The One E-Book

Vicky Jones

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Serie: NHB Modern Plays
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 68

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

'Surprise me. Wipe the smile off my face.' Harry and Jo are up all night drawing the battle lines of a relationship based on desire, dependency and dirty games. Vicky Jones's viciously funny play The One invites you into the world of a couple trapped in a destructive cycle of love and lust. Winner of the 2013 Verity Bargate Award, The One premiered at Soho Theatre, London, in February 2014, and was revived at the theatre in July 2018.

Leseprobe

Vicky Jones

THE ONE

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Characters

The One

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

The One was first performed at Soho Theatre, London, on 20 February 2014. The cast was as follows:

JOPhoebe Waller-BridgeHARRYRufus WrightKERRYLu CorfieldDirectorSteve MarmionDesignerAnthony LambleLighting DesignerBen OrmerodSound DesignerGareth FryCasting DirectorNadine Rennie CDG

The One was revived in a Soho Theatre / DryWhite co-production, and performed at Soho Theatre, London, in July 2018. The cast was as follows:

HARRYJohn HopkinsJOTuppence MiddletonKERRYJulia SandifordDirectorSteve MarmionDesignerAnthony LambleLighting DesignerRob CaseySound DesignerGareth FryAssociate Sound DesignerHarry JohnsonFight DirectorBret YoungCostume SupervisorSarah MercadAssistant DirectorLakesha Arie-AngeloCasting DirectorNadine Rennie CDGProduction ManagerSebastian CanningsCompany Stage ManagerJasmin HayAssistant Stage ManagerChloe WalkerAssistant ProducerHolly De AngelisProducerDavid Luff

For Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Acknowledgements

With thanks to:

Tobias Menzies, Sian Clifford, Phil Porter, Simon Stephens, Jack Thorne, Conor Woodman, Giles Smart, Andy Gout, Mark Shepherdson, Steve Marmion, Nina Steiger, Nadine Rennie, David Luff and all at the Soho Theatre, Francesca Moody, Caroline Meer, Sara Joyce, Rufus Wright, Lu Corfield, Charlotte McBrearty, Sarah Liisa and all at Nick Hern, and the Verity Bargate Award panel.

Special, massive thanks to Adam Brace.

The One was originally workshopped by DryWrite.

V.J.

Characters

JO, twenty-nineHARRY, thirty-nineKERRY, thirty-six

Key

A space in the text indicates how long the silences last.

/ indicates an overlap in speech.

The absence of a full stop at the end of a line means the thought is unfinished or interrupted. The next line can often follow on immediately or almost overlap.

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

ONE

The lounge. About 10 p.m. Saturday. HARRY and JO are having sex whilst watching porn.

JO is sitting on top of him and also eating Wotsits.

Both appear more interested in the porn than in each other.

JO is alternately jerking up and down a bit, and nibbling on a Wotsit.

JO throws a Wotsit in the air and tries to catch it in her mouth.

HARRY

Can you not?

JO

YES! [Or ‘BOLLOCKS!’ if she doesn’t catch it.] What?

HARRY

With the Wotsits

JO

What with the Wotsits?

HARRY

It’s minging.

JO

You want me to starve?

HARRY

You had dinner.

JO

Gone!

The sex becomes more rhythmic, more intense.

JO resembles a jockey, deep in concentration.

HARRY is touching her body but she doesn’t respond.

JO picks up the remote and turns off the porn.

She begins channel surfing.

HARRY appears neither surprised nor annoyed.

She climbs off him and watches the TV.

HARRY

A week isn’t going to kill us.

She continues to surf.

Can we at least talk about the possibility

JO

Ah, The Boy Who Gave Birth to his Twin?

HARRY

You’ve seen that one.

JO

Shock docs make me happy – don’t you want to know what’s going on in the world?

HARRY

Tell me what’s going on in the world.

JO

A fetus can pitch its placenta on a little child’s lower intestine.

HARRY

Why do I need to know that?

JO

It’s enhanced our understanding of fetuses. And what better night to polish up on that specialist subject?

HARRY

Yes.

JO

Yes. So?

HARRY

So?

JO

So, watch it with me. And afterwards, there’s a documentary for you, about the British Museum.

