in the essential meaning of introspection.
A play in one act
by
Richard Homer
Cast
Knüt, a 45 year old teacher, tall, 80.1 kg, light brown hair, short, cropped, wearing a chequered long sleeve Benetton shirt, any colour, grey trousers, green socks, brown lace up hunting boots, a silk waistcoat with a pipe sticking out of the top pocket, holding tin of Balkan Sobranie; he likes stroking his moustache when looking out of the window.
Anna, a 45 year old teacher, tall, 50.5 kg, light brown hair, shoulder length, in a bun, wearing a long grey skirt, white stockings, brown slip on shoes, a pink long sleeve Gunwoman blouse, a wedding ring, no earring, holding a glass of water; she likes to rest her elbow on the cupboard when looking out of the window.
The front room of a small town house; wooden floor with a lion skin in the centre, window to rear, overlooking the local bakery; door with coat hook, empty, except for a woollen orange hat to left, a cupboard with crockery along it; armchair of polished Moroccan leather to the right, above it, a painting by Henk Hendriksohn, ‘Art’, near armchair, a table with a small lamp.
Curtain up, lighting on from lamp, Greig’s Piano Concerto, the first eight minutes, Knüt is looking at the floor, then the window, then the floor, then the window. He is breathing, and stroking his moustache. Anna enters, goes to window; she is breathing, and stroking her hair until half way through the second movement.
ANNA:
Knüt, are you happy?
KNÜT:
Anna, I am happy. Anna, why do you look at the bakery?
ANNA:
I love to look at a bakery.
KNÜT:
Anna, my Anna, it is good to look at a bakery.
They look at each other through the rest of the second movement, holding hands up to bar 110 in the third movement. Knüt takes out his pipe, and fills it, but does not light up. Anna pours the water on the armchair, kicks the lion in the mouth, puts the glass on the cupboard, her hand on her neck.
ANNA:
Knüt, where are the chicken and the potato? I can’t find them here.
KNÜT:
I have no knowledge of a chicken and a potato. .
Knüt and Anna begin to cry, they turn to the window.
KNÜT:
Anna, I love you. I want to eat a fish cooked tonight by you.
ANNA:
Of course, I can cook a fish tonight for you.
Anna exit, taking the orange hat.
Knüt waits to the end of the third movement of the piano concerto, looking at the window, then walks to the door, exit, crying, without lighting the pipe.
Lights out, curtain.
The End
