Complete Works, Volume III
Page 12
Looking at JANE.
And discovered a new. And you like each other so much. It's really very warming.
LAW. Same again? (To WAITER.) Same again. (To JANE.) Same again? (To WAITER.) Same again. The same again, all round. Exactly the same.
STOTT. I'll change to Campari.
LAW (clicking his fingers at the WAITER). One Campari here. Otherwise the same again.
STOTT. Remember those nights reading Proust? Remember them?
LAW (to JANE). In the original.
STOTT. The bouts with Laforgue? What bouts.
LAW. I remember.
STOTT. The great elms they had then. The great elm trees.
LAW. And the poplars.
STOTT. The cricket. The squash courts. You were pretty hot stuff at squash, you know.
LAW. You were unbeatable.
STOTT. Your style was deceptive.
LAW. It still is.
LAW laughs.
It still is!
STOTT. Not any longer.
The WAITER serves the drinks.
Silence. STOTT lifts his glass.
Yes, I really am a happy man.
Exterior. Field. Evening. Winter.
STOTT and LAW. JANE one hundred yards across the field. She holds a scarf.
LAW (shouting). Hold the scarf up. When you drop it, we run.
She holds the scarf up.
LAW rubs his hands, STOTT looks at him.
STOTT. Are you quite sure you want to do this?
LAW. Of course I'm sure.
JANE. On your marks!
STOTT and LAW get on their marks.
Get set!
They get set.
JANE drops scarf.
Go!
LAW runs. STOTT stays still.
LAW, going fast, turns to look for STOTT; off balance, stumbles, falls, hits his chin on the ground.
Lying flat, he looks back at STOTT.
LAW. Why didn't you run?
Exterior. Field.
JANE stands, scarf in her hand. Downfield, STOTT stands.
LAW lies on the grass. LAW’S voice:
LAW. Why didn't you run?
Interior. Room. Night. Winter. (Second furnishing.)
STOTT. Let's have some music. We haven't heard your hi-fi for ages.
STOTT opens the curtains and the window.
Moonlight. LAW and JANE sit in chairs, clench their bodies with cold.
Exterior. Backyard. Day. Winter.
STOTT walking. LAW, wearing a heavy overcoat, collar turned up, watching him. LAW approaches him.
LAW. Listen. Listen. I must speak to you. I must speak frankly. Listen. Don't you think it's a bit crowded in that flat, for the three of us?
STOTT. No, no. Not at all.
LAW. Listen, listen. Stop walking. Stop walking. Please. Wait.
STOTT stops.
Listen. Wouldn't you say that the flat is a little small, for three people?
STOTT (patting his shoulder). No, no. Not at all.
STOTT continues walking.
LAW (following him). To look at it another way, to look at it another way, I can assure you that the Council would object strenuously to three people living in these conditions. The Town Council, I know for a fact, would feel it incumbent upon itself to register the strongest possible objections. And so would the Church.
STOTT stops walking, looks at him.
STOTT. Not at all. Not at all.
Interior. Room. Day. Summer.
The curtains are closed. The three at lunch, at the table. STOTT and JANE are wearing tropical clothes. JANE is sitting on STOTT’S lap.
LAW. Why don't we open the curtains?
STOTT eats a grape.
It's terribly close. Shall I open the window?
STOTT. What are you going to play? Debussy, I hope.
LAW goes to the record cabinet. He examines record after record, feverishly, flings them one after the other at the wall.
STOTT. Where's Debussy?
STOTT kisses JANE.
Another record hits the wall.
Where's Debussy? That's what we want. That's what we need. That's what we need at the moment.
JANE breaks away from STOTT and goes out into the yard. STOTT sits still.
LAW. I've found it!
Interior. Room. Night. Winter.
LAW turns with the record.
The room is furnished as at the beginning.
STOTT and JANE, naked, climb into bed.
LAW puts the record down and places his cardigan over the one lit lamp.
He sits, picks up the poker and pokes the dying fire.
Exterior. Backyard. Day. Summer.
JANE sitting at the iron table.
STOTT approaches her with a glass and bottle.
He pours wine into the glass.
He bends over her, attempts to touch her breast.
She moves her body away from him.
STOTT remains still.
LAW watches from the open windows.
He moves to the table with the record and smiles at STOTT.
LAW. I've found the record. The music you wanted.
STOTT slams his glass on the table and goes into the room.
LAW sits at the table, drinks from the bottle, regards JANE.
JANE plays with a curl in her hair.
Interior. Cave by the sea. Evening. Summer.
LAW and JANE. He lying, she sitting, by him.
She bends and whispers to him.
