Wuthering Heights (NHB Modern Plays) E-Book

Emily Bronte

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 94

Beschreibung

'Will you be happy when I'm just dust, floating in the air?'When two souls collide, the impact can resonate for all eternity. So it was – and so it is – with Heathcliff and Cathy. But if they can't be together, the world that struggles to contain them will simply shatter and burn…Andrew Sheridan's gripping reinvention of Emily Brontë's classic novel Wuthering Heights is a searing and ferocious celebration of passion, of desire – and of the female imagination that created this indelible masterpiece.Exposing a very different but essentially truthful side to literature's most electric couple, it premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, in 2020, in a production directed by Bryony Shanahan, joint Artistic Director of the theatre.

Leseprobe

Emily Brontë

WUTHERING

HEIGHTS

a version by

Andrew Sheridan

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Original Production

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Characters

Wuthering Heights

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

This adaptation of Wuthering Heights was first performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, on 7 February 2020. The cast was as follows:

HEATHCLIFF

Alex Austin

FRANCES/ISABELLA

Rhiannon Clements

EARNSHAW

David Crellin

EDGAR

Dean Fagan

NELLY

Samantha Power

CATHY

Rakhee Sharma

HINDLEY

Gurjeet Singh

MUSICIANS

Sophie Galpin & Becky Wilkie

YOUNG PERFORMERS

Joseph Woolf, Lewis Freeman, Saul Marsh, Raya Dasgupta, Ramina Radmard, Rosa Weygang

Director

Bryony Shanahan

Set & Costume Designer

Cécile Trémolières

Lighting Designer

Zoe Spurr

Sound Designer & Composer

Alexandra Faye Braithwaite

Additional Composition

Sophie Galpin

Movement Director

Jennifer Jackson

Dialect Coach

Natalie Grady

Fight Director

Kenan Ali

Associate Designer

Jasmine Swan

Assistant Director

Hannah Sands

Stage Manager

Harriet Stewart

Deputy Stage Manager

Anna Hunscott

Assistant Stage Manager

Lauren Rayner-Booth

With special thanks to Mills & Reeves and The Peter Henriques Foundation for supporting the creation of this production.

Acknowledgements

I’d like to thank Bryony Shanahan for being a true collaborator and friend. This is a journey we have been on together, and this play is testament to that. Your artistry, creativity, and imagination floor me.

I would also like to thank Suzanne Bell, Ric Watts and Sarah Frankcom, who have championed this play from the beginning.

Finally, I’d like to thank all of the actors and creatives that have been part of this entire process. Your openness, generosity and bravery run through the play. It wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for each one of you.

A.S.

For Betsy

This is yours forever and ever and ever.

Characters

EARNSHAW

HEATHCLIFF

CATHY

HINDLEY

NELLY

FRANCES

EDGAR

ISABELLA

HARETON

CATHERINE

Notes

There are lines assigned — . They are to be interpreted in whatever way is most fitting for the production but might be read to be ensemble led.

There are breaks between sections denoted by – – – . These are suggestions and could indicate a change in geographical location, scene, shift in action, an interruption, or a lapse or tear in time. It shouldn’t be seen as a pause to reset.

There are several songs/poems. Again these are open to interpretation and realisation.

There are no real scene changes. The action is constant.

An interval might fall where indicated but this is by no means definitive.

This ebook was created before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

PART ONE

Darkness.

Light.

Liverpool.

We find a BOY on a tree lying centre.

At a point a man, EARNSHAW, enters.

Song.

He comes with Western winds

With evening’s wandering airs

With that clear dusk of heaven

That brings the thickest stars

Broken bird you burn to fly

Broken bird you burn to fly

Broken bird you burn to fly

Broken bird you burn

The MAN watches the BOY.

The BOY growls.

EARNSHAW. Apple?

The BOY slowly calms. Becomes more childlike. An infant.

Small and innocent. A stinking, dirty, beautiful child.

He watches EARNSHAW with big black beautiful eyes.

Song.

Broken bird you burn to fly

Broken bird you burn to fly.

