The Gift

Janice Okoh

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781848429475
• eBook ISBN: 9781788503112
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Brighton, 1862. A day in the life of Sarah, an African girl, adopted by Queen Victoria and raised in the Queen's circles. Today is the eve of her having to return to Africa, but will she go?

The Present. A day in the life of Sarah, a black middle-class woman living in a Cheshire village with her husband and small child. They are paid a visit by well-meaning neighbours who have something to confess.

The two Sarahs meet Queen Victoria for tea. This won't be your regular tea party…

An outrageous play about imperialism, cross-racial adoption, cultural appropriation – and tea – Janice Okoh's The Gift premiered at the Belgrade Theatre Coventry in January 2020, followed by a UK tour, including a run at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London. It was a co-production between Eclipse Theatre Company and the Belgrade Theatre, and directed by Dawn Walton.

ACT ONE

The Davies Household, Brighton, 1862

A small, detached Georgian house with gardens.

Inside is crammed with expensive paintings and expensive ornaments sitting in expensive dressers. There are two large armchairs and a two-seater couch. In front of the two-seater couch is a small table. It has a white tablecloth with lace trim.

On the table sits an empty curate stand, a fine bone-china tea set, a teapot, a tea caddy, a cream jug, sugar bowl, a slop bowl, a tea strainer and side plates.

SARAH BONETTA, a fragile-looking teenager, sits on the two-seater couch. She wears a conservative black dress. AGGIE, a scruffy-looking maid sits beside her. They are both of African origin, dark in complexion.

AGGIE nervously mimes rinsing the empty teapot with boiling water and pours it into the slop bowl. She then mimes pouring some water into the newly rinsed teapot. Next she mimes putting a teaspoon full of tea into a cup and adding water. She allows this to steep for a minute or two and then adds more water. This, too, is a mime.

AGGIE (attempts a posh accent). How do you have your tea, ma’am?

A beat.

How do you have your tea, Mrs Davies?

SARAH BONETTA. I have it strong, with lemon and two lumps of sugar. Thank you.

AGGIE mimes adding more tea and mouths counting up to ten as the brew steeps longer. SARAH BONETTA catches her counting. AGGIE stops and instead counts in her head, nodding the numbers. She mimes adding the sugar and lemon and then hands the cup and saucer to SARAH.

Thank you, Agatha.

AGGIE stifles her giggles.

AGGIE. Sorry, ma’am, but no one calls me Agatha ’cept me mum and she’s long since passed over. I mean, if she could see me now, sitting here, she’d have a fit. If she could, I mean.

SARAH BONETTA. Remember, Agatha, a good hostess is not distracted by anything.

AGGIE. Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am. Mrs Davis, I mean.

SARAH BONETTA. Not even if there is a pistol shot or hurricane outside the front door.

AGGIE giggles.

AGGIE. A hurricane in Brighton. As if.

SARAH BONETTA waits patiently for AGGIE to regain her composure.

Would you like a scone, Mrs Davies? Or bread and butter?

SARAH BONETTA. I’ll have some bread and butter. Thank you.

AGGIE passes SARAH BONETTA the empty curate stand. SARAH BONETTA takes a plate, and mimes taking a piece of bread and butter from the curate stand and placing it on the plate. AGGIE mimes pouring herself a cup of tea. She counts to ten with nods and then adds a lump of imaginary sugar, and imaginary cream.

They both mime drinking tea.

There is a very long silence.

As the hostess you must be the heartbeat of the conversation.

AGGIE. Yes, Mrs Davies.

SARAH BONETTA. You mustn’t ever let it go flat.

AGGIE. No, Mrs Davies.

SARAH BONETTA. Because it’s your responsibility entirely as to whether it will be a failure or a success and there will be talk of the unkind variety if the former. If there is a guest who begins to lead – which is clearly an indication of ill-breeding, and you should think hard about inviting that guest to tea again, unless they’re important and you don’t have a choice in the matter – you should allow him or her to have their way but you must regain your position as hostess at the very next opportunity.

AGGIE. Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am. Yes, Mrs Davies.

A very long silence.

SARAH BONETTA. The key to a successful tea party is to talk about what you know.

AGGIE. Yes, Mrs Davies.

A long silence as AGGIE tries to think of something. She opens her mouth and closes it again.

Another silence.

The scones are delicious, ain’t they?

SARAH BONETTA. Yes they are.

AGGIE. It’s all in the butter.

SARAH BONETTA. Really?

AGGIE. Yes. I get the butter from the market on a Wednesday. Only cost ma’am a bob for two pound cos on a Wednesday One-eyed Ned likes to do a clear-out before it turns.

A pause.

SARAH BONETTA. Or you can remark on what one of your guests is wearing.

AGGIE. Yes, ma’am.

SARAH BONETTA. And remember to smile gently. Benevolently.

AGGIE manages a smile. It’s more of a grimace.

Very good.

AGGIE takes an imaginary scone from the curate stand and goes to take an imaginary bite. SARAH BONETTA stiffens. AGGIE stops and puts the scone on a side plate. She picks up the side plate with one hand and then picks up the imaginary scone with the other and then goes to take an imaginary bite. SARAH BONETTA freezes again. AGGIE stops, breaks the imaginary scone and then pops an imaginary piece of scone into her mouth. SARAH BONETTA relaxes, gives a little smile. AGGIE finishes chewing the imaginary piece of scone. This is followed by another long silence.

JAMES DAVIES enters from upstairs and observes them with mild amusement. JAMES is African with strong African features. He is so striking and so immaculately groomed that he practically shines. He carries a pipe.

AGGIE. I like your dress it’s –

AGGIE notices JAMES and is visibly affected by his presence.

SARAH BONETTA. Carry on.

AGGIE. I like your dress, Mrs Davies.

SARAH BONETTA. Thank you.

They drink in silence. AGGIE’s cup and saucer clatter wildly.

Remember, when all else fails or when things become awkward…

AGGIE draws a blank. Then she remembers.

AGGIE. Yes, Mrs Davies. Righto.

A pause.

It’s a nice afternoon, ain’t it?

SARAH BONETTA. Yes, it’s quite pleasant. It makes a welcome change from last week. Last week was a constant drizzle.

AGGIE. Yes.

A pause.

SARAH BONETTA. Of course, a constant drizzle is quite irritating. One never quite knows what to wear because it might ease up or it might not and then one gets stuck.

AGGIE. Yes. One never does.

A pause.

I’m very fond of drizzle.

SARAH BONETTA. Really? Why’s that?

AGGIE. Well, cos of why you said you was.

SARAH BONETTA. But I’m not.

AGGIE. Not what, ma’am?

SARAH BONETTA. Fond of drizzle.

AGGIE. Who is, ma’am?

SARAH BONETTA. Very good, Aggie. That’s enough for now. Why don’t you see to the cakes?

AGGIE. Yes, ma’am.

AGGIE quickly gets u...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Contents
• Original Production
• Foreword
• Epigraph
• Characters
• The Gift
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information