The Grand Old Opera House Hotel (NHB Modern Plays) E-Book

Isobel McArthur

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

Seitenzahl: 94

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

It used to be a magnificent opera house, its stage graced by the leading sopranos and tenors of the age. Now the only divas at the Grand Old Opera House Hotel are the ones checking-in, there are fist fights in the lobby, and there's scarcely a romantic hero to be found. When shy Aaron joins the hotel's inharmonious team, he's faced with emotionally volatile guests, apathetic staff and management that doesn't have a clue. Not to mention the rumour of singing ghosts haunting the corridors. But through all the madness, one voice stands out, capturing his ears and his heart – and Aaron must go into battle with the hotel's magical chaos to find out the truth. An uplifting ensemble comedy, Isobel McArthur's The Grand Old Opera House Hotel is a story of art bringing us together in hopeless circumstances, to the tune of some of the most popular opera songs ever written. It premiered at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, during the Festival in August 2023, with Dundee Rep Theatre, directed by Gareth Nicholls.

Leseprobe

Isobel McArthur

THE GRAND OLD OPERA HOUSE HOTEL

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

Contents

Original Production Details

Characters

Stuff to Know

The Grand Old Opera House Hotel

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

The Grand Old Opera House Hotel was commissioned by the Traverse Theatre and was first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Scotland, on 27 July 2023. The cast was as follows:

AARON

Ali Watt

AMY

Karen Fishwick

KATHERINE/FRENCH PERSON 1/DRUNK YOUNG WOMAN/ TOREADOR GHOST/ MOTHER WITH BABY/ BRÜNNHILDE GHOST/ BUSYBODY

Christina Modestou

MORAG/STRESSED GUEST/ MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN/ SOMBRERO DRINKER/ FASCINATOR WOMAN

Ann Louise Ross

YOLANDA/GLASWEGIAN GUEST/FRENCH PERSON 2/ GHOST CARMEN/ WOMAN IN A TOWEL/ TEMPESTUOUS WOMAN

Betty Valencia

GENERIC STAFF MEMBER/ WOMAN WITH PAINTED NAILS/ YOUNGSTER/SOBER YOUNG WOMAN/TOURIST/WOMAN ON A HEN DO/REGENCY GHOST IN A TALL WIG/TOREADOR GHOST

Laura Lovemore

PASSING GUEST/ BUSINESSMAN/GHOST FIGARO/ MIDDLE-AGED MAN/MAN IN AN EYEMASK/HALF-ASLEEP GUEST, MAN WITH BAD NECK/ WORKER IN A HARD HAT

Barrie Hunter

Director

Gareth Nicholls

Composer & Musical Supervisor

Michael John McCarthy

Set & Costume Designer

Ana Inés Jabares-Pita

Lighting Designer

Lizzie Powell

Sound Designer

Richard Bell

Video Designer

Tim Reid

Casting Director & Vocal Coach

Michael Howell

Movement Director

Emily Jane Boyle

Costume Supervisor

Cleo Rose McCabe

Design Assistant

Caitlin Abbot

Copyist & Musical Director for Recording Sessions

Shonagh Murray

Head of Production

Kevin McCallum

Head of Lighting & Sound

Renny Robertson

Lighting & Sound Technician

Dave Bailey

Lighting & Sound Technician

Fi Elliott

Company Stage Manager

Characters

AARON, thirties. A naturally open book, trying hard to stay closed and just fit in. Struggles to hold down a job for long. Easily distracted. Nervous. Never worked in a hotel before

AMY, thirties. Worked in hotels for a few years. Practised in presenting a cheery disposition. Secretly an opera fan but never actually been to see one. Big brain and heart – but scared of putting herself out there. Talks to herself a lot – eccentric

MORAG, a hotel worker for her whole life. Zero aspirations to anything more. Working-class background. Seen it all. A bit spiritual – got perspective

KATHERINE, assistant manager at the hotel – aspirations to become manager. Slightly neurotic

YOLANDA, a hotel worker for several months, Colombian – highly intelligent and academic. Finds all those about her embarrassing. Deadpan