EARNSHAW. Apple.

The BOY nods.

Yours.

EARNSHAW rolls the apple to the BOY.

The BOY picks it up.

He sniffs it.

The BOY growls.

It’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’m not going to hurt you.

The BOY licks the apple.

He bites it.

He eats it whole.

When he’s finished he looks at EARNSHAW for more.

EARNSHAW laughs.

The BOY watches him. Probing, enquiring.

The BOY laughs, mimicking EARNSHAW.

EARNSHAW steps towards the BOY.

The BOY growls.

– – –

Wuthering Heights.

CATHY and HINDLEY play.

HINDLEY. Sister, your troops are no match for my army. We will crush you like beetles and drink your blood.

CATHY. Brother, you will not be victorious today, you bucket of disappointed dreams. You will die like a slug swimming in a sea of salt.

HINDLEY. Your confidence in your abilities is your weakness, wizard.

CATHY. I’m a witch, Hindley.

She hits him hard.

HINDLEY. Sorry.

CATHY. Say it.

HINDLEY. Witch.

Your confidence in your abilities is your weakness, witch.

CATHY. And your faith in your own is yours.

HINDLEY. Enough of this verbal trickery. Your mind games are no match for me. Draw your weapon and we shall end this once and for all.

CATHY. Agreed.

They draw imaginary weapons, ready to battle.

– – –

EARNSHAW. I don’t have much to give you. I’m just a simple man on a simple journey.

Here.

EARNSHAW gives the BOY some coins.

It’s all I have. If I had more you’d be welcome to it.

The BOY takes the money. He looks at it. He gives it back.

Yours. Take it.

The BOY growls.

Okay.

It’s late. I have to think about getting home.

Take care of yourself.

It was nice to meet you.

He holds his hand out for the BOY to shake.

The BOY doesn’t.

Goodbye.

EARNSHAW goes to leave.

– – –

HINDLEY. Soon you’ll be dead and your troops destroyed. Surrender and I will show you mercy.

CATHY. Piss off.

They fight.

HINDLEY. If you kill me I’ll become stronger than you can possibly imagine. Join me and we can rule the world together.

CATHY. Never. You’ve failed. I’m an Earnshaw like my father. I will never join the forces of evil.

HINDLEY. Then die.

They fight.

It looks like HINDLEY might be victorious but CATHY produces an imaginary magical staff.

– – –

EARNSHAW turns back to the BOY.

EARNSHAW. You shouldn’t be out here on your own, you know. Not a child your age.

Where’s your father?

The BOY just looks at EARNSHAW.

Your mother?

The BOY looks at the sky.

I’m sorry.

EARNSHAW battles with what he should do.

I have two children. A boy and a girl. They lost their mother too.

EARNSHAW swallows hard.

She would’ve loved you, you know, your mother. More than anything in the whole wide world.

The BOY just looks.

You can’t stay here. I’m not leaving you in this place on your own.

Come.

EARNSHAW holds his hand out.

I’m going to take care of you.

I’ll take you home and keep you safe.

The BOY offers his hand.

You’re trembling.

The BOY looks at his own hands.

EARNSHAW holds his hand.

The BOY climbs up EARNSHAW like a creature.

He sits on EARNSHAW’s shoulders.

Settle yourself, lad.

I’ll tell you a story for the journey.

Night fell fast like crisp and powdered snow melting in January thaw. The man and the boy…

– – –

CATHY waves her imaginary staff and incants a spell.

CATHY. High waving heather, ’neath stormy blasts bending

Midnight and moonlight and stars

Darkness and glory rejoicing bending

Earth rising to heaven and heaven descending

Man’s spirit away from its drear dungeon sending

Bursting the fetters and breaking the bars.

There are flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder.

HINDLEY falls to the floor, defeated.

They roll about the floor laughing.

– – –

The sudden storm halts EARNSHAW and the BOY in their tracks.

The BOY buries himself in EARNSHAW’s coat.

EARNSHAW. Calm, boy, calm.

Just a storm.

