Icecream E-Book

Caryl Churchill

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

An unsettling look at British attitudes to America and vice versa, from one of our leading dramatists. 'The idea of Oregon, the word, just the word Oregon really thrills me'. 'You can't help loving England. The green fields. The accents. The pubs.' Set half in the UK and half in the US, Caryl Churchill's play Icecream tells the story of two couples – an American man and wife and an English brother and sister. Implicated in each other's lives more than any of them would wish, their respective love affairs with each other's countries prove difficult to explain. Icecream was first staged at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1989.

Leseprobe

Caryl Churchill

ICECREAM

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Characters

Icecream

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Icecream was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre on 6 April 1989. The cast was as follows:

LANCEPhilip JacksonVERACarole HaymanPHILDavid ThewlisJAQSaskia ReevesMAN IN DEVON, SHRINK, FELLOW GUEST, HITCHER, PROFESSORAllan CordunerWAITRESS, DRUNK WOMAN, HITCHER’S MOTHER, SOUTH AMERICAN WOMAN PASSENGERGillian Hanna

Directed by  Max Stafford-ClarkDesigned by  Peter HartwellCostumes designed by  Jennifer CookLighting by  Christopher ToulminSound by  Bryan Bowen

Characters

LANCE,

VERA, husband and wife, American, around 40

PHIL,

JAQ, brother and sister, English, twenties

MAN IN DEVON

SHRINK

COLLEAGUE

FELLOW GUEST

DRUNK WOMAN

HITCHER

HITCHER’S MOTHER

PROFESSOR

SOUTH AMERICAN WOMAN PASSENGER

The first ten scenes are set in the UK during a summer in the late eighties, the second ten in the US the following year.

I UK

1. Road to the Isles

LANCE and VERA in car. They are singing.

LANCE and VERA.

The far coo-oolins are putting love on me

As step I with my something to the road

The dadeda dedadeda dedadeda away

As step I with the sunlight for my load.

And by something and by something and by

something I will go

And never something dadedadeda

And something and dedadeda and something

in my step

And I’ll never something something of the isles.

They laugh.

LANCE.

Speed bonny boat

Like a bird on the wing

Over the sea to Skye

VERA.

You’re really flat.

He stops.

VERA.

Sorry.

LANCE.

No, you’re right.

VERA.

Oh come on.

Pause.

She sings.

Why don’t we go walking together

Out beyond the valley of trees

Out where there’s a hillside of heather

Curtsying gently in the breeze.

That’s what I’d like to do

See the heather but with you.

It’s a pity no one remembered her though.

LANCE.

My great grandmother was a very obscure woman.

VERA.

Drowning yourself in a well isn’t obscure.

LANCE.

They were probably all at it.

Pause.

LANCE.

What was that from?

VERA.

Brigadoon.

LANCE.

You’ve got such a great memory.

2. Castle

LANCE is turning round looking up at ceiling. VERA has a guide book.

LANCE.

What have we got that’s old?

VERA.

Sofa. Freezer.

LANCE.

Nothing old. Just plenty worn out. No history.

VERA.

It’s twelfth century up the end and thirteenth on top.

LANCE.

Eight hundred years. Whahey!

VERA.

I’ve been touching the walls to try and believe it.

LANCE.

We think the nineteenth century is history. We had wilderness and aboriginal people. For the British the nineteenth century is just now, they hardly notice it’s gone. For them history is this castle. Aboriginal is before 1066. No, even that’s history, they had Alfred and the cakes. Aboriginal is Stonehenge.