GERRY
Whose wife are you now then?
EDWARD
Nobody’s. I don’t think like that any more. I’m living with some women.
GERRY
What women?
EDWARD
It’s my sister, Vic, and her lover. They go out to work and I look after the kids.
GERRY
I thought for a moment you said you were living with women.
EDWARD
We do sleep together, yes.
GERRY
I was passing the park anyway so I thought I’d look in. I was in the sauna the other night and I saw someone who looked like you but it wasn’t. I had sex with him anyway.
EDWARD
I do go to the sauna sometimes.
CATHY comes, gives EDWARD an ice cream, goes.
GERRY
I don’t think I’d like living with children. They make a lot of noise don’t they?
EDWARD
I tell them to shut up and they shut up. I wouldn’t want to leave them at the moment.
GERRY
Look why don’t we go for a meal some time?
EDWARD
Yes I’d like that. Where are you living now?
GERRY
Same place.
EDWARD
I’ll come round for you tomorrow night about 7.30.
GERRY
Great.
EDWARD goes. HARRY comes. HARRY and GERRY pick each other up. They go off. BETTY comes back.
BETTY
No, the ice cream was my treat, Martin. Off you go. I’m going to have a quiet sit in the sun.
MAUD comes.
MAUD
Let Mrs Saunders be a warning to you, Betty. I know what it is to be unprotected.
BETTY
But Mother, I have a job. I earn money.
MAUD
I know we have our little differences but I always want what is best for you.
ELLEN comes.
ELLEN
Betty, what happens with a man?
BETTY
You just keep still.
ELLEN
And is it enjoyable? Don’t forget me, Betty.
MAUD and ELLEN go.
BETTY
I used to think Clive was the one who liked sex. But then I found I missed it. I used to touch myself when I was very little, I thought I’d invented something wonderful. I used to do it to go to sleep with or to cheer myself up, and one day it was raining and I was under the kitchen table, and my mother saw me with my hand under my dress rubbing away, and she dragged me out so quickly I hit my head and it bled and I was sick, and nothing was said, and I never did it again till this year. I thought if Clive wasn’t looking at me there wasn’t a person there. And one night in bed in my flat I was so frightened I started touching myself. I thought my hand might go through into space. I touched my face, it was there, my arm, my breast, and my hand went down where I thought it shouldn’t, and I thought well there is somebody there. It felt very sweet, it was a feeling from very long ago, it was very soft, just barely touching, and I felt myself gathering together more and more and I felt angry with Clive and angry with my mother and I went on and on defying them, and there was this vast feeling growing in me and all round me and they couldn’t stop me and no one could stop me and I was there and coming and coming. Afterwards I thought I’d betrayed Clive. My mother would kill me. But I felt triumphant because I was a separate person from them. And I cried because I didn’t want to be. But I don’t cry about it any more. Sometimes I do it three times in one night and it really is great fun.
VICTORIA and LIN come in.
VICTORIA
So I said to the professor, I don’t think this is an occasion for invoking the concept of structural causality – oh hello Mummy.
BETTY
I’m going to ask you a question, both of you. I have a little money from your grandmother. And the three of you are living in that tiny flat with two children. I wonder if we could get a house and all live in it together? It would give you more room.
VICTORIA
But I’m going to Manchester anyway.
LIN
We’d have a garden, Vicky.
BETTY
You do seem to have such fun all of you.
VICTORIA
I don’t want to.
BETTY
I didn’t think you would.
LIN
Come on, Vicky, she knows we sleep together, and Eddy.
BETTY
I think I’ve known for quite a while but I’m not sure. I don’t usually think about it, so I don’t know if I know about it or not.
VICTORIA
I don’t want to live with my mother.
LIN
Don’t think of her as your mother, think of her as Betty.
VICTORIA
But she thinks of herself as my mother.
BETTY
I am your mother.
VICTORIA
But Mummy we don’t even like each other.
BETTY
We might begin to.
CATHY comes on howling with a nosebleed.
LIN
Oh Cathy what happened?
BETTY
She’s been assaulted.
VICTORIA
It’s a nosebleed.
CATHY
Took my ice cream.