JANE. Why don't you tell him to go? We had such a lovely home. We had such a cosy home. It was so warm. Tell him to go. It's your place. Then we could be happy again. Like we used to. Like we used to. In our first blush of love. Then we could be happy again, like we used to. We could be happy again. Like we used to.
Exterior. Backyard. Night. Winter.
The yard is icy. The window is open. The room is lit.
LAW is whispering to STOTT at the window. In the background JANE sits sewing. (Second furnishing.)
Exterior. Backyard. Window.
LAW and STOTT at the open window, STOTT’S body hunched.
LAW (whispering very deliberately). She betrays you. She betrays you. She has no loyalty. After all you've done for her. Shown her the world. Given her faith. You've been deluded. She's a savage. A viper. She sullies this room. She dirties this room. All this beautiful furniture. This beautiful Scandinavian furniture. She dirties it. She sullies the room.
STOTT turns slowly to regard JANE.
Interior. Room. Day.
The curtains are closed.
STOTT in bed. JANE bending over him, touching his head.
She looks across at LAW.
Silence. (Second furnishing.)
LAW. Is he breathing?
JANE. Just.
LAW. His last, do you think?
Pause.
Do you think it could be his last?
JANE. It could be.
LAW. How could it have happened? He seemed so fit. He was fit. As fit as a fiddle. Perhaps we should have called a doctor. And now he's dying. Are you heartbroken?
JANE. Yes.
LAW. So am I.
Pause.
JANE. What shall we do with the body?
LAW. Body? He's not dead yet. Perhaps he'll recover.
They stare at each other.
Interior. Room. Night.
LAW and JANE in a corner, snuffling each other like animals.
Interior. Room. Night.
STOTT at the window. He opens the curtains. Moonlight pierces the room. He looks round.
Interior. Room. Night.
LAW and JANE in a corner, looking up at the window, blinking.
Interior. Room. Day.
STOTT at the window, closing the curtains. He turns into the room. The room is unrecognizable. The walls are hung with tapestries, an oval Florentine mirror, an oblong Italian Master. The floor is marble tiles. There are marble pillars with hanging plants, carved golden chairs, a rich carpet along the
room's centre. STOTT sits in a chair. JANE comes forward with a bowl of fruit. STOTT chooses a grape. In the background LAW, in a corner, playing the flute. STOTT bites into the grape, tosses the bowl of fruit across the room. The fruit scatters, JANE rushes to collect it. STOTT picks up a tray containing large marbles. He rolls the tray. The marbles knock against each other. He selects a marble. He looks across the room at LAW playing the flute.
LAW with flute.
At the other end of the room STOTT prepares to bowl.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
The marble crashes into the wall behind LAW.
LAW stands, takes guard with his flute.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
The marble crashes into the window behind LAW.
LAW takes guard.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls. The marble hits LAW on the knee.
LAW hops.
LAW takes guard.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
LAW brilliantly cuts marble straight into golden fish tank. The tank smashes. Dozens of fish swim across the marble tiles.
JANE, in the corner, applauds.
LAW waves his flute in acknowledgement.
STOTT. Play!
STOTT bowls.
Marble crashes into LAW’S forehead. He drops.
Interior. Kitchen. Night.
JANE in the kitchen, putting spoonfuls of instant coffee into two cups.
Interior. Room. Night.
The room is completely bare.
Bare walls. Bare floorboards. No furniture. One hanging bulb.
STOTT and LAW at opposite ends of the room.
They face each other. They are barefooted. They each hold a broken milk bottle. They are crouched, still.
LAW’S face, sweating.
STOTT’S face, sweating.
LAW from STOTT’S viewpoint.
STOTT from LAW’S viewpoint.
JANE pouring sugar from a packet into the bowl.
LAW pointing his bottle before him, his arm taut.
STOTT pointing his bottle before him, his arm taut.
JANE pouring milk from a bottle into a jug.
STOTT slowly advancing along bare boards.
LAW slowly advancing.
JANE pouring a small measure of milk into the cups.
LAW and STOTT drawing closer.
JANE putting sugar into the cups.
The broken milk bottles, in shaking hands, almost touching.
The broken milk bottles fencing, not touching.
JANE stirring milk, sugar and coffee in the cups.
The broken milk bottles, in a sudden thrust, smashing together.
Record turning on a turntable. Sudden music.
Debussy's ‘Girl With The Flaxen Hair’.
Exterior. Front area. Night.
LAW standing centre, looking at the basement door.
JANE crouched by the wall. Rainhat. Raincoat. LAW wearing STOTT’s raincoat.
Interior. Room.
Furnished as at the beginning.
STOTT sitting by the fire, reading. He is smiling at his book.
Exterior. Front area.
LAW still.
Interior. Room.
STOTT turns a page.
Doorbell.
