FLORIAN ZELLER
The Lie
translated by
CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON
Contents
Title Page
Premiere Productions
Characters
The Lie
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven: Epilogue
About the Author
By the Same Author from Faber
Copyright
The Lie, in this translation by Christopher Hampton, was first produced at the Menier Chocolate Factory on 14 September 2017. The cast was as follows:
Alice Samantha Bond
Paul Alexander Hanson
Michel Tony Gardner
Laurence Alexandra Gilbreath
Direction Lindsay Posner
Set Design Anna Fleischle
Costume Design Loren Elstein
Lighting Design Howard Harrison
Sound Design Gregory Clarke
Original Music Isobel Waller-Bridge
Le Mensonge in its original French production opened at the Théâtre Édouard-VII, Paris, on 23 September 2015, directed by Bernard Murat with Pierre Arditi and Evelyne Bouix.
Characters
Paul
Alice
Michel
Laurence
THE LIE
A living room.
In the centre, a door leading to the kitchen.
Three other doors are required: leading to the bedroom, the dining room and the entrance hall.
The set should be as simple as possible.
The blackouts between scenes should be as brief as possible.
One
Alice is sitting on the sofa. She’s deep in thought. Perhaps even anxious. She has a glass of wine in her hand. Suddenly, Paul comes in.
Paul Ah, there you are. Are you ready? I expect they’ll be here quite soon …
He notices that Alice is holding a glass of wine.
But … what are you doing?
Alice Me?
Paul Yes. You’ve already poured yourself a drink.
Alice (elsewhere) Was I not supposed to?
Paul Perhaps we should have waited for them, don’t you think?
Alice The bottle was open.
Paul So it can breathe. It’s a wine that needs to breathe before it can take on its full character. Anyway … doesn’t matter. What do you think of it?
Alice Mm?
Paul I’ve been looking everywhere for your mother’s decanter, you know, the one she offered us. The one that went with the family dinner service …
Brief pause.
Are you listening to me?
Alice Yes.
Paul You don’t know where it is?
Alice Haven’t a clue.
She drinks another mouthful. Paul is waiting for a reaction.
Paul Well?
Alice Well, what?
Paul Do you like it? The wine, I mean … Do you like it?
Alice Don’t know.
Paul (worried) You don’t like it?
She’s not paying very much attention.
Alice Mm? Yes. It’s fine.
Paul Fine …
Alice Yes. Isn’t it?
Paul It’s a good wine, you know.
Alice Is it?
Paul Yes. In fact, it’s a really good wine.
Alice You mean it was really expensive?
Paul Let’s just say it’s a deliciously expensive wine. I’ve opened two bottles, but I would have preferred to decant them. That’s why … You don’t remember your mother offering us that decanter?
Alice No.
Paul Yes, you do, the decanter that went with that dinner service she gave you a couple of years ago.
Alice (animatedly) I just told you I don’t remember. Why do you keep badgering me about this decanter?
She gets up and moves away. Brief pause.
Paul Why are you behaving like this?
Brief pause.
What is it, darling?
Brief pause.
All I was saying is it’s not a house wine. It needs decanting before you serve it. That’s all. I don’t understand why you’re getting so annoyed.
Alice I’m not getting annoyed. It’s just …
Paul What?
Alice Actually, I need to talk to you.
Paul Oh?
Alice Yes.
Paul What’s going on?
Pause.
Alice? Is there a problem?
Alice Yes.
Pause.
Paul What’s the matter, darling?
Alice I’m not sure about dinner this evening …
Paul Not sure?
Alice No.
Paul Not sure about what?
Alice (turning to him) Do you think it’s too late to cancel?
Paul Cancel? You mean … dinner?
Alice Yes.
Paul Why?
Alice I don’t know. I don’t feel like it.
Paul But, darling, what’s the matter with you?
Alice Nothing.
Paul I mean, do you realise what you’re saying? They’re arriving in … I don’t know … Less than half an hour …
Alice Exactly. So there’s time to cancel.
Paul But you can’t do that. At the last minute. It’s not done.
Alice Michel’s your friend, isn’t he? He’ll understand.
Paul But why do you want to cancel it? What I mean is, I mean … Is something wrong?
Alice No, it’s just … I don’t know. I’ve gone off the idea of dinner for four like that. Two couples. I’ve gone off it.
Paul What are you talking about? A couple of days ago, you were saying the exact opposite … You were complaining to me that we never had anyone for dinner.
Alice I said that?
Paul Yes. That’s why … I thought if we invited them this evening, it’d be nice for you.
Alice I know, I know. But I have this meeting tomorrow morning … I have to do this presentation in front of the whole commission. And it’s … Well, you know, it’s important. I’ve been working on this project for weeks and weeks. And I still haven’t quite got my head around it … Do you understand?
