Fritz The Flea (NHB Modern Plays)

1. Auflage 2023
ISBN: 978-1-78850-716-5
Verlag: Nick Hern Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 120 Seiten

July 1889, London. A flea bites a rat. A rat spooks a horse. A horse kicks a man. As the chain reaction continues, a boy and his mother find themselves swept up in a national scandal that will reshape both their lives - and the country. James Fritz's play The Flea is a retelling of the Cleveland Street Scandal that shook England - from the streets of Bermondsey to the halls of Buckingham Palace - and features a flea, a horse, a detective, a queen, a pimp, a god, and Charlie, the telegraph boy who knelt before the Crown. This anarchic and affecting play was first performed at The Yard Theatre, London, in October 2023, directed by Artistic Director Jay Miller.

James Fritz is a playwright whose work includes: The Flea (Yard Theatre, London, 2023);Lava (Nottingham Playhouse/Fifth Word, 2018; revived 2022);Parliament Square (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, and Bush Theatre, London, 2017);Start Swimming (Young Vic Taking Part, Edinburgh Fringe, 2017);The Fall (National Youth Theatre at the Finborough Theatre, London, 2016);Comment is Free (Old Vic New Voices, 2015; BBC Radio 4, 2016; winner of the Imison and Tinniswood Awards for audio drama, 2017);Ross & Rachel (MOTOR at Assembly George Square, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2015; 59E59 Theaters, New York);Four Minutes Twelve Seconds (Hampstead Theatre, 2014; Most Promising Playwright, Critics' Circle Awards);Lines (Rosemary Branch Theatre, 2011).

Autoren/Hrsg.

Fritz, James

Leseproben

ACT ONE

EMILY

EMILY (). Charlie!

Everything was fine up until it wasn’t. That’s the thing that would strike Emily Swinscow when she looked back.

Everything was fine right up until it wasn’t.

The weekly outgoings of the Swinscow family in the summer of 1889 were

Seventeen shillings and fourpence

which was fine, since their income column boasted

Twenty shilling and six

and so the sums made sense.

Six shilling came from Emily herself, who knew how to work a sewing machine.

Twelve shilling, from Thomas, her husband, who worked as a tanner over at the Leathermarket.

It was good honest work that sadly meant he stank of the dogshit they used to treat the leather.

He smelt so bad, bless him, that as he walked by children would burst into tears and birds would fall from the sky.

But despite the stench, Emily loved him, because he was kind and fair and could make her laugh so hard it hurt her sides.

So,

Emily six shillings, Tom twelve shillings and

While it weren’t much, a final two shillings and sixpence from their only son –

Charlie!

CHARLIE. What?

EMILY. Who delivered telegrams for the Royal Mail.

Gimme your uniform

CHARLIE. Why?

EMILY. Because it’s filthy.

CHARLIE. It’s fine.

EMILY. I can smell it from here.

CHARLIE. It’s my uniform it can smell how I like.

EMILY. I ain’t gonna argue with you.

CHARLIE. Er I like to wear it this way this is the way I like to wear it. Besides, it won’t dry in time.

EMILY. It will if I wash it now.

CHARLIE. What’s cooking?

CHARLIE. I’m starvin.

EMILY. It’s not ready yet.

Oi hands off you I said it ain’t done so –

Shhh.

CHARLIE. That Dad?

EMILY. He wouldn’t knock. Go in the other room.

Go!

CHARLIE

There are few things more violent in this world than a knock on the door in the middle of the evening.

PETER. Mrs Swinscow?

EMILY. Yes.

PETER. Name’s Peter Gregg. I work down at the tanner’s. I’ve come about your husband.

EMILY. He been arrested?

PETER. No ma’am.

EMILY. So, it’s the other thing then.

Dead. Okay.
How did… How did it

PETER. There was a rat.

EMILY. A rat?

PETER. A rat in a manner of speaking a rat spooked our horse and it kicked out just as your Thomas was bending down to pick up his knife and bless him he took a full kick to the head and that was that I’m afraid. No luck at all.

EMILY. Drunk?

PETER. Just tired.

I’m awful sorry. We’re sort of friends me and him. I don’t know if he talked about / me?

EMILY. No.

PETER. Well. We was friends.

Well I’ll leave you to your grief. Evening young man.

CHARLIE. Hullo.

PETER

Ma?

EMILY. Emily wished she could say that in that moment she was thinking happy thoughts of her husband. But none would come.

Instead just eight words rattled round her head.

