exactly the same?

YOUNG SAMUEL. Because otherwise it’s not the real Doctor Who.

YOUNG GILES. All right then. Sorry. I’ll try and…

Once again, YOUNG GILES and YOUNG SAMUEL return to the positions they started in. YOUNG GILES takes a deep breath, and begins the scene again; from Doctor Who: The Edge of Destruction (original transmission date 8th February 1964).

‘Doctor – some very strange things are happening. I feel we’re in a very dangerous position; this is no time for personal quarrels.’

YOUNG SAMUEL. ‘Meaning?’

YOUNG GILES. ‘I think you should go and apologise to Barbara at once.’

YOUNG SAMUEL. ‘I’m afraid we have no time for codes and manners. And I certainly don’t underestimate the dangers if they exist. But I must have time to think. I must think. Rash action is worse than no action at all. Hmmm?’

Short pause.

YOUNG GILES. Sorry, I can’t remember what comes –

YOUNG SAMUEL. Aaarrrgghhh! No, no, no, no, no!

YOUNG GILES removes the piece of paper from his pocket again, unfolding it and studying it keenly. YOUNG SAMUEL is visibly agitated.

YOUNG GILES. I just… I forgot what I’m supposed to say next.

YOUNG SAMUEL. You say ‘I don’t see anything rash in apologising to Barbara. / Frankly, Doctor, I find it hard to keep pace with you.’ Like that. Yes.

YOUNG GILES (reading). ‘Frankly, Doctor, I find it hard to keep pace with you.’

Beat. YOUNG GILES looks dejected.

Sorry. It’s not as easy for me to remember as it is for you.

YOUNG SAMUEL. It is easy.

YOUNG GILES. For you, Samuel. It’s easy for you. For me it’s quite hard.

YOUNG SAMUEL. No – it’s easy.

YOUNG GILES. I am trying to get it right, Samuel. I promise.

YOUNG SAMUEL. But you keep getting it wrong.

YOUNG GILES. I know, I know, but can’t you just… can’t you just be nice about it? Please. Be kind. I’m being kind. I don’t have to play Doctor Who with you, you know? You’re the one who wanted to play Doctor Who, not me.

YOUNG SAMUEL. Play on my own then.

YOUNG GILES. Oh, don’t –

YOUNG SAMUEL. I can do it better on my own.

YOUNG SAMUEL takes the piece of paper from YOUNG GILES and puts it into one of the exercise books before putting the book into the wooden box.

YOUNG GILES. Samuel. I wasn’t saying that I don’t want to play any more.

YOUNG SAMUEL wanders back to his starting point and begins to re-enact the scene – but this time playing both parts. YOUNG GILES speaks intermittently across this – but YOUNG SAMUEL does not react; he is in his own impregnable bubble.

YOUNG SAMUEL ‘Doctor – some very strange things are happening. I feel we’re in a very dangerous position; this is no time for personal quarrels.’ ‘Meaning?’ ‘I think you should go and apologise to Barbara at once.’ ‘I’m afraid we have no time for codes and manners. And I certainly don’t underestimate the dangers if they exist. But I must have time to think. I must think. Rash action is worse than no action at all. Hmmm?’ ‘I don’t see anything rash in apologising to Barbara! Frankly, Doctor, I find it hard to keep pace with you.’ ‘You mean to keep one jump ahead – that you will never be. You need my knowledge and ability to apply it, and then you need my experience to gain the fullest results.’ ‘Results? For good or for evil?’ ‘One man’s law is another man’s crime. Sleep on it, Chesterton. Sleep on it.’

YOUNG GILES. I do want...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Original Production
• Characters
• The Gathered Leaves
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information