(Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth sit. Divided. By a thick layer of stiff suspense and untarnished egos, suddenly Phillip speaks)
Phillip: Well it wasn’t my fault your corgis’ tried to attack Mr. Mugabe. Is it?
Elizabeth: Look Phil. I’d rather not go there OK?
Phil: well, I’m just making sure I don’t have half of Zimbabwe chasing me every time I want a pint of milk. My running days are far from present.
Elizabeth: And your walking days will be too if you don’t behave!
Phillip: I’m sorry dear, just think though. How ironic. In a country where inflation is touching one hundred and fifty thousand percent, your corgis start the rebellion!
Elizabeth: They even had Annes’ Terriers begging for mercy.
Phillip: Well they take after there owner then don’t they?
Elizabeth: Why you cheeky little b…
Phillip: Now now, Liz! That sort of language is better left for those half-wits in Baku or something.
Elizabeth: Baku?
Phillip: why yes, have you not heard of the place?
Elizabeth: Phil, you have took your medication haven’t you?
Phillip: yes and for your information Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan. Are you listening dear? Dear?
Elizabeth: Poor Robert…
Thanks for giving this a try despite your lack of familiarity with fairy tales. I REALLY like what you've done with the royal family archetype here, and the result is highly subversive, very funny and really clever.
ReplyDeleteFantastic, idiosyncratic stuff. Well done!
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI really like this. You've captured perfectly the fragmentary, familiar way in which people who know each other very well speak - really well done. It's deftly comic, and the sarcasm (particularly of Phillip) works well - I love "My running days are far from present", and the idea that it's the corgis, rather than the comically high inflation, that starts the rebellion.
One minor point - the stage direction at the beginning is, perhaps, a bit too subjective for actors to interpret. I love the idea of the characters having "untarnished egos", but a sense of a "thick layer" of suspense might be difficult for actors to convey - perhaps the stage direction here could be stripped down.
This is a brilliant piece of work (and certainly subversive!) and I look forward to seeing more of your work.
Cheers,
Penny
thanks for the comments guys!
ReplyDeleteHi Carlsberger,
ReplyDeleteThis is great, very topical and I enjoyed the mixing of the Royal Family with Zimbabwean politics, especially with the problems over there. Lots of connections and associations to be made.
The characters are well drawn the name shortening, Phil and Liz, is a nice touch.
There are a few grammatical mistakes, the use of 'there' (adverb) instead of 'their' (pronoun/possesive) for example.
Overall good work though.