STOTT looks up, puts his book down, stands, goes into the hall.
Interior. Room.
The room still. The fire burning.
Interior. Hall.
STOTT approaches the front door. He opens it.
Silence.
He stares at LAW. From his position in the doorway STOTT cannot see JANE.
STOTT (with great pleasure). Law!
LAW (smiling). Hullo, Charles.
STOTT. Good God. Come in!
STOTT laughs.
Come in!
LAW enters.
I can't believe it!
Landscape
Landscape was first presented on radio by the BBC on 25th April, 1968, with the following cast:
BETH Peggy Ashcroft
DUFF Eric Porter
Directed by Guy Vaesen
The play was first presented on the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Aldwych Theatre on 2nd July, 1969, with the following cast:
BETH Peggy Ashcroft
DUFF David Waller
Directed by Peter Hall
DUFF: a man in his early fifties.
BETH: a woman in her late forties.
The kitchen of a country house.
A long kitchen table.
BETH sits in an armchair, which stands away from the table, to its left.
DUFF sits in a chair at the right corner of the table. The background, of a sink, stove, etc., and a window, is dim. Evening.
NOTE:
DUFF refers normally to BETH, but does not appear to hear her voice.
BETH never looks at DUFF, and does not appear to hear his voice.
Both characters are relaxed, in no sense rigid.
BETH
I would like to stand by the sea. It is there.
Pause
I have. Many times. It's something I cared for. I've done it.
Pause
I'll stand on the beach. On the beach. Well . . . it was very fresh. But it was hot, in the dunes. But it was so fresh, on the shore. I loved it very much.
Pause
Lots of people . . .
Pause
People move so easily. Men. Men move.
Pause
I walked from the dune to the shore. My man slept in the dune. He turned over as I stood. His eyelids. Belly button. Snoozing how lovely.
Pause
Would you like a baby? I said. Children? Babies? Of our own? Would be nice.
Pause
Women turn, look at me.
Pause
Our own child? Would you like that?
Pause
Two women looked at me, turned and stared. No. I was walking, they were still. I turned.
Pause
Why do you look?
Pause
I didn't say that, I stared. Then I was looking at them.
Pause
I am beautiful.
Pause
I walked back over the sand. He had turned. Toes under sand, head buried in his arms.
DUFF
The dog's gone. I didn't tell you.
Pause
I had to shelter under a tree for twenty minutes yesterday. Because of the rain. I meant to tell you. With some youngsters. I didn't know them.
Pause
Then it eased. A downfall. I walked up as far as the pond. Then I felt a couple of big drops. Luckily I was only a few yards from the shelter. I sat down in there. I meant to tell you.
Pause
Do you remember the weather yesterday? That downfall?
BETH
He felt my shadow. He looked up at me standing above him.
DUFF
I should have had some bread with me. I could have fed the birds.
BETH
Sand on his arms.
DUFF
They were hopping about. Making a racket.
BETH
I lay down by him, not touching.
DUFF
There wasn't anyone else in the shelter. There was a man and woman, under the trees, on the other side of the pond. I didn't feel like getting wet. I stayed where I was.
Pause
Yes, I've forgotten something. The dog was with me.
Pause
BETH
Did those women know me? I didn't remember their faces. I'd never seen their faces before. I'd never seen those women before. I'm certain of it. Why were they looking at me? There's nothing strange about me. There's nothing strange about the way I look. I look like anyone.
DUFF
The dog wouldn't have minded me feeding the birds. Anyway, as soon as we got in the shelter he fell asleep. But even if he'd been awake . . . . .
Pau
se
BETH
They all held my arm lightly, as I stepped out of the car, or out of the door, or down the steps. Without exception. If they touched the back of my neck, or my hand, it was done so lightly. Without exception. With one exception.
DUFF
Mind you, there was a lot of shit all over the place, all along the paths, by the pond. Dogshit, duckshit . . . all kinds of shit . . . all over the paths. The rain didn't clean it up. It made it even more treacherous.
Pause
The ducks were well away, right over on their island. But I wouldn't have fed them, anyway. I would have fed the sparrows.
BETH
I could stand now. I could be the same. I dress differently, but I am beautiful.
Silence
DUFF
You should have a walk with me one day down to the pond, bring some bread. There's nothing to stop you.
Pause
I sometimes run into one or two people I know. You might remember them.
Pause
BETH
When I watered the flowers he stood, watching me, and watched me arrange them. My gravity, he said. I was so grave, attending to the flowers, I'm going to water and arrange the flowers, I said. He followed me and watched, standing at a distance from me. When the arrangement was done I stayed still. I heard him moving. He didn't touch me. I listened. I looked at the flowers, blue and white, in the bowl.