Paul But why are you only telling me now? I mean: at the last minute.
Alice I thought it was a good idea. That it might shake up my ideas a bit. But in the end I was mistaken. I should have opted for peace and quiet before tomorrow’s meeting.
Paul You might have told me sooner, darling.
Alice I know. I’m sorry.
Paul (worried) This is really stupid. I’ve opened both bottles.
Alice We’ll have dinner together.
Paul All right.
Alice Really? You only have to tell them I’m not feeling well. Or something along those lines.
Paul Very good. If that’s what you want …
He moves reluctantly towards the telephone.
But tell me, just one thing …
Alice What?
Paul If you want to cancel, it’s not a problem, I’ll call them. But I’d just like to know … Is that the real reason? I mean … Is this meeting the reason you want to cancel?
Pause.
Tell me the truth.
Pause. She doesn’t answer. She looks embarrassed.
That’s what I thought. It’s nothing to do with your meeting, is it?
Alice No.
Paul Then explain it to me. Has something happened?
Pause.
Paul Alice? Has something …?
Alice (interrupting him) Yes.
Paul What?
Pause.
What happened?
Alice Nothing.
Paul Alice, this is starting to ge
t tiring. Talk to me. You just told me something had happened. What were you referring to? And don’t say ‘nothing’ …
Alice It’s Michel.
Paul Sorry?
Alice I was referring to Michel.
Paul Oh?
Pause.
Something’s happened with Michel?
Alice Stop it, why are you pressuring me like this? You can see I don’t want to talk about it.
Paul (impatiently) What happened?
Alice I’m not sure I ought to tell you.
Paul (restraining himself) Alice, I’m about an inch away from losing it. Let me ask you one last time and I’m asking you very calmly … What happened?
Alice I’m embarrassed to tell you. Michel is one of your best friends and …
Paul All the more reason! Now, what is this all about?
Brief pause.
If you don’t explain it to me, I’m not going to call them.
This argument finally seems decisive.
Alice I went shopping just now, down by the Galeries Lafayette and … Well, actually, not really by the Galeries Lafayette, but, you know, in behind the rue des Mathurins, if you’re heading down the boulevard … You know, not the rue Tronchet side, the other side, yes, left of the church …
Paul (impatiently) Yes, all right, fine, you were going shopping … And …?
Alice I was in a taxi and I passed him.
Paul Who?
Alice Michel.
Paul You passed Michel in the street?
Alice Yes. He was coming out of a shop on the rue des Mathurins, I passed right by him in the taxi.
Paul And that’s why you want to cancel dinner?
Alice No. It’s because, as I passed by him, he was kissing a woman. And I mean: not Laurence. Another woman.
Paul Are you joking?
Alice No.
Paul This afternoon, you saw Michel kissing another woman in the street? Is that what you’re telling me?
Alice Yes.
Paul (incredulous, almost amused) Really, Alice … Think about it … Michel? It’s not possible. Really, Alice … Michel? Let me remind you, Michel is my best friend!
Alice So?
Paul Mm? But he worships his wife. He’s … He … In the street? Michel? No … I’m sure you’ve made a mistake. You’ve probably mixed him up with someone else …
Alice I’m telling you it was him. I absolutely recognised him.
Paul But Alice … Michel?
Alice I know.
Paul (as if it was really improbable) Michel?
Alice Yes.
Paul (as if to himself) Michel?
Pause. He pours himself a glass of wine.
Alice Aren’t you going to say anything?
Paul What do you want me to say? I’m thunderstuck.
Alice You’re what?
Paul Thunderstuck.
Alice The word is thunderstruck, Paul.
Paul Mm?
Alice Nothing. Doesn’t matter.
Pause. Paul looks devastated.
Paul (realising the dinner is possibly compromised) And to think I opened both bottles …
Alice Has he not spoken to you about it?
Paul What?
Alice What do you think? About this girl … You didn’t know he was … I mean … Did you know?
Paul Mm?
Alice Did you know?
Paul (defensively) Me?
Alice (definite) You did know.
Paul No, I didn’t. Of course I didn’t. I mean, just imagine … Michel! I’m almost as close to Laurence as I am to him. How could I have known? No, I’m flabbergasted. Literally flabbergasted.
Alice Me too. So that’s why … the idea of having dinner with them this evening makes me really uncomfortable …
Paul I can see that. On the other hand, it’s none of our business. I mean: it’s their life. Not ours.
Alice Maybe. But I don’t want to lie to Laurence.
Paul All it takes is not to say anything. Not talk about it. Maybe we don’t have to cancel dinner.
Alice Really, Paul … It’s impossible. I’m her friend.
