Three Kings E-Book

Stephen Beresford

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

Seitenzahl: 36

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

When Patrick is eight years old, his absent father returns unexpectedly for a brief but memorable encounter. Years later – recalling that meeting, and the revelations that followed – Patrick traces the events of his father's life, laying bare a journey of grandiose plans, aching disappointments and audacious self-delusion. Three Kings by Stephen Beresford is a heartbreaking and hilarious play for a solo actor about fathers and sons, the gifts and burdens of inheritance, and the unfathomable puzzle of human relationships. It was written for Andrew Scott to perform as part of Old Vic: In Camera, a series of live performances streamed from the Old Vic Theatre, London, in 2020. This edition includes an introduction by the director Matthew Warchus. 'A knockout – entertaining, sad and outrageous. [Stephen Beresford] is going to be a major name'Observer on The Last of the Haussmans

Leseprobe

Stephen Beresford

THREE KINGS

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Introduction

Original Production Details

Dedication

Three Kings

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Introduction

Matthew Warchus, director

The Old Vic: In Camera series was devised as a fundraising experiment in the midst of the 2020 pandemic. Having spent innumerable hours over many weeks on Zoom conference calls, it occurred to me that the platform might provide an opportunity to share socially distanced performances (actors only ever appearing in their own single frames) with a geographically distant lockdown audience. With the theatre being closed, and with most of our staff on furlough, the plays would need to be presented in a stripped back way with very little mise en scène – and so I decided to spin the staging of each show 180 degrees and use the empty auditorium as a background, providing a poignant visual context for the productions.

Three Kings, which arrived out of the blue, whilst Andrew Scott and I were searching for something for him to perform, was the first monologue of the In Camera series and the first piece to be written specially for the format. I’m hugely grateful to Stephen for essentially donating the world premiere of this superbly written and very personal play to The Old Vic at such a critical time. And equally indebted to Andrew for navigating a very strange form of theatre (live but with no apparent audience!) with such panache and for supporting the theatre via his mesmerising performances.

I love this play. It’s a super example of the paradox that a specific and personal story can have wide resonance. Can we love (and forgive) what disappoints us? How do we manage to be kind, natural and honest, in love and life, even whilst accumulating bruises and scars? These are challenges we all face. And tricks we will struggle to fathom.

Three Kings was first performed at The Old Vic, London, on 3 September 2020, as part of the Old Vic: In Camera series, a new artistic initiative of socially distanced performances, all streamed live from the iconic Old Vic stage with the empty auditorium as a backdrop.

The cast and production team was as follows:

Cast

Andrew Scott

Director

Matthew Warchus

Design

Rob Howell

Lighting

Tim Lutkin

Broadcast Sound & Video

Simon Baker & Jay Jones

Associate Director

Katy Rudd

Associate Lighting

Sarah Brown

Stage Manager

Maria Gibbons

Deputy Stage Manager

Emma Tooze

Head of Lighting

Andrew Stuttard

Camera Operators

Avril Cook, Karina Olson, Josh Reeves

Sound & Video Operator

James Percival

Production Manager

Dominic Fraser

Head of Wardrobe

Fiona Lehmann

Set Construction

Aran Morrison & Karina Olson

Sound & Video Equipment

Stage Sound Services

Special thanks to Zoom.

Thanks to all of The Old Vic Staff.

For my sister, Joanna

1

PATRICK – when we see him – is probably shabby. A lifetime of bar-hopping might be suggested. First, though, we just see his hands – camera over the shoulder – and three pound coins, spread out at equal distances in a straight line on the surface. At some point, the camera moves so that he can be fully visible.

‘Three coins. Three kings. Tres reyes.

‘Uno. Dos. Tres…

‘This is a hotel-lobby trick. A café trick. This is one for the bars – ’

PATRICK puts the coins next to each other so they’re touching.

‘Master this, and you’ll have drinks all night – you’ll make an impact.’

Maybe we can see PATRICK’s face now.

Making an impact, I’m about to learn, is one of my father’s favourite themes.

‘There are rules about bars, Patrick. The first, and most important – is never sit down.’

I’m eight years old.

This is the first time we have properly met.

My mother – mindful of the fact that none of his other promises has escalated into an actual appearance – has kept this visit a secret from me.

And so – today – it’s a surprise to find myself alone with him in the dining room. Alone with my father for the very first time.

‘You’ll never make an impact sitting on your arse,’ he says.

I nod, because… well, I’m eight. And I think that probably sounds about right.

‘There are only three types of people who sit down in bars – women, priests, and cripples.’