Zeller The Truth

Main
ISBN: 978-0-571-32745-4
Verlag: Faber & Faber
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 96 Seiten

Two couples. Friendship, suspicion, deceit. And the truth. Florian Zeller's The Truth, in the English translation by Christopher Hampton, premiered at The Chocolate Factory, London, in association with Theatre Royal Bath. It follows the phenomenal success of The Father (Theatre Royal Bath, Tricycle, London and West End) and The Mother (Theatre Royal Bath, Tricycle, London), both by Florian Zeller and translated by Christopher Hampton.

Florian Zeller is a French novelist and playwright. He won the prestigious Prix Interallié in 2004 for his third novel, Fascination of Evil. His plays include L'Autre, Le Manège, Si tu mourais, nominated for a Globe de Cristal, Elle t'attend and La Vérité. La Mère (The Mother, Molière Award for Best Play in 2011) and Le Père (The Father, Molière Award for Best Play in 2014, starring Robert Hirsch and Isabelle Gelinas (Molière Awards for Best Actor and Actress, Prix du Brigadier in 2015). Une Heure de tranquillité (A Bit of Peace and Quiet), opened with Fabrice Luchini, and has since been adapted for the screen, directed by Patrice Leconte. Le Mensonge (The Lie) was staged in 2015 starring Pierre Arditi and Evelyne Bouix and L'Envers du décor opened in January 2016 at the Théâtre de Paris starring Daniel Auteuil.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Zeller, Florian

Weitere Mitwirkende

Hampton, Christopher

Leseproben

ONE
THE RENDEZVOUS
Michel and Alice. A room. They’ve just made love.Longish pause. Then he starts looking for his things and it’s clear he’s getting ready to leave. Alice I adore making love to you. Michel is elsewhere. Michel You do? Alice Yes, I adore it. But you know what I love best? Michel What? Alice You know what I love best? Michel No. You haven’t seen my socks, have you? They’ve vanished. Alice It’s when you cuddle up against me for a nice long time … After making love … You hardly ever do it. You’re always getting ready to leave. Michel Me? Alice Yes. You. You’re always in a hurry. Michel What makes you say that? Alice Now, for example, you have to go … It’s as if Michel has been caught in flagrante. Michel What? Alice Am I wrong? Michel I’m late, Alice. Pause. I’m sorry. It’s an important meeting … Alice I know. Michel kisses her. Then he gets out of bed to get dressed. She takes a cigarette, but doesn’t light it. Pause. Michel is searching for a soothing phrase. Michel And your husband, everything all right? Alice What? Michel How is he? Alice How’s who? Michel You know, Paul. Alice Oh … all right. That’s to say, as you well know … he’s still looking for work. Michel Poor old sod. Alice Yes, but you’ve seen him recently, haven’t you? Michel What? Oh, yes. We played tennis last week. Alice Yes, that’s what he said. Michel But I haven’t seen him since. I’ve tried to call him several times. Yesterday, day before. But he didn’t answer. I was worried. Alice Why did you want to speak to him? Michel To ask him how he was. You know, I still can’t get over the way the bastards threw him out. Those people have no decency, really. No, it’s true: they take you, they use you up and throw you away … It’s disgusting. Don’t you think? Alice Erm … Michel People don’t go in for ethics any more. Ethics are a thing of the past. Makes me sick! Short pause. But he told me about an opening for some … Alice Yes, that’s right. A Swedish firm. He saw them again yesterday. Michel And? Alice The interview went well. They’re going to let him know soon. Michel Good … I thought he seemed rather gloomy the other day. Don’t you think? I just hope he finds something soon … Alice Do you mind changing the subject? Michel Why? Alice It makes me feel uncomfortable … Michel I don’t see why. Alice Because we talk about him all the time. Michel (trying to put things in perspective) All the time, all the time … Alice Well, we do, Michel … we hardly talk about anything else. Michel It’s understandable, isn’t it? He’s one of my best friends … He’s just lost his job. I’m entitled to worry about him, don’t you think? Alice Yes, but it makes me feel guilty … Michel (on his high horse) Oh, no, Alice. Not that … Not between us. Alice (startled) Not what? Michel Anything you like, but not guilt. I hate that feeling. Alice You hate all feelings. Michel (amused) Me? I hate all feelings? Me? Alice Yes. Michel I hate all feelings? Alice Yes. Michel Is that a criticism? Alice It’s an observation. Michel An observation? Alice An objective observation. Michel (forced laugh) I ‘hate all feelings’ is an objective observation? Alice Entirely. Michel You think I’m heartless, is that it? Pause. No reply. She thinks I’m heartless … let me remind you I’ve been diagnosed with tachycardia. Alice So? Michel So? Proves I have a heart. Alice Proves nothing of the sort. Michel I’m sorry, it proves I have a heart. It even proves that it’s beating. Beating too fast, as it turns out. Alice I meant something different, as you very well know. Michel No, I don’t know. What are you trying to tell me? Alice How long have we been seeing each other? Michel Us? Alice Yes. How long? Michel Mm? Six months … Something like that. He looks at her. No reaction. Has he got the dates wrong? (Hesitantly.) Seven months … Between four and eight months. More or less. Alice And you’ve never felt guilty? Michel About what? Alice Your wife. For example. Michel Mm? Yes. A bit. Alice Not noticeably. Michel It’s just I find guilt so useless. Alice Lucky man. He checks his watch. Michel You haven’t seen my sock? Alice No. Michel The right one … She lights her cigarette, which she’s been playing with all this time. She’s thinking. He notices. Something wrong? Alice It’s all right. It’s just … Michel Just what? Alice No, nothing. Pause. Actually, this isn’t working for me. Michel What isn’t? Alice It isn’t working for me at all. Seeing each other like this. Between two meetings. You realise we’ve never spent a single night together? In six months … Michel I know. Alice Don’t you feel the lack? Michel What? Alice Don’t you feel the lack? Michel Of course … but we have no choice, Alice. Alice I don’t see why not. Michel You don’t see why not? Alice...