HARRY

D’you know I’ve never been to the British Museum.

JO

It was made for you.

HARRY

What’s it like?

JO

British.

HARRY

You’ve never been either.

JO

Let’s go some time.

HARRY

When?

JO

Let’s go tomorrow.

HARRYIf we’re not at the hospital.

JO

Sure.

She continues to watch the TV.

HARRY

Would there be any point in asking you to turn that off?

JO

I’m gonna do my CV in a minute.

HARRY

Jo!

JO

Okay okay. Okay.

JO turns off the TV.

Okay.

HARRY

Now then.

JO

Now then.

HARRY

Wait – have they texted?

JO

Not

JO checks her phone.

No.

HARRY

Because three centimetres is not the same / as two centimetres.

JO

You said.

HARRY

So which is it?

JO

I don’t know, it’s not my vagina.

HARRY

Cervix. It’s your sister’s though, aren’t you getting sympathy pangs?

JOTwo.HARRYAlright so it looks like we’re in for the long haul.

JO

Hm strap in.

HARRYNow then.

JO has been studying her arm.

JO

Did you ever notice these tiny white spots on my arm? They totally freak me out. I keep thinking I’m getting skin cancer or something

HARRY

You’re not getting skin cancer

JO

It’s a condition called.Well it has a name.The skin loses its pigment and if overexposed to sunlight the effect can be carcinogenic.

HARRY

I said keep off those websites

JO

Imagine being encased in the thing that’s killing you. Skin’s the biggest organ of the human body. Once you get it, it spreads at an uncontrollable rate.

HARRY

Your paranoia spreads at an uncontrollable rate.

JO

I might have stage three melanoma.

HARRY

You have no symptoms.

JO

(Darkly.) Exactly.

JO begins to fiddle with the remote again.

HARRY

I think a good grounding in statistics would really enhance your life.

JO goes to turn the telly on again. HARRY takes the remote out of her hand and looks at her.

Why don’t we just try it, for a week?

JO

Do you think I’d make a good teacher?

HARRY

A thinking week

JO

Because I am very encouraging

HARRY

When we both think about what we want

JO

Well I’m starting to think I could really be a good teacher.

HARRY

I think you’d make a brilliant teacher but it’s not what you want to do

JO

Maybe it is. Maybe I just haven’t done it. Don’t leave me.

HARRY

We’re not leaving each other. That’s not what I’m saying.

JO

It is.

HARRY

I’m saying there are certain things I can’t

JO

I know

HARRY

Take, again

JO

I know

HARRY

And I need you to be sure.

JO

Ha! Rob told me the best chat-up line today, it’s for boys so you have to do it to your students.

HARRY

I don’t want to chat anyone up.

JO

Wait, wait, so a guy walks into a nightclub right and

HARRY

JO

JO

A GUY walks into a nightclub right and

HARRY

This is stupid

JO

And he says to a girl, ‘excuse me,’

HARRY

Please stop it

JO

He says ‘excuse me, but do you know if there’s a vet in the house?’ And the girl says ‘no’, like, ‘why?’

JO is bending both her arms with the hands facing outwards, pulling an arm flex, resembling two swans.

and he says‘cos these swans are siiiickkkk’.Because they look like swans

HARRY

(Mildly amused.) Very good

JO

You can have that. In your week off. You can use that.

HARRY

I’m not sure I’ve got the swans for it.

JO

There’s a girl outside.

HARRYYou want me to try it now?

JO

No I think you know her.

HARRY

Where?

He looks out.

It’s Kerry

JO

I know it’s Kerry

HARRY

How long’s she been standing there?

JO

Couple of minutes.

HARRY

Why didn’t you say so?

JO

Dunno

HARRY

Why didn’t you say it was Kerry before?

JO

I wasn’t sure it was Kerry before.

HARRY

Does she want to come in?

JO

Well she hasn’t knocked so let’s assume not.

HARRY

Shall I open the door?

JO

She hasn’t knocked!

HARRY

No. But she’s here.

JO

Yeah but she might change her mind

HARRY

What’s she doing here? It’s

He looks at his watch.

JO

She’s your friend.

HARRY

She’s our friend.

JO

Let’s just pretend we haven’t seen her, she might go away.

HARRY