Paul Exactly.
Alice What do you want? You want me to behave as if nothing’s happened?
Paul Obviously.
Alice It’s impossible.
Paul What? What’s impossible? You’re not planning to tell Laurence?
Pause.
You’re not planning to tell her?
Alice I don’t know.
Paul But you can’t. You don’t have the right.
Brief pause.
Alice …
Alice What?
Paul You’re planning to tell Laurence you saw Michel with another woman?
No answer.
Why would you do a thing like that?
Alice Because she’s my friend.
Paul (trying to put things into perspective) Your friend, your friend …
Alice Yes, I’m sorry. She’s my friend.
Paul Before anything else, she’s Michel’s wife. Michel! And first of all, he’s my friend.
Alice And she’s my friend.
Paul Yes, but you originally met her because she was Michel’s wife. Am I wrong? So, from a purely chronological point of view, she was my friend’s wife before she was your friend.
Alice So? What difference does that make?
Paul Mm? It does make a difference.
Alice It makes no difference whatsoever. She’s one of my friends. I’m close to her and I don’t want to lie to her.
Paul But, Alice, it’s precisely because she’s your friend that you mustn’t tell her. It seems completely obvious to me. I don’t even understand how you can be considering it.
Alice Then we must not have the same idea of friendship.
Paul But think about it! What good would it do her to find out her husband was cheating on her? You’ll just make her suffer for no good reason. That’s all. You don’t want to make her suffer, do you?
Alice (as if stating the obvious) No.
Paul Then don’t say anything to her. Trust me.
Pause.
Anyway, frankly, I don’t see it’s any of her business.
Alice You don’t see it’s any of her business?
Paul No.
Alice I’m serious, Paul.
Paul Yes, I can see that, that’s what’s worrying me.
Pause.
Alice So it’s not a problem for you?
Paul What?
Alice Now you know, now I’ve told you I saw him with another woman only a few hours ago, it’s not a problem for you to have him for dinner with Laurence and act as if nothing had happened?
Paul No. I’m very sorry, but no. Michel’s my friend. All right. But in my view this is about his life. He does whatever he likes. I’m not saying I approve of his attitude. I’m simply saying I prefer not to meddle in other people’s concerns. That’s all.
Alice You don’t approve of his attitude, but you’re not judging it very harshly.
Paul Well, Alice … Frankly … What are we talking about here? I mean, he hasn’t committed a crime. Has he? Has he committed a crime?
Alice No.
Paul Well?
Brief pause.
From what you tell me, he’s simply … simply kissed another woman. It’s really not …
The rest of the sentence goes missing.
Alice It’s really not … what?
Paul Well, I mean … They’ve been together for years. They love each other. That, I’m certain of. They worship each other. All the rest is details.
Alice Is that what you think?
Paul Yes, it is …
Alice Perhaps you’re right.
Paul Of course I am. We’re not going to make a song and dance, just because, supposedly, he’s kissed another woman … What’s more, in the street … In front of a shop.
Alice No. You’re right. It happens all the time.
Paul Yes.
Alice To everyo
ne.
Paul (trying to play it down) Yes, of course.
Brief pause.
Well, not to everyone. No. Obviously. But I mean: there we are, as we know, these things can happen. They exist. It’s not as if this evening we’re discovering for the first time that people’s emotional life is sometimes …
Alice Sometimes what …?
Paul Chaotic. I don’t know. Contradictory. Complicated. Everyone does the best he can. Don’t you think?
Alice Yes. Maybe.
Paul Especially as …
Alice Especially as what?
Paul Nothing.
Alice Go on, say it …
Paul How can I put it? If this girl had the slightest importance to him, he’d have talked to me about her. Believe me. I’m his friend. And I didn’t even know about it. So there you are.
Pause.
Come on, love … I completely understand it’s not very comfortable for you, but let’s try to be philosophical about it, shall we?
Alice Listen … I’m sorry. I’d really prefer to cancel …
Paul Fine.
Alice I’m too angry with him. I know myself, I wouldn’t be able to pretend and I just don’t want to put myself in that situation.
Paul All right. Just as you like.
He picks up the telephone and dials Michel’s number.
I think it’s a pity, but all right …
Alice It’ll make things infinitely easier for everyone, believe me.
Paul It’s your decision.
Suddenly, the bell rings. He freezes.
Alice Shit. Are they here already?
Paul I told you. They’re on time.
Alice What are we going to do?
Paul Mm? What do you think we’re going to do? We have no choice. We’re going to open the door. But Alice …
Alice What?
Paul I’m trusting you. Mm? This is important. You mustn’t say anything to Laurence … Promise me? Darling? My love? My sweetheart? Promise me?
The Lie Page 1