Harlequinade & All On Her Own

Terence Rattigan

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN: 9781848425415
• eBook ISBN: 9781780016849
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

A double bill byTerence Rattigan, featuring two plays of striking contrast that display his astonishing range as a writer.

The comic gem Harlequinade follows a classical theatre company whose intrigues and dalliances are revealed with increasingly calamitous consequences in an affectionate celebration of the lunatic art of putting on a play. A powerfully atmospheric one-woman play, All On Her Own tells the story of Rosemary who, alone at midnight in London, has a secret burden to share that is both heartbreaking and sinister. Harlequinade & All On Her Own was performed as part of the Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company's Plays at the Garrick Season in 2015, starring Zoë Wanamaker and Kenneth Branagh, and co-directed by Branagh and Rob Ashford. This official tie-in edition features both plays, plus exclusive additional content including an introduction to Rattigan's work, interviews with Kenneth Branagh, Rob Ashford, Zoë Wanamaker and designer Christopher Oram, and reproductions of Oram's original design sketches.

HARLEQUINADE

Terence Rattigan

Foreword to Mr Wilmot

You and I both know, dear Mr Wilmot – who better? – that if the correct definition of farce is ‘the theatrical presentation of unlikely events’ then this play belies its label. I freely admit, dear Mr Wilmot, that, in calling it a farce I am most grossly deceiving that great and innocent Public who know so much about Life and so little about the Theatre. For this misnomer, therefore, I beg, dear Mr Wilmot, your gracious forgiveness. For you, I know, would more properly be inclined to call it tragedy; so, too, in all probability, the critics; and so too, perhaps, even that great and still innocent Public who know so much about the Theatre and so little about Life; while I, myself, would indeed agree with you all did not the claim of decorum, to which you, dear Mr Wilmot, should ever lend as lively an ear as myself, demand that I continue to call this play what it palpably is not – to wit, a farce.

Characters

ARTHUR GOSPORT

EDNA SELBY

DAME MAUD GOSPORT

JACK WAKEFIELD

GEORGE CHUDLEIGH

FIRST HALBERDIER

SECOND HALBERDIER

MISS FISHLOCK

FRED INGRAM

JOHNNY

MURIEL PALMER

TOM PALMER

MR BURTON

JOYCE LANGLAND

POLICEMAN

Setting

The stage of a theatre in a Midlands town.

Harlequinade

Scene: the stage of a theatre in a Midlands town. The lights are out on the rise of the curtain. They come on gradually to reveal the graceful figure of ARTHUR GOSPORT as he enters. He is dressed in doublet and tights.

ARTHUR (shouting over his shoulder). He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

The lights now reveal enough for us to see that he has found himself in an unmistakable, if rather severely functional, fifteenth-century Italian garden, with, at one side, the balcony of a house, from the window of which is shining a light.

But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
That thou her maid art far more fair than she:
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.

Juliet, in the person of EDNA SELBY, appears at the balcony above.

It is my lady; O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!

EDNA emits a melodious sigh and gives a sad shake of the head.

She speaks, yet she says nothing; and what of that?
Her eye discourses, I will answer it.

He comes forward, then leaps back.

I am too bold, ’tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing, and think it were not night.

EDNA emits another melodious sigh, and rests her cheek thoughtfully upon her hand.

See how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!

EDNA. Ah me!

ARTHUR. She speaks:

O, speak again, bright angel! for thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,
As is a winged messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds
And sails upon the bosom of the air.

EDNA. O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

ARTHUR (aside). Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

In the intense excitement of his passion he gives a boyish leap onto a garden stool. EDNA ’s glance momentarily wavers from the upper regions of the theatre, on which her eyes have been sentimentally fixed since the beginning of the scene.

EDNA. ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.
What’s Montague?

Darling, are you going to do that tonight?

ARTHUR. What?

EDNA. That little jump.

ARTHUR. Well – yes – I thought I would. Why? Does it bother you?

EDNA. No, darling. Just so long as I know, that’s all.

ARTHUR. Sorry, darling. That’s quite all right. Let’s go back. (To prompt corner.) Yes?

JOHNNY (from prompt corner). ’Tis but thy name –

EDNA (sharply). No. Before that. I want to give Mr Gosport the cue for his little jump.

JOHNNY (off). What little jump, Miss Selby?

EDNA. The little jump he does onto that stool.

Enter JOHNNY.

JOHNNY. Mr Gosport doesn’t do a little jump, Miss Selby.

EDNA. Yes, he does do a little jump. He’s just done a little jump.

JOHNNY. He’s never done a little jump before.

EDNA. I know he’s never done a little jump before. But he’s doing a little jump now. He’s just put a little jump in.

ARTHUR. Look – I don’t think I’ll do the little jump, after all.

EDNA. Yes, you shall, my darling. You shall do the little jump. It looked very charming – very youthful. (To prompt corner.) When Mr Gosport says: ‘Shall I speak at this?’ he does a little jump onto a stool. Now what’s my line before that?

JOHNNY (going off). And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

EDNA (resuming her pose).

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

ARTHUR does his leap again, only this time it is, perhaps, not quite so boyish as before.

ARTHUR. Shall I hear more or shall I speak at this?

EDNA. ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself though, not a Montague.
What’s Montague?

While speaking she has appeared to be struggling to keep her composure. She now loses the battle and laughs outright.

Sorry, darling.

ARTHUR. Does it look awfully silly? I won’t do it, then.

EDNA. Oh no – you must do it. Come on. Let’s try again.

ARTHUR. No. I won’t do it if it’s as funny as all that. I only thought it might help the boyishness of the line, that’s all.

EDNA. And it does. It looks very boyish. (To prompt corner.) Doesn’t it look boyish, Johnny?

JOHNNY (off). Very boyish, Miss Selby.

EDNA. I was only laughing at your suddenly putting in a thing like that, after our having done this play so many hundreds of times together and never a little jump in fifteen years until now – just before a first night.

ARTHUR. All right. All right. Let’s forget the whole thing. I’ll say the line standing as still as the Rock of Ages, and looking just about twice as old – let’s go on.

EDNA. It’s silly to say that, Arthur. If you feel you’re too old for the part you’ll only get a complex about it.

AR...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Introduction by Michael Darlow
• Production Details
• Interview with Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford
• Interview with Zoë Wanamaker
• Interview with Christopher Oram
• Harlequinade
• All On Her Own
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information