PAUL: And this hurt Sophie. Correct? But Elizabeth, you didn’t mean to hurt her. That too is correct?
ELIZABETH: No. Of course— Why would I—?
PAUL (To Sophie): There. That has been addressed and dealt with.
(Beat.)
ELIZABETH (Needing to explain): I saw my brother. I wanted to hug him.
SOPHIE (Wanting help): Paul.
PAUL: My Sophie is your sister-in-law. She wanted to console you. She wanted to be consoled herself. You should have let her do that. She has feelings, too. Our father’s death—upset her as well. Is that right, Sophie?
SOPHIE: Maybe this isn’t the time to bring this up . . .
PAUL: You asked me—!
SOPHIE (Interrupting): But I’m sure your sisters want to know these things.
(Beat.)
ALICE (Quietly, showing Alfred a photo in the album): Harry bought me this bathing suit. (Looks at Alfred, then at everyone else) I hope I didn’t keep anyone awake last night. Alfred thinks it must have been either the egg rolls or the moo-shoo pork. What do you think?
PAUL (Putting his arm around Sophie): She had just a bite of the moo-shoo and—
GEMMA (Over this): Elizabeth—
ELIZABETH (Over this): The egg rolls definitely!
PAUL: If we were Americans we’d sue!
(He laughs, others laugh. Beat.)
ALFRED: None of you probably know this, but last night—Alice and I had the chance to spend some time together.
(The others look down.)
To talk.
ALICE: We’d hardly known each other before. We’d only met the—
ALFRED: One time. At Paul’s wedding.
ALICE: Paul and Sophie’s wedding.
ALFRED: Alice couldn’t make your mother’s funeral.
ALICE: I sent flowers.
ALFRED: The one time. (Looks at her) I have asked Alice to come to Albuquerque.
ALICE: To visit!
GEMMA (Over this): That’s wonderful! And maybe even stay—
ALICE: I don’t think—
ALFRED: Wait until she sees the colors!
GEMMA: Uncle Alfred’s right—it’s the colors, they’ll shock you— they’re lunar, that’s how I describe them. (Beat) Alfred says they’re vaginal.
(All except Paul and Elizabeth laugh.)
PAUL (To himself): I suppose we see what we want to see.
(Beat.)
ELIZABETH: And what will you do about the house?
GEMMA: Elizabeth, we said we’d talk—
ALICE: Close it? Sell it? (Beat) And go west! That’s what Americans are always doing, isn’t it? At least for a visit. (Beat) I assume you want me to sell it. No one wants to live here? . . .
(Beat.)
GEMMA: We’ll talk this afternoon—about the things.
ELIZABETH: Or tomorrow. (To Paul) Are you still flying back tomorrow?
PAUL: We can’t stay—
SOPHIE (Over this): Claire—
GEMMA: I’m going back tonight.
ELIZABETH: Tonight! You didn’t say—
GEMMA: Into New York. I’m seeing friends. I’m hardly ever east anymore.
PAUL (To Gemma): Tom’s on the bus this afternoon—
TOM: Alfred was going to drive me into town—
GEMMA (To Tom): I can drive you all the way in if you don’t mind waiting until—
TOM: The bus is fine. I have the ticket.
(Beat.)
ELIZABETH (To Paul): You’re still here tonight.
(Paul nods. Beat.)
PAUL: Thanksgiving’s in a month. Do we celebrate Thanks—?
ALICE: Sh-sh!
(Everyone is silent. Alice gets up and looks outside.)
I thought I heard . . .
SOPHIE (To Paul): Are they late?
(Alice, who has picked up a book, opens it. She looks up.)
ALICE: If anyone asks, don’t say anything about the college. Or if you do, say Harry loved teaching there. Don’t say the truth. (Beat. Looking at the book) I thought, this was . . . right. Do you mind? You’ll hear it twice.
(Everyone: “No!” “Of course not!” “Please.” Alice looks at the urn.)
Once, only for the family, Harry.