LIN
Who did?
CATHY
Took my money.
MARTIN comes.
MARTIN
Is everything all right?
LIN
I thought you were looking after her.
CATHY
They hit me. I can’t play. They said I’m a girl.
BETTY
Those dreadful boys, the gang, the Dead Hand.
MARTIN
What do you mean you thought I was looking after her?
LIN
Last I saw her she was with you getting an ice cream. It’s your afternoon.
MARTIN
Then she went off to play. She goes off to play. You don’t keep an eye on her every minute.
LIN
She doesn’t get beaten up when I’m looking after her.
CATHY
Took my money.
MARTIN
Why the hell should I look after your child anyway? I just want Tommy. Why should he live with you and Vicky all week?
LIN
I don’t mind if you don’t want to look after her but don’t say you will and then this happens.
VICTORIA
When I get to Manchester everything’s going to be different anyway, Lin’s staying here, and you’re staying here, we’re all going to have to sit down and talk it through.
MARTIN
I’d really enjoy that.
CATHY
Hit me on the face.
LIN
You were the one looking after her and look at her now, that’s all.
MARTIN
I’ve had enough of you telling me.
LIN
Yes you know it all.
MARTIN
Now stop it. I work very hard at not being like this, I could do with some credit.
LIN
OK you’re quite nice, try and enjoy it. Don’t make me sorry for you, Martin, it’s hard for me too. We’ve better things to do than quarrel. I’ve got to go and sort those little bastards out for a start. Where are they, Cathy?
CATHY
Don’t kill them, Mum, hit them. Give them a nosebleed, Mum.
LIN goes.
VICTORIA
Tommy’s asleep in the pushchair. We’d better wake him up or he won’t sleep tonight.
MARTIN
Sometimes I keep him up watching television till he falls asleep on the sofa so I can hold him. Come on, Cathy, we’ll get another ice cream.
CATHY
Chocolate sauce and nuts.
VICTORIA
Betty, would you like an ice cream?
B
ETTY
No thank you, the cold hurts my teeth, but what a nice thought, Vicky, thank you.
VICTORIA goes. BETTY alone. GERRY comes.
I think you used to be Edward’s flatmate.
GERRY
You’re his mother. He’s talked about you.
BETTY
Well never mind children are always wrong about their parents. It’s a great problem knowing where to live and who to share with. I live by myself just now.
GERRY
Good, so do I. You can do what you like.
BETTY
I don’t really know what I like.
GERRY
You’ll soon find out.
BETTY
What do you like?
GERRY
Waking up at four in the morning.
BETTY
I like listening to music in bed and sometimes for supper I just have a big piece of bread and dip it in very hot lime pickle. So you don’t get lonely by yourself? Perhaps you have a lot of visitors. I’ve been thinking I should have some visitors, I could give a little dinner party. Would you come? There wouldn’t just be bread and lime pickle.
GERRY
Thank you very much.
BETTY
Or don’t wait to be asked to dinner. Just drop in informally. I’ll give you the address shall I? I don’t usually give strange men my address but then you’re not a strange man, you’re a friend of Edward’s. I suppose I seem a different generation to you but you are older than Edward. I was married for so many years it’s quite hard to know how to get acquainted. But if there isn’t a right way to do things you have to invent one. I always thought my mother was far too old to be attractive but when you get to an age yourself it feels quite different.
GERRY
I think you could be quite attractive.
BETTY
If what?
GERRY
If you stop worrying.
BETTY
I think when I do more about things I worry about them less. So perhaps you could help me do more.
GERRY
I might be going to live with Edward again.
BETTY
That’s nice, but I’m rather surprised if he wants to share a flat. He’s rather involved with a young woman he lives with, or two young women, I don’t understand Edward but never mind.
GERRY
I’m very involved with him.
BETTY
I think Edward did try to tell me once but I didn’t listen. So what I’m being told now is that Edward is ‘gay’ is that right? And you are too. And I’ve been making rather a fool of myself. But Edward does also sleep with women.
GERRY
He does, yes, I don’t.
BETTY
Well people always say it’s the mother’s fault but I don’t intend to start blaming myself. He seems perfectly happy.
