Stefan Golaszewski - Sex with a Stranger

Sex with a Stranger was first performed at Trafalgar Studios, London, on 1 February 2012, with the following cast:

ADAM Russell Tovey

GRACE Jaime Winstone

RUTH Naomi Sheldon

Director Phillip Breen

Designer Holly Pigott

Lighting Designer Emma Chapman

Sound Designer Andrea J Cox

Producer The Invisible Dot Ltd

ADAM

GRACE

RUTH

The characters are all in their twenties.

The text incorporates revisions made to the play by the author since its original production, and should be considered the definitive version.

ADAM wears trendy blue jeans, a going-out shirt and gel in his hair. GRACE is dressed scantily for clubbing. Whenever shes outdoors she has a mans (ADAMs) jumper draped over her shoulders. She has a bag.

ADAM and GRACE stand at a bus stop. ADAMs drinking a bottle of Lucozade. GRACE is on the phone. She looks at ADAM, awaiting an answer.

ADAM. Adam.

GRACE (into the phone). Adam.

She bursts out laughing, eyeing him.

ADAM (pretending to be interested and amused, laughing). What? What?!

GRACE (to ADAM, cheekily). Never you mind. (Into the phone.) Whats that?

She gives a big laugh. ADAM laughs too.

No, hes all right. Hes nice. I got a bit upset in the club and (Bursts out laughing.) Abi!

Blackout.

Both sit. Shes on her phone. ADAM laughs when she does.

GRACE (into the phone, shocked, laughing). No (Listens, shocked, laughing.) No!

She listens, shocked. He offers her the Lucozade. She waves it away.

(Into the phone.) And why was that? (Listens, then shocked, laughing.) No! (Bursts out laughing, then listens for a longer time.) Yeah and you were right because (Listens.) Oh. Right. Yeah. Definitely.

Blackout.

Shes stood on the phone.

GRACE (into the phone). No. You go. Id better go too if Im honest. Hell probably run away if I carry on like this any longer!

ADAM (falsely jovial, more to Abi). No I wont!

GRACE (into the phone). Did you hear that?

GRACE bursts out laughing. ADAM laughs.

(Into the phone.) Youre so funny. God. (Listens.) Okay. Let me know you got home okay, yeah? Sorry you Sorry. All right. Bye. Bye, babe. Bye.

(She hangs up, laughing demonstrably.) Shes so funny!

ADAM laughs too.

My sister. Abi. Theres three of us. Me, Kate and Abi. Im the middle one. Theyre so funny.

He laughs.

Shes such a character. Shes the youngest.

ADAM. They do say that about the youngest.

GRACE. Yeah. They do dont they. Tut. Funny isnt it?

ADAM (laughs). Really funny.

GRACE (putting her phone away). Mad.

Blackout.

GRACE inspects the bus timetable.

ADAM. How long?

GRACE. Twelve minutes.

ADAM. Cool.

GRACE. Its every twelve minutes, so its not gonna be longer than that.

ADAM. Cool. And how long is it on the bus?

GRACE. Half an hour.

ADAM. Wicked.

She sits. A beat.

GRACE. Someones tried to smash the glass on that.

ADAM. On what sorry?

GRACE. The timetable.

ADAM. Have they?

GRACE. Yeah.

ADAM. God Why would you do that?

GRACE. I know

A beat.

Are you cold?

ADAM. Im good.

GRACE. Good. (Yawns.) Excuse me!

ADAM. Ha!

She laughs. He laughs.

GRACE. Mad isnt it? Such a great night.

ADAM. Yeah. Really cool. Great club.

GRACE. Great club. Ive never been there before.

ADAM. Me neither. Its good though isnt it.

GRACE. Really good. Yeah. Great DJs.

ADAM. Awesome DJs.

A beat.

So where exactly is it you live?

GRACE. Dyou know Homebase?

ADAM. I dont know the area.

GRACE. Im about five minutes from Homebase.

ADAM. Oh. Brilliant. Wow.

GRACE. Yeah. Just a five-, ten-minute walk from there.

ADAM. Amazing.

GRACE. Yeah.

A beat.

ADAM. That must be handy. When you need stuff from Homebase.

GRACE. Yeah. It is actually.

A beat.

Blackout.

They stand looking into the distance.

ADAM. Such an amazing club.

GRACE. God yeah. Rob is so funny. Was it Rob? The black man?

ADAM. Robert. Yes. Its his birthday. It was Wednesday but hes celebrating it tonight.

GRACE. Yeah. Ive done that. Was that his girlfriend?

ADAM. Katie. Yeah.

GRACE. Oh. Same as my sister. Except shes a Kate. (Chuckling to herself.) Shes such a Kate!

ADAM (chuckles). Yeah! I dont think itll last though.

GRACE. What?

ADAM. Robert and Katie.

GRACE. Oh. Right. I thought you were talking about Kate!

ADAM. Whos that?

GRACE. My sister Kate and her boyfriend Jake.

ADAM. No!

GRACE. God!

ADAM. Right. No. I mean I dont think Robert and Katie will last.

GRACE. Hes taking her to Rome! Hes so gonna ask her to marry him and youre sitting there saying it wont last and I was like

ADAM. No! Robert and Katie wont last.

GRACE. I was like, Jesus! Adam!

ADAM (laughs). No no no no no. I was saying I dont think Robert and Katie will last. Sorry. I dont think Robert and Katie are that good for each other, actually.

GRACE. Really?

ADAM. Yeah.

GRACE. I dont know. They seemed good together.

ADAM. Yeah?

GRACE. Well I dont know but to an outsider they seemed good together.

He scratches his hand.

ADAM. Yeah. I dont know either. But I think Roberts feeling a bit tied down if Im honest.

GRACE. No

ADAM. Yeah.

GRACE. No I dont think so.

ADAM. But lifes like that sometimes isnt it.

GRACE. They seem like such great people.

ADAM. No they are. They are.

Silence. He offers her some Lucozade.

GRACE. No. Thanks.

Silence. She starts laughing.

Oh my God you were such an amazing dancer!

ADAM. Was I?

GRACE. Oh my God!

ADAM. In a good way I hope!

GRACE. Yeah as if! (Laughs.) You wish! You wish it was in a good way!

They laugh.

ADAM. That is so offensive

GRACE. No its not!

ADAM. Amazing! So funny!

They laugh. He drinks and finishes the Lucozade. He scratches his hand.

I mustve been bitten.

She feels her pockets.

GRACE (worried). My Oyster.

Blackout.

She searches in her bag. Shes wild with worry. Hes scratching his hand.

ADAM. Itll turn up.

GRACE. I just put a fucking tenner on it.

ADAM. Shall I have a look?

She searches. Silence.

Could you maybe have left it somewhere?

GRACE. For fucks sakes!

She searches. Silence.

ADAM. I can pay.

She searches. Silence.

I really dont mind paying.

She finds it in her pocket.

GRACE. There it is.

ADAM. Oh good. Thank God for that.

GRACE (genuinely exasperated). Its always in the last place you look.

ADAM. So annoying

GRACE. Im glad I found that.

Its awkward. She looks into the distance.

(Ratty.) Is that ours? I havent got my glasses.

He looks with her.

ADAM. Yeah. Maybe. What one do we want?