Wynne Hope Place

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ISBN: 978-0-571-31817-9
Verlag: Faber & Faber
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 96 Seiten

Something's up with Maggie. She's rattling around in the house on Hope Place that she's lived in all her life. Her brothers and sisters flew the nest long ago but everyone's still got a key. Brother Jack keeps turning up with his own Liverpool folklore, invented to delight foreign tourists, but all Maggie wants is to unlock the past and free herself. Her niece's new boyfriend might just have the answer. A story of myths, memories and secrets, Michael Wynne's Hope Place was specially commissioned for the opening season of the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, and premiered there in May 2014.

Michael Wynne was born and brought up in Birkenhead. His first play, The Knocky (Meyer-Whitworth Award - Best New Playwright and Best New Writer Nomination - Writers' Guild), was produced by the Royal Court. His other credits for the Royal Court include Who Cares, The Priory (Olivier Award - Best New Comedy), The People Are Friendly, The Red Flag, Friday Night Sex (with Alecky Blythe) and I'm Not Here - The Living Newspaper. Wynne's work also includes the first new play at the rebuilt Liverpool Everyman, Hope Place, and Canvas (Minerva Theatre, Chichester), Sell Out (Best Off West End - Time Out Theatre Awards) and Dirty Wonderland (both Frantic Assembly), Tits/Teeth (Soho Theatre), The Boy Who Left Home (Actors Touring Company), We Are Here (La Mama, New York) and The Star (Liverpool Playhouse). He has also written extensively for screen, including My Summer of Love (BAFTA - Best British Film, Evening Standard Film Awards; Best Screenplay, the Michael Powell Award for Best British Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival; joint winner of the Directors' Guild Award for Best British Film), Lapland and Being Eileen for the BBC.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Wynne, Michael

Leseproben

SCENE ONE

.

Jack She did, she did.

Eric It never happened.

Jack I remember it as clear as day.

Maggie Can you imagine?

Jack She’d be there at playtime. She’d lean in against the railings, coat open, slip her tit through the bars …

Veronica () Just lobbed it out!

Eric Stop it now.

Jack You’d run up and she’d breastfeed you through the railings.

Eric She did not. I did not.

Jack No one really knew what she was up to. It was all hidden by the tweedy coat. But we knew. You were the golden child and she couldn’t bear to see you go.

Eric It’s just one of those stupid stories.

Veronica I remember. I do.

Maggie I can’t remember anything.

Jack She didn’t do it for long. She stopped when you were about thirteen.

Eric () I don’t wanna hear about it ever again.

Barb I just thought I’d come and say me goodbyes. I’ve gotta be off.

Maggie Aah, have you?

Barb Aah yeah, but I’m so glad I could make it. Wasn’t it lovely, eh?

Veronica It was.

Barb Don’t take this the wrong way but that has to be one of the best funerals I’ve been to in a long time. And I’ve been to a lot.

Jack () I can imagine.

Barb Wasn’t it, eh?

Eric We know how to do a funeral.

Barb You do. She would have loved it. The service. The priest. Wasn’t he lovely, eh? What he said. You could tell he really knew her. You know when you go to these ones and you can tell he’s never met them. He got what he’s saying off the internet.

Veronica Yeah.

Barb I will miss … (.)

Maggie Lottie.

Barb Lottie. Aah. And the hymns. You had to stick ‘I Watch the Sunrise’ in, didn’t you? Always gets me.

Veronica It was one of her favourites.

Barb But that’s what you want, don’t you? () A bit of a sob? Lovely. And the spread back here. Look at all this wonderful food.

Maggie Have you had some?

Barb Oh no, I’m fine.

Maggie There’s loads here. Now take some. It won’t all get eaten.

Barb I couldn’t, really.

Maggie It’ll only go to waste.

Barb If you insist.

It won’t be the same round here without her. She was the heart and soul of this neighbourhood. And such a lovely family. She brought you up so well. So glad I could make it.

Well. Ah, great to see you again.

Veronica Yeah, you too. See you.

Barb () Tara then. So good to see you.

Jack See you.

Barb () Go on, chuck in a couple of fairy cakes too. Terrible sweet tooth.

Ah thanks. (.) Tara then. You take care.

Eric Yeah.

Maggie () And there’s all this booze here too.

Barb Go on. I’ll take a couple of cans off you then.

Maggie There you go.

Barb () Ah thanks. See you, love.

Maggie Thanks for coming.

Who was she?

Jack Fucked if I know.

Eric You’re joking?

Veronica () I thought you knew her.

Maggie Never seen her before in me life.

Jack She didn’t even know me mother’s name. ‘I’ll miss …’ Looking round the room for a card or something with her name on. And she’s taken most of the food and drink with her.

Eric You gave it to her.

Maggie Cheeky beggar.

Jack Who the hell was she?

Veronica Professional mourner. Ambulance chaser. They just hang round the cemetery and jump in a car going back to someone’s house. She got food, drink, a warm and an afternoon out of the house. Cheeky cow.

Jack It’s just us now. Me mum and dad gone. We’ve had our lives, done all sorts of things. Had kids, some of us, marriages, divorces …

Veronica Four in your case.

Jack Deaths …

Eric Well, my wife is still alive. I wish she wasn’t.

Veronica You say what you feel.

Jack And it’s just like we’re these little kids in this house all over again.

Maggie You what?

Jack I mean, just at this moment in this room. This kitchen where we grew up, hung out. It’s like we never left.

Maggie Some of us didn’t. (.) Not for the want of trying.

Eric () I think you’ve had enough.

Jack If only Frances was here we’d have the full set.

Maggie Has anyone heard from her? I thought she might come over for her own mother’s funeral, but you know what she’s like.

Veronica I’ve stopped trying with her.

Jack () There’s only you left now, Peg. D’you know what you’re gonna...