The BOY reappears.

See?

EARNSHAW carries on.

Something connects the BOY to everything in the universe.

The BOY speaks for the first time.

For a moment he is ageless. It is so lucid and eloquent that it doesn’t register in their world. Just ours. A flash or tear in time to something yet to come.

BOY. Everything has gone very quiet.

Very still.

Is the sky meant to be that colour?

It’s beautiful.

EARNSHAW (calling). Come, boy.

The BOY slips back to being a child and follows.

– – –

NELLY. Get up, the pair of you. Rolling around on the floor like a pair of dogs.

CATHY. We’re just playing, Nelly. It’s what children do. Anyone would think you were never a child yourself the way you nag us.

NELLY. Less of your lip, Catherine Earnshaw. You’re not too big for a smack you know, young lady.

Eighty-odd cows don’t milk themselves.

I said get up.

They do.

Eighty-odd cows don’t look after themselves. Eighty-odd cows don’t feed themselves, shovel up their own muck, and bed themselves down for the night.

Unless I’m very much mistaken those aren’t magic cows.

CATHY. Who says so?

NELLY. Cathy…

CATHY. Who said they’re not magic cows?

NELLY. I’ll not take any of this…

NELLY busies herself trying desperately to block out the oncoming story.

CATHY. Yesterday, I was out in the cowshed looking through the cow poo, because you find some remarkable things in cow poo. I had both my hands in this pile of steaming hot poo and I heard a voice. I turned round there was Beryl. You know Beryl? The really, really old black-and-white one that just walks around in circles backwards with udders that touch the floor. I looked at Beryl. She looked at me. She opened her mouth. Do you know what she said?

HINDLEY. What did she say?

NELLY. She didn’t say…

CATHY. She said – Tell Nelly I’m a magic cow.

HINDLEY. Did she?

CATHY. She did, yes. I’m a magic cow she said.

HINDLEY. See, Nelly, they are magic cows.

CATHY laughs.

So does NELLY but she tries her best to hide it.

NELLY. When your father’s away I’m in charge. You do as I say.

Do you hear me?

BOTH. Yes, Nelly.

NELLY. Take your hands out of your pockets.

They do.

Acting out your stupid little stories when you should be out there helping. Breaking my back to keep this roof over your head while your father’s off doing what he does. You don’t know you’re born, pair of you.

NELLY grabs a book from CATHY’s hands.

Let’s have a little read what you’ve been writing, Cathy.

CATHY. Give it back, Nelly.

NELLY. Don’t be shy.

CATHY. Give it back.

A struggle ensues.

CATHY desperately tries to get her book from NELLY.

NELLY eventually manages to find a place out of CATHY’s reach.

NELLY reads.

NELLY. I keep having this dream that I’m alone in the night

Walking out into the dark

And no one else is about

And I’m here

On this graveside crack

Between the shadows of these giant hills

And it’s like I’ve always been

And then

I see this boy

And I hear his voice whispering loud and clear. And it sounds like a beautiful sparrow’s trill

And his eyes shine like a constellation of starfish

And I fall

And the whole world changes.

– – –

EARNSHAW enters with the BOY hidden in his coat.

EARNSHAW. Home.

(To the BOY.) It’s okay.

This is home. This is Wuthering Heights.

The BOY emerges from underneath the coat.

CATHY. What’s that?

EARNSHAW. A boy.

CATHY. It stinks worse than the cows.

EARNSHAW. I found him on the streets in Liverpool.

CATHY. You should’ve left him there.

HINDLEY. Yeah. Should’ve just left him there.

EARNSHAW. He was alone. He had no one.

NELLY. You shouldn’t have brought him here, Mr Earnshaw.

EARNSHAW. I couldn’t leave him as I found him, Nelly.

NELLY. No, Mr Earnshaw.

EARNSHAW. It was the only thing to be done.

NELLY. If you say so, Mr Earnshaw.

EARNSHAW. I know this isn’t what you expected but he’s a gift from God.

NELLY. We’ll see about that, Mr Earnshaw.