GENERIC STAFF MEMBER, wide-eyed. Couldn’t hurt a fly

PASSING GUEST GLASWEGIAN GUEST YOUNGSTER STRESSED GUEST WOMAN WITH PAINTED NAILS FRENCH PERSON 1 FRENCH PERSON 2 BUSINESSMAN MAN IN AN EYEMASK SOBER YOUNG WOMAN MIDDLE-AGED MAN MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN DRUNK YOUNG WOMAN HALF-ASLEEP GUEST TOURIST WOMAN IN A TOWEL MOTHER WITH BABY COUPLE HAVING SEX MAN WITH BAD NECK TEMPESTUOUS WOMAN FASCINATOR WOMAN WOMAN ON A HEN DO BUSYBODY WORKER IN A HARD HAT

And other GUESTS and GHOSTS…

Multi-rolling

ACTOR 1 – Aaron

ACTOR 2 – Amy

ACTOR 3 – Katherine, French Person 1, Drunk Young Woman, Toreador Ghost, Mother with Baby, Brünnhilde Ghost, Busybody

ACTOR 4 – Morag, Stressed Guest, Middle-Aged Woman, Factory Worker Ghost, Sombrero Drinker, One Half of Couple Having Sex, Fascinator Woman

ACTOR 5 – Yolanda, Glaswegian Guest, French Person 2, Ghost Carmen, Woman in a Towel, Tempestuous Woman

ACTOR 6 – Generic Staff Member, Woman with Painted Nails, Youngster, Sober Young Woman, Factory Worker Ghost, Tourist, Sombrero Drinker, One Half of Couple Having Sex, Woman on a Hen Do, Regency Ghost in a Tall Wig

ACTOR 7 – Passing Guest, Businessman, Ghost Figaro, Middle-Aged Man, Man in an Eyemask, Toreador Ghost, Half-Asleep Guest, Man with Bad Neck, Worker in a Hard Hat

Stuff to Know

There’s at least one surtitle screen which shows translations of anything either inaudibly quiet, very fast, or sung/spoken in a language other than English. In this script, these surtitles appear in square brackets:

CHARACTER. Come questo. [Like this.]

There’s a digital screen to show the relevant room number near or above the hotel-room door in the set – quite large. This can change at any time. In this script, these are written centrally, like this:

273

The Set

A hotel room with a corridor alongside, a door adjoining them. In the room, a barely double bed, wardrobe, window, bleak wee space with a kettle, some other basic furniture and a door, leading to an en suite, off. In the corridor, no plants, no art – one bin.

Room and corridor both some lifeless colour.

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

To begin with, all is in half-darkness.

Then – a swell of non-musical sound. GUESTS moving suitcases, the shunting of a lift, chattering and other commotion through the thin walls. This is not a place of rest.

Lights up on the corridor. Evening, for now.

624 625 626 627 628 629

AARON entering down the corridor. He wears a beige room attendant’s uniform with a small backpack. He looks flustered and disorientated. A PASSING GUEST (a real bastard) with a wheelie suitcase appears.

PASSING GUEST. You – could you help me?

AARON thinks.

AARON. I don’t know.

AARON sets off –

PASSING GUEST. Excuse me – where are you going?

AARON. To my staff training, I’m running late –

PASSING GUEST (flying off the handle). Is this how you treat loyal customers – ?!

AARON. Oh no I didn’t mean to –

PASSING GUEST (brandishing a card). I have been a Scomodo Hotel Group Platinum Points Member for eleven years!

AARON. I’m sorry. I mean, congratulations.

AARON sets off again.

PASSING GUEST. Who is your manager?

AARON (fast, distracted). That’s the thing. I’m not sure. It’s my first day. Well – almost. First there’s more training. Then tomorrow I start properly. Officially. In the morning. You don’t know where room two-eight-three is, do you – ?

PASSING GUEST. You want me to give you directions – ?

AARON. That would be so kind – I really can’t be any later. Because I’m not entirely sure what else I can try if I’m no good at this. It’s so hard finding a job, let alone keeping one – I’ve not slept in weeks! Everyone says I need to work on my people skills –

PASSING GUEST. Listen – !

AARON. Yes! You’re right – it’s important to be a good listener – must listen, listen, listen –

PASSING GUEST. To me! – I’m checking out now but my flight’s not till ten p.m., can I leave my suitcase at reception?