(She turns the urn so it “faces” her. She reads from Keats’s “Ode on Melancholy”:)
But when the melancholy fit shall fall
Sudden from heaven like a weeping cloud,
That fosters the droop-headed flowers all,
And hides the green hill in an April shroud;
Then glut thy sorrow on a morning rose,
Or on the rainbow of the salt sand-wave,
Or on the wealth of globed peonies;
Or if thy mistress some rich anger shows,
Emprison her soft hand, and let her rave,
And feed deep, deep upon her peerless eyes.
She dwells with Beauty—Beauty that must die . . .
(Pause. She closes the book.)
GEMMA: Father.
(Short pause.)
ELIZABETH: Paul? For the family? What did you plan to sing?
(Paul hesitates.)
ALFRED: Come on, Paul.
(He slowly stands.)
PAUL: I didn’t know what to choose.
GEMMA (To Tom): Have you ever heard him sing?
TOM: No, I—?
GEMMA: Come on, break our hearts. I haven’t started to cry yet. You might as well get me going.
PAUL: I haven’t sung in front of people for—
ELIZABETH: Why is it we have to apologize for everything?!!
(Beat.)
PAUL: OK. “Those of us who knew my father well”—this is my introduction—“knew my father well, will always associate this piece . . . with him. For you—Father. May you now have the peace you sought.” (Beat. Begins to sing “The British Grenadiers”:)
Some talk of Alexander,
And some of Hercules,
Of Hector and Lysander,
And such great names as these . . .
(With the first line the family bursts out laughing.)
GEMMA (Over the singing): Great choice!!
ELIZABETH (Over this): He’d love it!!
GEMMA (To Tom): Father used to sing this while he shaved! It drove us crazy!
ALICE: He still does! Did!!
PAUL (Continuing):
But of all the world’s brave heroes,
There’s none that can compare
With a tow, row, row, row, row,
Row, to the British Grenadiers!
(All except Tom try to sing along, banging the table to the march beat.)
EVERYONE:
Whene’er we are commanded
To storm the Palisades,
Our leaders march with fuses,
And we with hand grenades.
ALICE (To Tom): Don’t you know it?
TOM: A little.
GEMMA: Then sing!
EVERYONE:
We throw them from the glacis,
About the enemies’ ears,
With a tow, row, row, row, row,
Row, the—
SOPHIE (Shouting out): French!!!
EVERYONE:
British Grenadiers!!!
(The family suddenly sings in a whisper, obviously as Harry used to do it. Whispering:)
And when the siege is over,
We to the town repair,
The townsmen cry—
(The family shouts:)
Hurrah boys,
Here comes a Grenadier;
Here comes the—
ALICE: Sh-sh!!!
(They stop singing. Beat. Alice goes and looks out.)
It’s a car. The guests are arriving.
(Pause. Alice takes out a cigarette, lights it; takes one puff and puts it out. Everyone is straightening their clothes. Tom tries to straighten his.)
SOPHIE (To Tom): You look good.
ELIZABETH: Paul, you better direct traffic. Tell everyone where to park.
(He no
ds.)
GEMMA: I can take their coats.
ELIZABETH: Put them upstairs.
PAUL: I thought it was outside—
ELIZABETH: Until everyone comes.
(They are on their way out.)
ALICE: Just one thing I meant to tell you.
(They stop.)
You should know this. (Beat) When people called—I told them, it had just been an accident. That Harry was cleaning his gun.
(She heads down the hall. The others look at each other and follow; Gemma tries to straighten out Tom’s suit as they go.
The urn is left alone on the table.
Debussy’s The Girl with the Flaxen Hair begins to play.
Off, the sound of greetings, condolences, cars arriving, offers to take coats, car doors closing, directions where to park, etc.)
