The Mousetrap and Other Plays (15 page)

The play directed by Terence de Marney

 

SYNOPSIS OF SCENES

ACT
I

The lounge of the King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem. Afternoon

ACT
II

S
CENE
1 
  The Travellers' Camp at Petra. Early afternoon. A week later

S
CENE
2
 
  The same. Three hours later

ACT
III

S
CENE
1  
The same. The following morning

S
CENE
2  
The same. The same afternoon

Time: the present

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The effect of the lift ascending and descending can be easily obtained by having a gauze window in the lift door, behind which is a shutter which can be raised as the lift descends and lowered as the lift ascends. There should be a domed light which is always alight, suspended in the lift in sight of the audience.

Characters should wear semitropical clothes suitable to character and nationality. It will be found effective if all characters wear costume light in colour, except
MRS
.
BOYNTON
, who should dress throughout in unrelieved black. The Hotel
CLERK
wears a grey frock coat and tarboosh. The
DRAGOMAN
wears a white Arab dress and red tarboosh in the hotel, but changes into brown garments for the camp scenes, as also does the
ARAB
BOY
.
COLONEL
CARBERY
wears the khaki uniform of the Palestine Police, i.e. tunic and shorts with a blue service peaked cap.

ACT ONE

SCENE
:
The lounge of the King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem. Afternoon.

Back Centre are three open arches, the centre one giving access to a terrace with a balcony rail with a wide expanse of blue sky beyond. An arch up Right leads to the main entrance, and arches down Right and up Left lead to other parts of the hotel. There is a lift behind a sliding door down Left. A quadrant counter for the reception clerk is up Left. A small table stands Centre with five chairs around it. There is a low table with a chair above it, down Right. Other small tables are set against the walls. On the terrace there are two chairs and a table with a sunshade.

When Curtain rises
,
MRS
.
BOYNTON
is seated above the table Centre. She is a vast obese woman, rather like an idol, with an expressionless face. She moves her head and eyes, but not her body. A stick is beside her chair. Her family are grouped round her like courtiers round a queen.
GINEVRA
BOYNTON
,
her daughter, sits Right of
MRS
.
BOYNTON
.
She is a pretty girl of nineteen with a lost, vacant expression. She sits staring into space: occasionally her lips move as though she is talking to herself. Her fingers are picking at a handkerchief which she is tearing in little bits. This is partly masked by the table.
NADINE
BOYNTON
,
the daughter-in-law, sits Left of
MRS
.
BOYNTON
.
She is a quiet woman of twenty-eight. She is sewing.
LENNOX
BOYNTON
,
MRS
.
BOYNTON
's elder son and
NADINE
's husband, sits Left of
NADINE
.
He is holding a book upside down and appears to be reading. The
HOTEL
CLERK
is behind his desk. A glamorous
ITALIAN
GIRL
enters up Right and crosses to the desk.

GIRL
. (
To the
CLERK
)
La mia chiave, per favore.

CLERK
. (
Puzzled
) I beg your pardon?

GIRL
. (
Emphasizing
)
Chiave.
Ah, you do not understand. My—key—please.

CLERK
. Oh. Certainly,
signorina.
(
He hands her a key.
)

GIRL
.
Grazie, signor.
(
She moves towards the lift.
)

(
The lift door opens.
ALDERMAN
HIGGS
enters from the lift. He is a portly, middle-aged man and has a broad Lancashire accent. He stands aside to let the
GIRL
pass, half-raising his hat.
)

(
She acknowledges
HIGGS
'
courtesy with a smile
)
Signor.

(
The
GIRL
exits to the lift. The door closes and the lift ascends.
HIGGS
glances curiously at the B
OYNTONS
,
as though slightly fascinated by their static quality, crosses hurriedly towards the arch up Right, then stops, turns and moves to the desk.
)

HIGGS
. (
To the
CLERK
) Any letters for me? Name of 'Iggs.

CLERK
. Letters are at the concierge's office in the hall, sir.

HIGGS
. Conciurge? Moost you call 'im by these fancy names? What's wrong with “porter”?

CLERK
. (
Indifferently
) Just as you please, sir.

HIGGS
. Five quid a day you're charging me 'ere, and I don't think so mooch of this place. (
He looks around
) Give me the
Midland
at Manchester even if it 'asn't got so many fancy columns. (
He moves to the arch up Right, then stops and returns a step or two
) See 'ere, if one of them Dragomen chaps turn oop from Cook's, askin' for me, you tell 'im to wait till I coom back. See?

(
HIGGS
turns and exits up Right. There is silence. You expect the
BOYNTONS
to speak, but they do not.
NADINE
drops her scissors. As she picks them up
,
MRS
.
BOYNTON
's head turns to look at her, but she does not speak.
GINEVRA
's lips move. She smiles. Her fingers work. A faint whispering sound comes from her.
MRS
.
BOYNTON
transfers her attention to
GINEVRA
,
contemplates her in silence for a moment, then speaks in a deep voice.
)

MRS
.
BOYNTON
. Jinny!

