User:Dereksmootz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
|
I spend a bit of my spare time as an actor in community theater, and have often found the articles on plays I'm in to be lacking. So, I've joined up with WikiProject Theatre to help improve things a bit.
Significant Contributions
- Dracula (1996) - created
- The Hollow (play) - wrote Synopsis
Currently, I'm doing a lot of Assessments - at the moment, there are some 750+ unassessed articles in the project. --Dereksmootz (talk) 18:15, 14 May 2008 (UTC)
My Sandbox for revising my Synopsis of The Hollow (play):
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
The action of the play passes in the garden room of Sir Henry Angkatell's house, The Hollow, about eighteen miles from London. Time: the present.
[edit] Cast of Characters
- Sir Henry Angkatell, a retired ambassador and owner of The Hollow
- Lucy Angkatell, wife of Sir Henry
- Henrietta Angkatell, Sir Henry's cousin and a successful sculptor
- Midge Harvey, another cousin, employed at a dress shop
- Edward Angkatell, another cousin, owner and sole resident of Ainswick
- Gudgeon, the butler
- Doris, the maid
- John Cristow, a successful Doctor
- Gerda Cristow, wife of John Cristow
- Veronica Craye, a famous film actress
- Inspector Coulquohoun, a police inspector from Scotland Yard
- Inspector Sergeant Penney, Coulquohoun's assistant
[edit] ACT I
A Friday afternoon in early September
The curtain rises on Henrietta, working on a sculpture, and Sir Henry, reading a newspaper. Lucy soon enters and makes some characteristically disjointed statements about moles in the garden. Discussion reveals that a number of guests will be arriving to spend the weekend at The Hollow. Midge Harvey, another cousin to the Angkatells, is the first to arrive. The group reflects on a portrait of Ainswick, a family estate at which Lucy Angkatell once resided. Midge and Henrietta remember Ainswick fondly as well, having spent a part of their childhood or adolescence there. Gudgeon, the butler, soon shows in the next guest, Edward Angkatell, who grew up with Midge and Henrietta. Midge is clearly in love with Edward, but Edward is in love with Henrietta. The Angkatell clan briefly leaves the stage, and Gudgeon returns with Doris, a working-class maid in training. A car is heard, and Gudgeon greets the final guests, John and Gerda Cristow, a successful but condescending doctor and his slow-witted wife. After establishing his disdain for his wife, John departs, and Henrietta enters and warmly greets Gerda. Henrietta presents Gerda with a statuette for which she had previously posed. John, Sir Henry, and Midge return from the garden, and John expresses disdain for the statuette. To break the tension, Henry mentions that film star Veronica Craye is currently residing nearby, in a cottage called Dovecotes. John and Henrietta find themselves alone on stage, and after John reveals that he and Veronica Craye were once lovers, it becomes apparent that he and Henrietta are currently having an affair. Edward walks in on an intimate moment between the two, and John leaves. Edward tries to convince Henrietta to return with him to Ainswick, but is rebuffed. Henrietta leaves to get dressed for a formal dinner, and Henry and Midge come onstage. Midge discusses her employment at a dress shop, rejecting her cousins' pleas to accept their financial support and aristocratic lifestyle. As the Angkatells and Cristows all return to the stage, Veronica Craye makes a surprise appearance. She complains that her cottage has lost power, and her lighter is not working, and so is need of matches. While waiting for Gudgeon to return with the matches, Veronica notices John, and reveals their past romantic involvement to the group. She asks John, dazed by her appearance, to come over after dinner. He assents, and the act ends as Veronica departs and the rest of the cast goes to dinner.
[edit] ACT II
[edit] Scene 1
Saturday morning
John Cristow enters, quickly followed by Gudgeon who bears a note that displeases John. Midge enters, and John goes off in search of Henrietta. Lucy enters, and reveals to Midge that she saw John return to the house at three in the morning. Sir Henry then passes through the room with a pair of revolvers on his way to the shooting range, revealing that Lucy is an accomplished markswoman while convincing Midge to join him at the targets. Henrietta enters as shots are heard from off-stage, quickly followed by Gerda who is alarmed by the gunfire. Henrietta convinces Gerda to try shooting, and the two leave for the target alley. John enters and begins to write letters as Lucy leaves with a basket of eggs. Veronica enters, interrupting John and revealing that she sent the note delivered by Gudgeon at the top of the act. Veronica's lighter is now working, and she reveals that her residence at Dovecotes was part of a plot to reunite with John. She expresses an interest in leaving her current husband and marrying John, but John rebuffs her, expressing a newfound satisfaction with his marriage and regret over the romantic activities of his overnight visit to Dovecotes. Veronica leaves in a rage. John finds himself alone, hears a noise from offstage, and goes to investigate. Gunshots are heard, and as John staggers and collapses, a revolver is thrown onstage. Gerda is the first to enter, and picks up the revolver. The entire cast quickly enters, and John musters the strength to call the name "Henrietta." Henrietta wrests the revolver from Gerda, and Gudgeon calls for a doctor as the curtain falls.