Jesus

Christ

What we gonna do for money.

CHARLIE. Should we drink to him.

EMILY. Later, maybe.

So on we go.

***

CHARLIE. Henry. Henry please

I know you’re angry –

NEWLOVE. I ain’t angry with you, Swinscow. I’m done with you.

CHARLIE. Don’t say that.

NEWLOVE. Why should I talk to someone who says they’re gonna meet at an appointed time and place and then doesn’t have the common courtesy to show up?

Stood on that street corner like a fucking lemon, over an hour with people looking at me thinking who’s that, who’s that fucking lemon standing on his own, I don’t like people thinking I’m a fucking lemon, Swinscow, because I ain’t one.

If there’s one thing you can say about Henry Newlove, it’s that he’s always right where he’s sposed to be.

CHARLIE. Somethin happened

NEWLOVE. You don’t think I have better ways to spend an hour? I paid for the room

CHARLIE. I wanted to come. I was thinking about it
About you all day.

NEWLOVE. Course you were.

What was it? Better offer –
Or just bored of me?

CHARLIE. Nah. That ain’t it. That ain’t it at all.

NEWLOVE. Well it don’t matter either way does it. Nice knowing you.

CHARLIE. Henry. My father died.

NEWLOVE

He died and

I.

I really need your help.

***

EMILY. At the very same moment

ABBERLINE. Twenty years.

EMILY. The Famous Detective, Fred Abberline

ABBERLINE. Twenty fucking years, Commissioner, please.

EMILY. The lead cop on the Whitechapel murders. It had been almost a year since his face appeared on every newspaper
But he still heard the comments behind his back and now –

ABBERLINE. Twenty years on the job and that’s it is it? Piss off. No thank you, good luck.

COMMISSIONER. Thank you. Good luck.

You must have known this was coming. There has never been a case like Whitechapel in the history of this police force. Of course scrutiny was going to be applied to every decision –

ABBERLINE. I did the best I could.

COMMISSIONER. No one’s doubting that.

ABBERLINE. I’d like to see anyone else –

COMMISSIONER. But Detective Moore’s report clearly shows that some grave procedural errors were made and that those errors –

ABBERLINE. Sir –

COMMISSIONER. Those errors led to the killer escaping custody.

ABBERLINE. This report. It’s gonna be made public?

COMMISSIONER. I wouldn’t worry yourself.

ABBERLINE. Please.

I’ll be a laughing stock, sir. If this goes public I’ll be a national fucking joke.

***

EMILY. At the very same moment.

Lord Arthur Somerset

SOMERSET. I can’t believe this.

EMILY. The third and least-loved son of the Eighth Duke of Beaufort

SOMERSET. I really can’t believe this

EMILY. Had just sat down for dinner with his best friend Henry Fitzroy, Earl of Euston

EUSTON. Don’t make a fuss.

SOMERSET. No fuss he says!
Sits there and tells me he’s got someone new on the go and expects me not to need to know everything.

EUSTON. I shouldn’t.

SOMERSET. Come on…

EUSTON. I really –

SOMERSET. At least tell me who it is? Fitz, let me live vicariously.

EUSTON. Alright. () It’s William.

SOMERSET. William Merrigold or William, Phillipa’s cousin?!

EUSTON. William, Phillipa’s cousin.

SOMERSET. I knew it!

EUSTON. You never knew

SOMERSET. I mean obviously I didn’t know but in a way I sort of did.

EUSTON. You’re ridiculous.

SOMERSET. I’m jealous.

I’m seething with jealousy. Do you see?

EUSTON. It’s nice.

SOMERSET. So come on then. How long –

EUSTON. Six months.

SOMERSET. SIX MONTHS!

EUSTON. Keep your voice down.

SOMERSET. And you’re only just telling me?

Well?

What’s he like?

EUSTON. You’ve met him.

SOMERSET. No, but you know. What’s he

EUSTON. I don’t know. He’s intelligent but not conceited. He’s kind. He makes me laugh.

SOMERSET. Well, fuck you.

EUSTON. Truth be told.
I’ve never really felt like this about anyone.

SOMERSET

SOMERSET. Really?

EUSTON. Yes.

SOMERSET. So this isn’t just a

EUSTON. No. No I don’t think so.

SOMERSET. Love?

EUSTON. Maybe, yes. Sounds silly but –

SOMERSET. No, that’s. That’s wonderful. Fitz.

EUSTON. Yes.

SOMERSET. Really.

Can I ask....