Barnes Julian - Arthur & George

Julian Barnes ARTHUR & GEORGE adapted for the stage by David Edgar NICK HERN BOOKS London www.nickhernbooks.co.uk Arthur & George was first performed at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, on 19 March 2010. The cast was as follows:

DOORMAN/CAMPBELL/BUTTER/	Richard Attlee
GREATOREX/STOKER
WOODIE	William Beck
UPTON/VACHELL/ANSON/PARKER	Simon Coates
WAITER/MEEK/BELLBOY/WYNN/	Daniel Crowder
STATIONMASTER/JEROME
JEAN	Kirsty Hoiles
ARTHUR	Adrian Lukis
GEORGE	Chris Nayak
MAUD	Anneika Rose
Director	Rachel Kavanaugh
Designer	Ruari Murchison
Assistant Director	Kane Desborough
Lighting Designer	Tim Mitchell
Composer	Terry Davies
Projection and Video Designer	Barret Hodgson
Dialect Coach	Charmian Hoare
Sound Designer	Dan Hoole

To Chris and Trevor Characters JEAN , thirty-four
MAUD , twenty-five, half-Indian
GEORGE , thirty-one, half-Indian, a solicitor
DOORMAN
ARTHUR , forty-seven, a writer
WAITER
WOODIE , thirties, Arthurs secretary
UPTON , forties, a police sergeant
CAMPBELL , forty , a police inspector
MEEK , thirties, a solicitor
VACHELL , fifties, a barrister
BELLBOY
BUTTER , fifties, a police surgeon
ANSON , fifties, Chief Constable of Staffordshire
WYNN , late twenties
GREATOREX , late middle-age
STATIONMASTER
JEROME K. JEROME , forty-eight
SIR GEORGE PARKER , forty-five, Canadian
BRAM STOKER , sixty, Irish Doubling The play is written for eight actors. Arthur, George, Jean, Maud and Woodie do not double. The other parts are played by two men in middle to late middle age, and a younger man, doubling as follows: Doorman / Campbell / Butter / Greatorex / Stoker Upton / Vachell / Anson / Parker Waiter / Meek / Bellboy / Wynn / Stationmaster / Jerome Setting The play is set in London and the West Midlands. Most of the action is in late 1906 and early 1907.

The characters ages are for late 1906. Notation A dash ( ) means that a character is interrupted. A slash ( / ) means that the next character to speak starts speaking at that point (what follows the slash need not be completed, it is there to indicate the characters train of thought). Ellipses () indicate that a character has interrupted him or herself. ACT ONE Scene One In fact, a bedroom in the Hotel Metropole, London, September 1907. But currently, a darkness, through which we see the ghostly vision of a woman of thirty-four, her dark gold hair fallen, dressed in a white slip and holding a horseshoe of white heather.

JEAN is of Scottish descent. JEAN. How did it begin? It began as everything begins. A child wants to see. JEAN is joined by a woman of twenty-five, plainly but formally dressed, carrying a suit of womens clothes. She is half-Indian and her name is MAUD .

JEAN hands her the horseshoe. Apparently, hed just learnt to walk. A door there to be pushed; he pushes it, walks in, and looks. MAUD. And what did he ? JEAN. A room, closed curtains, and the bed.

And what was on the bed. MAUD ( handing JEAN items of clothing which JEAN puts on ). And what was on the ? JEAN. His first memory. MAUD ( helping JEAN into her suit ). You know, I m not sure George has a first memory.

And, in our house, making things up was not encouraged. JEAN ( to MAUD). Of course not. MAUD. Fibbers. JEAN. Indeed. Indeed.

Whereas, with Arthur, it was different. Behind the two women, another scene is emerging: the foyer of another London hotel. A man wholl spend his life telling stories of unnatural death. Who will eventually decide that death is not a locked door, but a door left ajar. His first memory: the dead body of his grandmother. MAUD. MAUD.

And that s how it began? MAUD carries on helping JEAN to dress as we move into: Scene Two The foyer of the Grand Hotel, Charing Cross. Ten months earlier, December 1906. The foyer consists of tables, chairs, sofas, desks, lamps and hatstands. GEORGE enters and peers about. He is a man of thirty-one, half-Indian, behatted, neatly and respectably dressed, and carrying a case of papers. DOORMAN. DOORMAN.

May I assist you? GEORGE. This is the Charing Cross Hotel? DOORMAN. It is. GEORGE. I am I have an appointment to meet someone. In the lobby? The DOORMAN gestures round the stage.

GEORGE peers. I would imagine, in his later forties. A literary personage. With, I understand, a considerable moustache. The DOORMAN looks round. DOORMAN.

I fear there is no personage of that description. GEORGE. Then I ll wait. GEORGE goes to a winged armchair and sits, facing away from the entrance. He thinks of opening his case, but changes his mind. Picking up a newspaper, he reads that instead, holding it at a strange angle.

At the same time, ARTHUR enters the hotel. He is a large, burly man of forty-seven, with a still-distinct Scottish accent and as predicted an impressive moustache. He carries a package. ARTHUR. Good afternoon. DOORMAN ( recognising ARTHUR).

Ah, good afternoon, Sir ARTHUR raises a finger to his lips, stopping the DOORMAN in his tracks. ARTHUR. Thank you. I am meeting a young man. Of I would imagine Hindoo appearance. DOORMAN ( moving to escort ARTHUR).

He s over here, sir. ARTHUR. No. ARTHUR can see some of GEORGE , but not enough to see why the newspaper is at a peculiar angle. So he takes a chair, stands on it, and looks at GEORGE . ( To the DOORMAN.) Is there a private room I could use to conduct an interview? DOORMAN. ( To the DOORMAN.) Is there a private room I could use to conduct an interview? DOORMAN.

I m sure there s somewhere, Sir ARTHUR ( interrupting again ). Well, good. ( Insistent .) Thank you so much. The DOORMAN goes in search of a private room, as: JEAN. So, yes, that s how it began. Like this.

Looking at ARTHUR . The small boy stared, and, forty-five years on ARTHUR , satisfied with his covert inspection of GEORGE , descends from the chair and heads over to him. MAUD ( looking at GEORGE).the grown man was still staring. JEAN and MAUD disappear as ARTHUR reaches GEORGE . ARTHUR ( pronouncing the name ee- dal- jee ). Mr Edalji, my name is / Arthur GEORGE.

Yes, I know. He puts down his newspaper, stands, and puts out his hand. The two men shake. ARTHUR. I m very pleased to meet you. As am I. As am I.

The DOORMAN reappears. ARTHUR. Success? DOORMAN. Sir, there s a writing room. ARTHUR ( both an order to the DOORMAN and an offer to GEORGE). GEORGE. Uh, no. ARTHUR. ARTHUR.

Or something else? A WAITER appears. GEORGE. No, thank you. ARTHUR. Then, just one for me. The DOORMAN mouths whisky and water to the WAITER , and gestures the two men to the writing room.

The WAITER goes. DOORMAN. This way, gentlemen. ARTHUR ( gesturing for him to precede him, once again stressing the second syllable ). Please, Mr Edalji. They go into a downstage area representing the writing room, with a table, chairs and a hatstand.

As ARTHUR tips the doorman. ( Gesturing to the hatstand. ) Would you care to? GEORGE. No, I am quite comfortable. ARTHUR. I m very glad.

As the DOORMAN goes out, ARTHUR tosses his hat onto the hatstand. GEORGE notes the protocol, takes his own hat off, puts it on the table, and sits. ARTHUR takes off his overcoat and hangs it up. Have you come far? GEORGE. Not very. ARTHUR. ARTHUR.