Beat.

AARON. I wouldn’t know.

PASSING GUEST (incensed). You just deliberately wasted my time, didn’t you?!

AARON. No, I swear – !

PASSING GUEST. Have you any idea what even one minute of my time is worth compared to yours? – I mean, what do they even pay you here?!

AARON. Um well – there are benefits. The room attendants all live on site, so even though it’s minimum wage, you don’t have to worry about rent or anything and once you’ve paid off the cost of your uniform it’s actually not too –

PASSING GUEST. You can’t even answer a straight question, can you?

AARON. Yes. I mean – no. Wait – which one am I – ?

PASSING GUEST. Oh shut up! Since it’s your first day, I’ve got a tip for you –

AARON (putting his hand out). That’s awfully kind –

PASSING GUEST. Not that kind of tip!

Get this straight: we want our sheets changed, our carpets hoovered and our bins emptied. You have nothing to say that anyone wants to hear. No one – and I can’t stress this enough – no one cares how you ‘feel’.

Beat.

AARON. So –

PASSING GUEST. So – shut it!

The PASSING GUEST marches off.

AARON (to himself). Of course.

The lights flicker above AARON’s head in the corridor. He looks up. Then – a noise is coming from inside one of the rooms – the door to it opens just an inch or two with a creak. Light escapes.

There is the distant sound of singing. AARON, intrigued, approaches the door tentatively.

A beautiful, female voice singing ‘Silver Moon’, Rusalka.

THE VOICE.Rekni mu, stribmy mesicku, me ze jej objima rame

[Silver moon, tell him Mine are the arms that shall hold him]

Standing in the corridor, AARON’s eyes widen. He cannot discern the language but the meaning is clear. A hand through time. It is heartfelt and human and yet – ethereal. As if reaching him from another dimension.

AARON (whispering reverently).…Wow.

As if by its own volition, the door then opens wide. Inside the room, the silhouette of a female form, obscured but magnificent, backlit, surrounded by smoke, brandishing something. She sings out –

AARON is captivated. He wants to cry. The tenderness of it is debilitating.

THE VOICE.Mesicku, postuj chvili reckni mi, kde je muj mily Ohhh – !

[Moon, stay here a while And tell me where is my beloved…]

Just at that moment –

Fizzz!

Aaaaaah!

All singing out. Sparks fly overhead – ! The main light has short-circuited, plunging the room into almost total darkness.

AARON. Aaaaaaah!

Completely overawed, AARON runs from the room, out the door and down the corridor.

The lights flicker again then recover. The figure emerges through the doorway and is revealed to be a young woman in a room attendant’s uniform. She has large red headphones over her ears and is holding a toilet brush. She wafts away the smoke, removes her headphones, looking down the corridor.

AMY. Hello?…

Then up at the smoking fixture.

Exploding lights now as well, is it? You’d think Othello was arriving on his ship. No warning, no prelude – bang! (Laughing to herself.) Mad decision, really, Verdi! Making everyone shit themselves before the opera’s even started!

She glances up again, suddenly forlorn –

But then… I think even a crackpot like you would have packed this job in by now.

She stares. It’s too sad. Too real. She puts her headphones back on before returning to cleaning.

A swell of non-music hotel noise. Lift, bustle, people, muffled chatter…

The corridor –

(No numbers on the room doors.)

A woman, MORAG – stands in the corridor in an ill-fitting room attendant’s uniform, staring into space.

Her fingers are poised as if holding a cigarette. She takes it to her lips to smoke it. Then does a double take.

MORAG. Oh, now… where’s my fag gone?

She looks around. No sign of it.

Ah well –

She lights another. A younger woman, KATHERINE, marches purposefully down the corridor. She wears a suit and has an iPad on a holster. Between her index finger and thumb, an incriminating lit cigarette, presented in the manner of an irate headteacher.

KATHERINE. Why am I holding this?

MORAG (jumping). Oh! Good question! Didn’t think you were a smoker?

KATHERINE. I’m asking – why are there lit cigarettes on the floor – ?

MORAG. Must be one of the guests –

KATHERINE. It was you.

MORAG. I’m more or less off the tabs these days.

MORAG takes a drag on her current cigarette.