After Mrs Rochester

Polly Teale

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781854597458
• eBook ISBN: 9781780016917
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

The hit show from Shared Experience Theatre Company based on the tortured and passionate life of Jean Rhys and her most famous book, Wide Sargasso Sea, the prequel to Jane Eyre.

In Wide Sargasso Sea – 'one of the works of genius of the 20th century' The Times – Jean Rhys first gave voice to Bertha Mason, Mr Rochester's first wife in Jane Eyre.

Polly Teale's play is a dramatisation of Rhys' life, placing Bertha on stage throughout as Jean's alter ego, and giving full vent to her obsession with the 'mad woman in the attic'.

After Mrs Rochester was first staged at the Duke of York's Theatre in the West End in July 2003 by Shared Experience Theatre Company.

ACT ONE

1957.

A house in the remote Devon countryside late at night. JEANRHYS’s bed/ living/writing room. There is a large wardrobe containing clothes. The floor is littered with suitcases and boxes. Papers and manuscripts spill onto the floor.

BERTHA MASON, Rochester’s first wife from Jane Eyre, is lying on the ground asleep. JEAN is sitting close to her. Although JEAN is made up and dressed up there is a drunken dishevelled look about her. She has a glass of wine in her hand. She is trying to write. She speaks the following lines to herself, struggling to form the sentence.

JEAN. Standing by the river looking at the stepping stones. The round unsteady stone. The pointed, the safe one where you stand and look around. The next one not so safe, not so safe.

We become aware of the sound of someone knocking at the front door and calling and then finally the sound of the front door opening.

With each sound BERTHA stirs in her sleep and murmurs.

JEAN checks herself in the mirror. Tidies her hair. She is agitated.

A voice, JEAN’s DAUGHTER, is heard from the other side of the door. She is dripping wet.

DAUGHTER. Mother. Are you there?

The sound of the DAUGHTER trying the handle to the room. It is locked. She calls.

Mother!

JEAN. I wasn’t expecting . . .

DAUGHTER. Mother, are you alright? Open the door.

JEAN. Just a moment.

JEAN checks herself again in the mirror. She stands nervously but doesn’t walk towards the door. Meanwhile.

DAUGHTER. Didn’t you hear me outside? I’ve been knocking for ages. I had to find the key to the front door under the stone in the dark. I thought something must have –

JEAN. You’re early.

DAUGHTER. Six o’clock. That’s what I said in my telegram. I’m late.

JEAN. Saturday you said.

DAUGHTER. It is Saturday. The boat was delayed. Storms. I missed my train at Paddington. Then I couldn’t get a taxi at the station.

BERTHA stirs. She has been disturbed by the noise. She utters something inaudible. JEAN looks at her panic-stricken.

What did you say?

JEAN. I’m . . .

DAUGHTER. What?

JEAN. I’m . . .

DAUGHTER. Open the door.

BERTHA mutters and rolls over.

JEAN. Busy.

Pause.

DAUGHTER. What are you doing?

JEAN. I’ll tell you later.

DAUGHTER. Later?

JEAN. Tomorrow. You said you were coming tomorrow.

DAUGHTER. I said I was coming on Saturday.

JEAN (suddenly). You turn up out of nowhere. Banging on my door in the middle of the night. Shouting. Letting yourself in uninvited.

DAUGHTER. I was invited. You said come as soon as you –

JEAN (as BERTHA stirs and mutters). Who do you think you are? Never here when you’re needed. Never.

Silence.

DAUGHTER. I’m going to bed.

JEAN (quieter). Tomorrow.

DAUGHTER. I’ve been travelling for two days. I’m so tired I can hardly stand. I’ll see you in the morning.

JEAN. I’m sorry.

DAUGHTER. Sorry. Yes. That’s right. So am I.

BERTHA (half audible). Round stone not so safe, even when it dry it show slippery, even when it dry it show slippery. Slippery.

DAUGHTER. What did you say?

JEAN. Good night.

DAUGHTER. Good night.

The next day.

A tiny slither of sunlight shines into the darkened room through a crack in the closed curtains. JEAN and BERTHA are asleep on the floor. There is a knock on the door.

JEAN. Hello.

DAUGHTER. I’ve brought you breakfast.

JEAN. What.

DAUGHTER. Breakfast. You need to start eating properly.

JEAN. You . . . can’t have. There’s nothing in the fridge.

DAUGHTER. I went to the village. The woman in the shop said she hadn’t seen you for weeks.

JEAN. No. I’ve been . . .

DAUGHTER. What?

JEAN. Busy.

DAUGHTER. Will you open the door.

JEAN. Writing.

JEAN looks at BERTHA asleep. BERTHA rolls and murmurs.

DAUGHTER. What’s that?

BERTHA (half audible). Dream of escaping. In my dream I know. The passages never lead anywhere. Doors will always be shut. I know because I’ve been there before.

DAUGHTER. I can’t hear you.

BERTHA. Passages never lead anywhere. Doors shut. Been there before.

DAUGHTER. What?

BERTHA. Been there before.

JEAN (to BERTHA). Be quiet.

DAUGHTER. Mother.

JEAN. Not now. Later.

DAUGHTER. What?

JEAN. I’ve told you I’m working. Got a deadline. The new book.

DAUGHTER. I’ve travelled hundreds of miles to see you. Came because you said you were desperate to see me. You said come as soon as you can. So I drop everything. Nearly kill myself to get here because I’m ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Original Production
• Interview with Polly Teale
• Jean Rhys: A Chronology
• Note
• Characters
• After Mrs Rochester
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information