The Children (NHB Modern Plays)

Lucy Kirkwood

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2016
• ISBN:
  9781780018416
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

'Retired people are like nuclear power stations. They like to live by the sea.'

Two ageing nuclear scientists in an isolated cottage on the coast, as the world around them crumbles. Then an old friend arrives with a frightening request.

Lucy Kirkwood's play The Children premiered at the Royal Court, London, in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs on 17 November 2016, in a production directed by James Macdonald.

The light moves slowly from dark to light.
The effect of a painting being cleaned.
Revealed is:

A small cottage on the east coast.
A summer’s evening.
The sound of the sea through the open door.
It is not usually lived in full time.
Camp has been made here by someone with a domestic hand.
Wild flowers in milk bottles.
Candles in wine bottles.
Tupperware fruit bowl.
The room is at a slight tilt.
The land beneath it is being eroded.
But this should not be obvious to the naked eye, and only becomes apparent when, for example, something spherical is placed on the kitchen table.

And ROSE.
Her nose is bleeding.
Blood has spilled down her top.
She looks around the room and does nothing to tend to her nose.
She looks for a long time at a basket of washing on the floor.
Finally she raises her voice.

ROSE. How are the children?

HAZEL (off).What? Oh, the – they’re fine, they’re – just keep holding it Rose! At the bridge. Are you doing it?

ROSE. Yes.

HAZEL enters with a towel.

HAZEL. And put your head down!

ROSE puts her head down.

Here.

HAZEL clamps the towel over ROSE’s nose. ROSE holds it there.

I’m so sorry, Rose, it isn’t broken is it? It’s not swollen anyway.

ROSE. It’s fine.

HAZEL. No I’m mortified. I don’t know what – can I, sorry, let me just, I won’t hurt you.

HAZEL lifts ROSE’s chin.
She gently wipes the blood from her nose and chin.
ROSE watches her.

Look at your lovely top. Would you like me to put it in to soak?

ROSE. No, / that’s

HAZEL. Please let me, you can borrow / something

ROSE. No, I don’t care, I hate it. It doesn’t suit me any more. Honestly, I’ll throw it away.

HAZEL. Oh you can’t! Because of this? But I can get that out, no problem, I have a special, it’s a stick, for oil-based products.

ROSE. Oil-based?

HAZEL. You know, blood, butter. All dairy really. Suncream. Semen.

ROSE. That’s a big problem you have is it?

HAZEL. Well, when the boys were younger.

ROSE. You have boys?

HAZEL. Very young / I mean, not

ROSE. How many do you have?

HAZEL. What?

ROSE. How many / children?

HAZEL. Please let me wash it. It wouldn’t take me ten minutes.

ROSE. It’s fine, it doesn’t

HAZEL. No but, I feel terrible, I don’t know why I got so frightened, just / I thought I was alone

ROSE. I should have knocked.

HAZEL. I wasn’t expecting anyone, we’re so isolated here / so I just

ROSE. I did call out. The door was on the latch.

HAZEL. It isn’t your fault. I’ve been on pins all day. And normally you hear the tyres, on the gravel so

ROSE. The taxi dropped me at the top / of the drive.

HAZEL. It isn’t your fault it was just feeling you come up behind me, I sort of, I panicked.

ROSE. Fight or flight.

HAZEL. And also, (yes I spose) no but and also Rose, when I saw you standing there, Rose don’t take this the wrong / way but

ROSE. It’s fine, Hazel.

HAZEL. But we heard you’d died!

ROSE. Ah.

HAZEL. Yes so it was a bit of a shock.

,

Lovely you’re not of course.

They laugh. HAZEL takes off the apron she is wearing, shuts the door.

Sorry, let’s – start again! So good to see you. Is it stopping?

ROSE takes the towel away from her face.

ROSE. Yes, I think so.

HAZEL. Good, that’s good. Sorry, what were you saying?

ROSE. Oh. How many children do you have?

HAZEL. Right yes, after Lauren you mean?

ROSE. Yes.

HAZEL. Th...