END OF PLAY
GOODNIGHT CHILDREN EVERYWHERE
For Zoe and Jocelyn
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Goodnight Children Everywhere was first performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, on December 4, 1997. It was directed by Ian Brown; the set design was by Tim Hatley, the costume design was by Lucy Roberts, the lighting design was by Peter Mumford, the sound design was by Martin Slavin; the composer was Richard Sisson, the music director was Michael Tubbs, the production manager was Benita Wakefield and the stage manager was Monica McCabe. The cast was as follows:
BETTY
Sara Markland
ANN
Cathryn Bradshaw
VI
Robin Weaver
MIKE
Colin McCormack
PETER
Simon Scardifield
HUGH
Malcolm Scates
ROSE
Aislinn Mangan
Goodnight Children Everywhere was subsequently performed by Playwrights Horizons (Tim Sanford, Artistic Director; Leslie Marcus, Managing Director) by special arrangement with Gregory Mosher and Arielle Tepper on May 7, 1999. It was directed by the author; the set design was by Thomas Lynch, the costume design was by Susan Hilferty, the lighting design was by James F. Ingalls, the sound design was Raymond D. Schilke; the production manager was Christopher Boll, the production stage manager was Marjorie Horne and the assistant stage manager was Richard Costabile. The cast was as follows:
BETTY
Robin Weigert
ANN
Kali Rocha
VI
Heather Goldenhersh
MIKE
Jon DeVries
PETER
Chris Stafford
HUGH
John Rothman
ROSE
Amy Whitehouse
CHARACTERS
PETER, seventeen
BETTY, twenty-one, his sister
ANN, twenty, his sister
VI, nineteen, his sister
MIKE, early fifties, married to Ann
HUGH, late forties
ROSE, nineteen, Hugh’s daughter
SETTING
The living room of a flat in Clapham, South London
TIME
Late spring, 1945
SCENE 1
A large flat, Clapham, South London. Late spring, 1945.
The living room: chairs, a sofa, two small tables, one with photographs in frames. Three doors: one to the outside hallway and stairs, one to a hall which leads to two bedrooms and the W.C., and one that leads to the kitchen and the third bedroom (Mike and Ann’s).
Ann, twenty, five months pregnant, sits on the sofa, her feet tucked under her, reading a book, or pretending to. Betty, twenty-one, fusses with the table.
After a pause:
BETTY: I remember on Peter’s eleventh birthday Father turning on the gramophone, setting up chairs in a line, telling us to keep walking, then—grab a chair when he stopped the music. We couldn’t stop playing the game. It was hysterically funny, do you remember?
(No response.)
There was one less chair, so . . . (Beat) Then it seemed like the very next day Peter was gone.
(Vi, nineteen, bursts in from one of the bedrooms.)
VI: He’s here! I just saw them out the window!
(Betty begins to fuss harder, mumbling, “Oh God, oh my God.” Vi rushes to the door, opens it, listens, closes it.)
They’re coming up the stairs!
(Vi turns back to the room. She and Betty share a look. Betty stops fussing and goes to her, takes Vi’s hand and holds it tightly in hers.
Silence. Footsteps. The door opens.
Mike, Ann’s husband, fifty-three, enters with Peter, the girls’ seventeen-year-old brother. He carries his suitcase.
Ann stands at a distance, watching.)
BETTY: Peter! Oh my God, look at him! Look at you!
(Betty and Vi rush him, hug him, they can’t take their hands off him. Mike watches with a smile.)
(Still hugging Peter with Vi; to Mike) Was the train late?
MIKE (Shakes his head, then): We missed each other. This photo you gave me . . . (Holds up snapshot)
BETTY (Pulling Peter): Come in, come in. I’ve made you something to eat.
PETER: I’m not—
BETTY: Mike has extraordinary connections. The things he finds. Look at these chocolate biscuits.
(She has pulled him to the table. Peter notices Ann.)
VI: She wouldn’t let any of us touch them.
BETTY: Take off your coat.
(Peter stares at Ann.)
PETER (Smiles): I didn’t know— (“about the pregnancy”)
ANN: One more surprise.
PETER (To Mike): Congratulations.
MIKE: I mentioned on the way here about work in the surgery. We could use another pair of—
ANN: Later, Mike. Later. He’s just got here.
(Peter tries to stop Betty fussing.)
PETER: Betty . . .
(He touches her hand, looks her in the eyes. She suddenly turns away and begins to cry. For a moment no one knows what to do. Ann goes and holds her.)
