Entertaining Angels

Richard Everett

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9781840029673
• eBook ISBN: 9781849435178
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: British Drama

"I've made four thousand six hundred medium-sized quiches and personally baked two tons of light crust pastry. And for what?'" As a clergy wife, Grace has spent a lifetime on best behaviour. Now, following the death of her husband Bardolph, she is enjoying the new-found freedom to do and say exactly as she pleases. But the return of her eccentric missionary sister Ruth, together with some disturbing revelations force Grace to confront the truth of her marriage. With sharp-edged comedy and probing wit, this new play asks whether God can be trusted to do anything right at all. 'Or is the whole thing a divine exercise in trial and error?'

Act Two

The same. Two days later.

The sound of the lawn mower somewhere nearby. The sound recedes and then approaches again, going back and forth. As it does, GRACE wanders into the garden from the house stirring a cup in a saucer. She watches the progress of the mower off. The mower suddenly idles. RUTH enters and crosses the stage with a full grass bucket. GRACE watches as RUTH exits. GRACE stirs her coffee. RUTH re-enters with an empty grass bucket. GRACE watches her as she crosses the stage again and exits towards the idling mower. The mower revs and sets off, but then dies. RUTH re-enters and looks at GRACE who now ignores her and sips her coffee.

RUTH: What do you want me to say?

GRACE doesn’t answer. She sips her coffee.

Grace?

GRACE still doesn’t respond.

You haven’t addressed a single remark to me for two days, as though you’re waiting for me to say something.

Pause.

I have a plane to catch this evening.

RUTH mops her brow and sits.

Ask me anything you want and I’ll try and give you a straight answer.

GRACE: How do you think she’ll manage this garden? Without help, I mean – she’s not the gardening sort at all. Does she seem the gardening sort to you?

RUTH stares at her. They make eye contact for the first time.

Actually there is something I want to ask you, something that’s been bothering me. Why now?

RUTH: What do you mean?

GRACE: Well. If I was in your position and had to choose a moment to tell my sister that I had a child by her husband, I don’t think I’d wait until now. Would you? Well clearly you would because you did.

RUTH: It was the first opportunity.

GRACE: To do what?

RUTH: To explain.

GRACE: Explain what?

RUTH: To make sure you understood.

GRACE: Understood what?

RUTH: That Bardy wasn’t to blame. I was a foolish girl who did a foolish thing. The initiative was entirely mine.

GRACE: Bardy could have told me that himself. Why didn’t he?

RUTH: Because… Oh, he could have tried, Grace, yes – but thank goodness he didn’t. He was far too honest for his own good and he would have turned it into a confession. He would have made out that it was somehow his fault too and I know how much that would have hurt you.

GRACE: I see. So you waited until now to make it easier.

RUTH: I suppose so, yes.

GRACE: On who?

RUTH: On you, of course.

GRACE: You do talk such utter rubbish sometimes.

RUTH: It doesn’t matter what I say, does it? You’re not going to hear it. Look, the truth is, my son has asked if he can meet his family. He has a right do that and that’s why I’ve told you now. It hasn’t been easy for him and he can’t be expected to spend the rest of his life hidden away.

GRACE: You told me now because you couldn’t live with it anymore and now that Bardy’s gone you thought you’d have a stab at getting yourself off the hook.

RUTH: I am thinking of my son.

GRACE: You’re thinking of yourself. What do you want – absolution? I forgive you. There. Better now? Does that help?

RUTH: Why do I have the feeling that you get some sort of pleasure from this?

GRACE: I beg your pardon?

RUTH: Ever since we were children you’ve done this.

GRACE: Done what?

RUTH: I’ve been the wicked older sister and you’ve played the injured party. I’d put a foot wrong and you’d run to Mummy and Daddy with some frightful story.

GRACE: Such as?

RUTH: Oh I don’t know.

GRACE: Come on, such as?

RUTH: The bubble gum incident.

GRACE: What!?

RUTH: We were never allowed bubble gum, remember? It was all the rage after school but we weren’t allowed it because Mummy thought it was common.

GRACE: Bubble gum?!

RUTH: Yes bubble gum. She said it was for children on the council estate who couldn’t afford chocolates so they had bubble gum because it lasted longer. One day I bought some and took you into the woods to teach you how to blow bubbles. You were delighted until one exploded all over your face. You ran back to the house covered in pink rubber and I had my pocket money stopped for a month.

GR...

Table of contents

• Frontcover
• Half-title Page
• Dedication
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Characters
• Act One
• Act Two