(
GINEVRA
starts, looks at
MRS
.
BOYNTON
,
opens her mouth to speak but says nothing. The sound of a bus arriving outside and the murmur of native voices is heard off up Right.
MRS
.
BOYNTON
and
NADINE
look towards the arch up Right.
GINEVRA
and
LENNOX
have no reaction. An
ARAB
BOY
,
carrying some baggage, enters up Right and crosses to the desk. He gets some directions from the
CLERK
and exits with the baggage up Left.
LADY
WESTHOLME
,
MISS
AMABEL
PRYCE
and
DOCTOR
GERARD
enter up Right and cross to the desk.
LADY
WESTHOLME
is a large important-looking woman in tweeds, very British and country.
MISS
PRYCE
is a typical spinster with a large terai hat and many bead chains and scarves.
DOCTOR
GERARD
is a good-looking, middle-aged Frenchman. He carries a newspaper.
)

LADY
WESTHOLME
. (
Announcing the fact
) I am Lady Westholme.

CLERK
. (
Indicating a pile of registration forms
) You will register, please.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. You received my wire from Cairo?

CLERK
. Certainly, Lady Westholme. Your rooms are reserved. One-one-eight and one-one-nine on the second floor.

LADY
WESTHOLME
. I prefer the first floor.

CLERK
. I am afraid we have nothing vacant on the first floor.

(
The
ARAB
BOY
enters up Left.
)

LADY
WESTHOLME
. (
Overpoweringly
) I have chosen to stay here instead of at the High Commissioner's and I expect to be treated properly. If there are no rooms vacant on the first floor, somebody must be moved. You understand?

CLERK
. (
Defeated
) If your ladyship will go temporarily to the second floor we will arrange something before tonight. Can I have your passport, please? (
He indicates the form
) Surname, Christian names and nationality, please.

(
LADY
WESTHOLME
fills up the form.
)

LADY
WESTHOLME
. (
As she writes; loudly
) British.

GERARD
. (
Softly
) Very definitely.

CLERK
. (
To the
ARAB
BOY
) Boy. (
He hands a key to the
ARAB
BOY
.)

(
The
ARAB
BOY
moves to the lift.
LADY
WESTHOLME
follows him.
MRS
.
BOYNTON
follows
LADY
WESTHOLME
with her eyes.
MISS
PRYCE
struggles with her form.
)

MISS
PRYCE
. Oh, dear, I
hope
I've filled this in right. I always find these forms so
confusing.

GERARD
. (
Helping
MISS
PRYCE
) The nationality here. You, too, are British.

(
The
ARAB
BOY
rings the lift bell and returns to the desk.
LADY
WESTHOLME
waits impatiently.
)

MISS
PRYCE
. Oh, well—yes, certainly—at least—really, you know—(
Confidentially
) I'm
Welsh
—but still, it's all the
same.
(
She drops her handbag.
)

GERARD
. (
Picking up the handbag
) Allow me.

MISS
PRYCE
. (
Taking the bag
) Oh, thank you. (
To the
CLERK
) Have you—is there—I believe you have a room booked for me—one with a view towards the Dead Sea, I asked for.

CLERK
. The name?

MISS
PRYCE
. Oh, dear me—how stupid of me. Pryce. Miss Pryce. Miss Amabel Pryce.

(
The lift descends and the door opens.
LADY
WESTHOLME
exits to the lift.
)

CLERK
. (
To the
ARAB
BOY
) Number four-eighty-four. (
He hands him a key.
)

(
The
ARAB
BOY
moves to the lift.
MISS
PRYCE
drops her handbag.
GERARD
picks up the bag.
)

MISS
PRYCE
. So stupid of me. (
She takes the bag.
) Thank you
so
much.

(
The
ARAB
BOY
exits to the lift.
)

(
She hurries to the lift.
Wait for me! Wait for me!

(
MISS
PRYCE
exits to the lift. The door closes and the lift ascends.
)

GERARD
. (
To the
CLERK
) Doctor Theodore Gerard. (
He fills in a form.
)

CLERK
. Oh, yes, Doctor Gerard. Number one-eight-four. (
He hands him a key.
)

(
GERARD
moves to the lift and waits.
GENEVRA
looks at
GERARD
.
The lift descends and the door opens.
SARAH
KING
enters from the lift. She is an attractive, decided-looking girl of twenty-three. She passes
GERARD
,
hesitates, then smiles at him.
GERARD
bows.
)

GERARD
. How do you do?

SARAH
. I'm so pleased to see you. I never thanked you for helping me the other night at the station in Cairo.

GERARD
. That was nothing—a pleasure. You are enjoying Jerusalem, Miss—er . . . ?

SARAH
. King—Doctor Sarah King.

GERARD
. (
Gaily
) Ah, we are colleagues. (
He takes a card from his pocket and hands it to her.
) Doctor Gerard.