MIKE: It’s a small surgery. Just me and another doctor. You’d get to do a number of things. Check in patients. We need the help. It’s not charity.
ANN: Mike . . .
PETER: Thank you.
(Betty continues to sob on Ann’s shoulder.)
MIKE: Betty is our nurse.
PETER: I know.
VI: Sit down, please, Peter.
ANN: How was the journey?
PETER: I missed a connection in Toronto. But I caught up. I met two—“boys” my age, who I hadn’t seen since the trip over. Strange.
MIKE: You were in—
VI (Answering for him): Alberta. (Beat) That’s the left-hand side part. (Looking at Peter) You look like Father.
(She turns to Betty, who is trying to calm down, and who nods in agreement, staring at Peter.)
PETER (Still standing with suitcase): Should I put—??
BETTY (Breathing deeply, wiping away her tears): Mike and Ann, of course, have Mother and Father’s room. Vi’s moved in with me. So you have your old room back.
PETER: I didn’t need my old—
VI: Father’s library and the bathroom we had to give up.
PETER (Confused): When—? (To Betty) You never wrote—
VI (Explaining): They’re another flat now.
BETTY: What was there to write?
VI: Maybe in a while— Mike thinks—we might get them back. Put it all back together. We have the kitchen.
BETTY (Still staring): I used to bathe you. (Smiles) Please sit down. (To the others) He’s a man.
(After a beat, this makes the others laugh.)
VI: What did you expect?!
(The laughter dies down. Awkward pause—what to say after so many years.)
MIKE (Finally): I’m looking forward to hearing about Canada. It’s a place . . .
PETER: That you’d like to visit?
MIKE: Not particularly. (Smiles)
PETER (To Ann and Vi): And I�
��m interested in hearing all about Wales.
ANN: What’s to tell? (Shrugs)
PETER: And Vi, you’re acting.
BETTY (To Ann): Listen to his accent.
ANN: I know.
(Peter has an American/Canadian accent.)
BETTY (Answering Peter): Did you ever think she’d do anything else?
PETER: Mother would be pleased.
BETTY: I don’t think so.
PETER: Father?
(They react, shake heads, laugh—of course he wouldn’t be pleased.)
VI: I had an audition this morning. Do you know Autumn Fire?—
ANN (Over this): It was on at the Duchess—
BETTY (Over this): We saw it— When did we see it?
PETER: I don’t know anything! I’ve been in Canada!
(Laughter.)
BETTY: It’s very good.
VI: The part’s Peggy. She’s—
BETTY (Over this): Tell him who Peggy is.
VI: She—
ANN (Before she can explain): Just do the bit. What you did for the audition.
VI: But he just got here.
PETER: No, I don’t (“mind”)—
MIKE: Which one is Peggy?
BETTY: Sh-sh.
ANN: Show him.
(Vi walks out, then returns as “Peggy.”)
VI/PEGGY: “Hen, dear. It’s been ages.” (Pretends to kiss “Hen”) “And Howard darling. You don’t look ill at all. Or aren’t you?” (Trying to figure it out) “Or wasn’t that you? Is that brandy we’re drinking?” (Takes a sip of “Howard’s glass”) “Mmmmm. Thank you. I was nearly sober. And—who—is—that?” (Points to an imaginary man) Hen says: “Have you met my cousin, Peter?”
BETTY (Making a connection where there isn’t any, to Peter): The character’s name is Peter.
VI/PEGGY: “And where, Hen, have you been hiding such a man? Under your bed?” (Holds out her hand for the imaginary man to shake) “You—I’ll see later.” (Walks across the room, to the imaginary Hen) “A family secret, I suppose. Or is it—treasure.”
MIKE: I’m going to pour myself a drink. (To Peter) Anyone—?
BETTY: He’s only—
(Vi/Peggy sinks into a chair.)
VI/PEGGY: “There wasn’t a living thing in all of Paris. Only the French.”
BETTY (To Mike): He doesn’t want a drink.
(Peter notices the photographs on the small table, though he continues to watch Vi’s audition.
Goodnight Children Everywhere and Other Plays Page 25