[edit] Scene 2
Later the same day
The curtain rises on Lucy, Edward, Henrietta, and Midge, sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Lucy expresses admiration for Inspector Colquhoun, the Scotland Yard detective investigating the murder. Gudgeon enters with lunch, and he and Lucy exchange clandestine comments about Lucy's basket of eggs. Lucy and Edward express the opinion that Gerda, having been discovered holding a gun near John after the shooting, is his murderer, while Henrietta insists that Gerda deserves a chance to defend herself. Gerda enters, soon followed by Sir Henry and Inspector Colquohoun. Colquohoun recommends that Gerda hire a solicitor before making a statement, but she declines, and describes her entrance as the audience observed immediately after the shooting. Gerda states that there was no disagreement between her and John in response to Colquohoun's queries. Colquohoun then asks to question Lucy who, delighted with the intrigue, readily complies. They depart with Sir Henry, leaving Edward and Henrietta alone. It becomes apparent that both knew about John and Veronica's rendevous, Edward expresses sympathy for Henrietta's loss, and Henrietta has an emotional breakdown over John's death. Henrietta leaves as Midge enters. Edward pines for Henrietta while comforting Midge in fatherly way. She attempts to overcome his preconceptions, pointing out that she is "not a child" anymore. Edward is called away to be questioned by the inspector, and Henrietta returns from a walk. She and Midge discuss Edward's misplaced affections, and Henrietta recommends that Midge be more bold with her advances. Lucy replaces Henrietta onstage, and expresses a desire for Henrietta and Edward to marry, ensuring that the Ainswick estate will remain in the family. The inspector enters with Police Sergeant Penny. They question Midge, who conceals her knowledge of John's affair with Henrietta, but acknowledges that John's final words were Henrietta's name. The police are left alone on stage. They note that Edward denies Cristow having any final words, while Sir Henry backs Midge's version of events. Henrietta returns, responds frankly to the inspector that she and John were romantically involved, and asserts that Gerda remains oblivious to the affair. Upon her departure, Colquohoun confides to Penny that the identity of the murderer is still unclear. Gudgeon enters, and hypothesizes that a mysterious handbag found on the sofa may belong to Veronica Craye. Fortuitously, Veronica appears, having heard about the murder. She claims John was obsessed with her, and that she had to rebuff his offer of reconciliation. She claims ownership of the handbag, but becomes irate when Colquohoun reveals a gun he found in the bag. Veronica storms out, refusing to comment further without a lawyer.
[edit] ACT III
The following Monday morning
The curtain rises on Inspector Colquohoun and Sergeant Penny looking the portrait of Ainswick, and discussing the estate's inheritance. Doris enters, reveals that she saw Gudgeon carrying a revolver the day of the revolver, and quickly leaves. Sir Henry enters, and upon being questioned about his firearm collection, says that the gun Gerda was holding at the time of the murder was among them, and that he had brought it to the target alley but had subsequently found it missing. Coulqouhoun states that ballistics evidence prove it was not the murder weapon after all. At Coulqouhoun's request, Henry checks his collection again, and discovers that a second gun of the same calibre is missing. Colquoun shows him the gun found in Veronica's handbag, and Henry confirms that it is one and the same gun. Colhouqhoun then questions Gudgeon about Doris' earlier statement; Gudgeon confirms the event, saying he was "tidying up" (having found the gun laying out), and had forgotten the incident. Lucy enters, dismisses Gudgeon, and reveals that the butler has been attempting to cover for her - the gun had been in her basket of eggs, though she claims not to remember why. When the detectives are gone, she confides to Henry that she had thought John might have an accident involving the basket, but that she would never actually go so far as to commit murder. Edward and Midge soon find themselves alone on stage. Edward has affections have changed, and he and Midge become engaged. Lucy enters, and is delighted by the news. Midge and Henrietta have a private conversation, and Midge begins to suspect that Edward has only proposed to create the illusion that he is not in love with Henrietta, which might be a motive for him to have murdered John. By the time Edward returns, Midge is convinced of this motivation, and calls off their engagement. Edward is distraught, and returns to the stage with a gun, clearly contemplating suicide. Midge finds him, confesses her fears, and the two reconcile. All depart for the formal inquest into the murder, and the lights fade.
An hour later
Gerda and Henrietta enter. Henrietta asks Gerda what she has done with the holster of the murder weapon, stating that if they can get rid of that, there will be no evidence, and no one will be convicted of the murder. Gerda feigns ignorance, but Henrietta is persistent. Gerda tells Henrietta that the cut up scraps are in her leatherworking bag, and confides that she witnessed John's infidelity with Veronica, and therefore had to kill him. Henrietta goes offstage to get some tea to calm Gerda's frazzled nerves. Gerda, thinking she is unobserved, takes a vial of poison from her purse, and pours some into Henrietta's drink. Henrietta returned more quickly than Gerda expected, and witnesses this silently from just outside of the room. She enters, more noisily this time. Vocalizing her decision to have tea with Gerda, rather than the sherry she had poured for herself, she leaves to get another teacup. Gerda picks up a revolver, but Inspector Coulquouhoun enters and takes it from her. Upon hearing that Veronica Craye will not be convicted of the murder (she somehow knows about the gun in Veronica's handbag), Gerda begins to go into a hysterical fit, calling for her deceased husband. Inspector Colqouhoun unknowingly offers the poisoned drink to Gerda, who drinks it before she realizes what she has done. Henrietta returns, and explains the poisoned drink to Colquohoun, who reveals that he had deduced Gerda's guilt from her character. Lucy enters, and the lights go down as the inspector calls the police station.
