PHC lines

mrs betterton: never saw him? she said she was to have a line. that is what she said. didn’t she?

i took it with a pinch of salt.

mrs betterton: i am thunderstruck. mr betterton!

he will not be gratified.

mrs betterton: i have gone over his head by misadventure. lord! lord!

and with royalty in.

mrs betterton: i’m afraid you will not do.

imposter!

mrs marshall: give us a rip. i get taken against my will in the second half.

anything to oblige.

mrs marshall: ta. *noises are heard from outside.

that’s what they’re like, animals. they get a sniff of it and they go wild.

-

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mrs farley: a man in glitter?

the king.

mrs farley: he couldn’t have been cheering. how’s my face?

it’s the same one you went on with

mrs farley: is it smudged?

my eyes are bad. i can’t do detail.

mrs betterton: this is real!

sniffing certainly

mrs betterton: it must be washed off.

what did i say? at you and at you like a wolf.

how now, sir. you’re in my path!

nay, you are in mine, sire!

i take exception to that.

and i too. will you not step from my course?

i’m buggered if i will.

then i take you for an intolerable, plaguey rogue.

and i take you for a right ambling harry.

will you draw sir?

prepare to gasp your last.

say farewell to the sun. (aside) mind, he has a fine pair of legs for one so foul-lipped.

are you willing to submit to a superior striker, sirrah?

sure it is you, sir feeble, who must crumble!

…who must crumble!

odd! i could swear there is something almost womanly in the deftness, grace and expert sword wielding of this stranger.

hats fall off

i declare! friend!

both disguised

accounting for such noble limbs and lustrous eyes

…lustrous eyes

lets us waste no time in further strife and without delay make amends it is far more profitable to be friends for us women in a land of men so let us share our victory enjoying our mutual company

*turn to audience

and while we’re at it, playing for your pleasure we’ll ask shares in your payments for good measure the price of our glorious forms you see is shares in this very company.

…thomas, you are the one that’s partial to cheese.

what’s he say?

doll? do you ever hear things? voices?

what sort of voices?

ethereal voices. they have told me “the waiting will not be for much longer.”

what waiting?

my laces, doll. youve got to do my laces. im late.

patience is a virtue.

pull em tight, doll

i am pulling them

that aint tight enough

me poor old fingers are giving out.

you do it and i’ll give you threepence

fourpence. (done) mind. im not saying i can work miracles exit

i can sing, can’t i?

you’re showing

i’ll tie my lace tighter.

you and whose army?

there’s no choice in the matter

you’ve been lucky hanging on this long.

you know.

you don’t want to do that.

you’ve got to. please.

i knew a woman who rotted inside, after.

no. you put it in your mouth and bite on it.

you need something sharp. long and sharp.

it’s very pretty, but not to my particular taste.

i’d only use it as a snot rag.

-

this is our seventh. ive been counting.

seventh?

widow.

you’ve no business counting. did you have permission to count?

no. maam.

no. in any case its six. six widows.

seven, if you count the feeble brained spinster.

well, i am not counting her. she is an altogether different question.

when are we doing the queen again? the scottish one.

soon,soon. rest assured.

i like her. shes horrible.

if i asked you a question, would you give an honest answer?

cross my heart and spit on a corpse.

am i old?

no. not compared to me.

why did she go mad doll?

she killed a couple of geezers. it done her head in.

could be. genevieve enters

what are you doing here? its sunday.

i need that.

its a company asset

give it to me. fights

dont get viscous. what you doing?

nothing.

looks like nothing.

i didnt think thered be anyone here,

me and mrs betterton have been practicing. shes taking a knife to theatrical property

thespian habiliments. what?

in your costume.

i cant go in rags

shall i get it off her? ive got three long nails.

they come to see us — us?

dont take no notice of her.

they see me. of course they do.

dont listen to her. what does she know?

his mouth is open. like a cry.

im not touching it. it has hair. melted on the top.

he will be in pain.

he will be in bleedin agony.

you need a keeper

you wont get another one.

someone else will. wont they?

course.

what do you think, doll? the king.

lifes like a storm. thats what i think. dont get in its way. thats what i think. it dont matter what anyone does we all end up dead meat, dont we?

we sneaked in round the back

well?

well,what?

aint you noticed.

noticed?

im on me own.

oh,yeah

i have my own room. to myself.

innit lonely?

no. its private.

what do you want to be private for?

sometimes i receive guests.

guests! more like earls from the looks of them. got shares here.

not here. still, i come a long way, aint i? picks up parts look

what is it

its a play

im sick of plays

it has a part for me. especially written for me.

whats someone want to write a part for you for?

because i am a shining light upon our stage.

and im the queen of shebas uncle.

that is what she said when she put the part into my hands,

who?

mrs behn. she is the author.

is it performable?

dont be old fashioned.

youve done quite well for yourself.

yes, i have.

quite well indeed…a little hand in it.

you did. you did.

now you are opening your mouth with competence,

laugh i make half my lines up. theyre quite funny.

midnight.

joy.

twenty past four.

anger

we aint doing it for nothing,

all right. all right. its in me purse. on the side.

…mr betterton and i were privately wont to call them.

i always pay, dont i?

…irritating character trait.

your getting above yourself.

you are privileged to be in the presence of mrs b.

am i?

very trying.

i dont want anymore lessons.

other culprits…excessively fluttered hankerchief

i dont want anymore lessons.

yes you do.

no, i dont,

no she does not.

he says he will buy me a house. a whole house. if i leave.

if you leave?

it will have a large park attached _ plus a couple of peacocks, a footman, cutlery, plate, silver salvers, a necklace, half a hundred weight of linen, best linen, and the loan of a horse and carriage

it would be hard to turn down, i can see that.

im not going because of what you think.

aint you?

no. i had a feeling.

what you on about.

i never had it before. in my gut, like there was something there. something curled up. something ready to spread round my whole body.

whats she on about?

i never had it before. not like that. a feeling.

fear.

yes. thats what it was. fear. i woke up and then suddenly i couldn’t imagine what comes next.

whats happening?

i tried to imagine but i couldnt. nothing. if i stay here, ill just grow old, and then what. a house with a park. children.