GERRY
I could still come and see you.
BETTY
So you could, yes. I’d like that. I’ve never tried to pick up a man before.
GERRY
Not everyone’s gay.
BETTY
No, that’s lucky isn’t it.
GERRY goes. CLIVE comes.
CLIVE
You are not that sort of woman, Betty. I can’t believe you are. I can’t feel the same about you as I did. And Africa is to be Communist I suppose. I used to be proud to be British. There was a high ideal. I came out onto the verandah and looked at the stars.
CLIVE goes. BETTY from Act One comes. BETTY and BETTY embrace.
CARYL CHURCHILL
Caryl Churchill has written for the stage, television and radio. Her stage plays include Owners (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1972); Objections to Sex and Violence (Royal Court, 1975), Light Shining in Buckinghamshire (Joint Stock on tour incl. Theatre Upstairs, 1976); Vinegar Tom (Monstrous Regiment on tour, incl. Half Moon and ICA, 1976); Traps (Theatre Upstairs , 1977); Cloud Nine (Joint Stock on tour incl. Royal Court, London, 1979, then Theatre de Lys, New York, 1981); Three More Sleepless Nights (Soho Poly and Theatre Upstairs, 1980); Top Girls (Royal Court London, then Public Theater, New York, 1982); Fen (Joint Stock on tour, incl. Almeida and Royal Court, London, then Public Theatre, New York, 1983); Softcops (RSC at the Pit, 1984); A Mouthful of Birds with David Lan (Joint Stock on tour, incl. Royal Court, 1986); Serious Money (Royal Court and Wyndham’s, London, then Public Theater, New York, 1987); Icecream (Royal Court, 1989); Mad Forest (Central School of Speech and Drama, then Royal Court, 1990); Lives of the Great Poisoners with Orlando Gough and Ian Spink (Second Stride on tour, incl. Riverside Studios, London, 1991); The Skriker (Royal National Theatre, 1994); Thyestes translated from Seneca (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1994); Hotel with Orlando Gough and Ian Spink (Second Stride on tour, incl. The Place, London, 1997); This is a Chair (London International Festival of Theatre at the Royal Court, 1997); Blue Heart (Joint Stock on tour, incl. Royal Court Theatre, 1997); Far Away (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 2000, and Albery, London, 2001, then New York Theatre Workshop, 2002); A Number (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs, 2002, then New York Theatre Workshop, 2004); A Dream Play after Strindberg (Royal National Theatre, 2005); Drunk Enough to Say I Love You? (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 2006, then Public Theater, New York, 2008); Bliss, translated from Olivier Choinière (Royal Court Theatre, 2008); Seven Jewish Children – a play for Gaza (Royal Court Theatre, 2009); Love and Information (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs, 2012); Ding Dong the Wicked (Royal Court Theatre Downstairs, 2012).
A Nick Hern Book
This edition of Cloud Nine first published in 1989 by Nick Hern Books Ltd, The Glasshouse, 49a Goldhawk Road, London W12 8QP
Reprinted with revisions 2010
This ebook edition first published in 2013
Cloud Nine first published in Great Britain in 1979 by Pluto Press Ltd and Joint Stock Theatre Group; Second Edition 1980; Third Edition 1983; Fourth Edition (revised) 1984. Published in Methuen’s World Dramatists anthology edition 1985
Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985 Caryl Churchill Ltd
Caryl Churchill has asserted her right to be identified as the author of his work
Lyrics: Come Gather Sons of England copyright © 1902 by Anthony Wilkin; A Boy’s Best Friend copyright © 1897 by Joseph D. Skelly; Cloud Nine copyright © 1979 by Caryl Churchill and Andy Roberts
Front cover illustration: details from
Top: Uniform section of Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911 Edition
Middle: Venus 1918 by Modigliani from the Galerie Alex Magny, Paris
Bottom: Self Portrait with Badges, 1961, by Peter Blake
Reproduced courtesy of the Trustees of the Tate Gallery
Typeset by Nick Hern Books, London
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 78001 108 0 (ebook edition)
ISBN 978 1 85459 090 9 (print edition)
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