Hare Plenty

Main
ISBN: 978-0-571-30105-8
Verlag: Faber & Faber
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 112 Seiten

This play ran at the National Theatre, London, throughout 1978 and the New York production in the autumn of 1982 was equally well received. In counterpointing the experiences of an Englishwoman helping the French Resistance during the war with her life in the following twenty years, the author offers a unique view of postwar history, as well as making a powerful statement about changing values and the collapse of ideals embodied in a single life. Plenty is also a major film produced by Edward R. Pressman and Joseph Papp with Mark Seiler as Executive Producer, and directed by Fred Schepisi from a screenplay by David Hare. The cast, headed by double Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, includes Charles Dance, Tracy Ullman, John Gielgud, Sting, Ian McKellen and Sam Neill.

David Hare has written over thirty stage plays and thirty screenplays for film and television. The plays include Plenty, Pravda (with Howard Brenton), The Secret Rapture, Racing Demon, Skylight, Amy's View, The Blue Room, Via Dolorosa, Stuff Happens, The Absence of War, The Judas Kiss, The Red Barn, The Moderate Soprano, I'm Not Running and Beat the Devil. For cinema, he has written The Hours, The Reader, Damage, Denial, Wetherby and The White Crow among others, while his television films include Licking Hitler, the Worricker Trilogy, Collateral and Roadkill. In a millennial poll of the greatest plays of the twentieth century, five of the top hundred were his.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hare, David

Leseproben

SCENE TWO

St Benoît. November 1943.

Darkness. From the dark the sound of the wireless. From offstage a beam of light flashes irregularly, cutting up through the night. Then back to dark.

Announcer Ici Londres. Les voix de la liberté. Ensuite quelques messages personnels. Mon Oncle Albert a Perdu son Chien. Mon–Oncle–Albert–A–Perdu–Son–Chien.

A heavy thump in the darkness. Then the sound of someone running towards the noise. A small amount of light shows us the scene. Lazar is trying to disentangle himself from his parachute. He has landed at the edge of the wood. At the back Susan runs on from a great distance, wrapped in a greatcoat against the cold. She has a scarf round her face so that only her eyes can be seen. She is extremely nervous and vulnerable, and her uncertainty makes her rude and abrupt.

Susan Eh, qu’est-ce que vous faites ici?

Lazar Ah rien. Laisse-moi un moment, je peux tout expliquer.

Susan takes a revolver from her pocket and moves towards him. She stoops down, feels the edge of Lazar’s parachute.

Susan Donnez-moi votre sac.

Lazar throws across the satchel which has been tied to his waist. Susan looks through it, then puts the gun back in her pocket.

And your French is not good.

Susan moves quickly away to listen for sounds in the night. Lazar watches then speaks quietly to her back. Lazar is a codename; he is, of course, English.

Lazar Where am I?

Susan Please be quiet. I can’t hear when you speak. (Pause.) There’s a road. Through the wood. Gestapo patrol.

Lazar I see.

Susan I thought I heard something.

Lazar Are you waiting for supplies?

Susan On the hour. There’s meant to be a drop. I thought it was early, that’s why I flashed.

Lazar I’m sorry. We had to take advantage of your light. We were losing fuel. I’m afraid I’m meant to be eighty miles on. Can you … could you tell me where I am?

Susan You’ve landed near a village called St Benoît. It’s close to a town called Poitiers, all right?

Lazar Yes. I think. I have heard of it, you know.

Pause. She half turns but still does not look at him.

Susan Hadn’t you better take that thing off?

Lazar We are in the same racket, I suppose?

Susan Well, we’re pretty well dished if we aren’t. Did you spot any movement as you came down?

Lazar None at all. We just picked out your light.

Susan If you didn’t see anything I’d like to hold on. We need the drop badly – explosives and guns.

Lazar Have you come out on your own? (A pause. He has taken off his jump-suit. Underneath he is dressed as a French peasant. Now he puts a beret on.) You’d better tell me, how does this look?

Susan I’d rather not look at you. It’s an element of risk which we really don’t need to take. In my experience it is best, it really is best if you always obey the rules.

Lazar But you’d like me to hold on and help you, I think? (Pause.) Listen, I’m happy I might be of some use. My own undertaking is somewhat up the spout. Whatever happens I’m several days late. If I could hold on and be of any help … I’m sure I’d never have to look you in the face.

Susan All right, if you could just …

Lazar Look the opposite … yes. I will. I’m delighted. (He does so.) All right?

Susan If you could hold on, I’m sure I could find you a bike.

Lazar Would you like a cigarette?

Susan Thank you very much. (Pause.) Cafés are bad meeting places, much less safe than they seem. Don’t go near Bourges, it’s very bad for us. Don’t carry anything in toothpaste tubes, it’s become the first place they look. Don’t laugh too much. An Englishman’s laugh, it just doesn’t sound the same. Are they still teaching you to broadcast from the lavatory?

Lazar Yes.

Susan Well don’t. And don’t hide your receiver in the cistern, the whole dodge is badly out of date. The Gestapo have been crashing into lavatories for a full two months. Never take the valley road beyond Poitiers, I’ll show you a side road. (Pause.) And that’s it really. The rest you know, or will learn.

Lazar How long have you been here?

Susan Perhaps a year. Off and on. How’s everyone at home?

Lazar They’re fine.

Susan The boss?

Lazar Fine. Gave me some cufflinks at the aerodrome. Told me my chances.

Susan Fifty-fifty?

Lazar Yes.

Susan He’s getting out of touch.

Pause.

Lazar How has it been?

Susan Well … the Germans are still here.

Lazar You mean we’re failing?

Susan Not at all. It’s part of our brief. Keep them here, keep them occupied. Blow up their bridges, devastate the roads, so they have to waste their manpower chasing after us. Divert them from the front. Well, that’s what we’ve done.

Lazar I see.

Susan But it’s the worst thing about the job, the more successful you are, the longer it goes on.

Lazar Until we win.

Susan Oh yes. (Pause.) A friend … a friend who was here used to say, never kill a German, always shoot him in the leg. That way he goes to hospital where he has to be looked after, where he’ll use up enemy resources. But a dead soldier is forgotten and replaced.

Pause.

Lazar Do you have dark hair?

Susan What?

Lazar One strand across your face. Very young. Sitting one day next to the mahogany door. At the recruitment place. And above your shoulder at the other side, Whitaker’s Almanack.

Susan turns.

Susan You know who I am.

The sound of an aeroplane. Susan moves back and begins to flash her torch up into the night. Lazar crosses.

Lazar That’s it over there.

Susan Wait.

Lazar Isn’t that it?

Susan Don’t move across. Just wait.

Lazar That’s the drop.

The light stops. And the sound of the plane dies. Susan moves back silently and stands behind Lazar looking out into the field.

Susan It’s all right, leave it. It’s safer to wait a moment or two.

Lazar Oh my God.

Susan What?

Lazar Out across the field. Look …

Susan Get down.

They both lie...