The Solid Life of Sugar Water (NHB Modern Plays)

Jack Thorne

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781780016504
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Phil and Alice are in love - familiar, flawed, ordinary love. They are on a journey, but this journey doesn't have an A to Z.

Jack Thorne's The Solid Life of Sugar Water is an intimate, tender play about loss, hurt and rediscovery. It previewed at The Drum, Theatre Royal Plymouth, and premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, in a co-production between Graeae Theatre Company and Theatre Royal Plymouth.

ALICE. I push his hand down…

PHIL. She feels softer, lying back – she’s sprawled –

ALICE. Down over my body…

PHIL. Over her breasts – which are – just lying there, not erect… or…

Not that that – she’s not got the greatest nipples…

ALICE. Over my belly…

PHIL. She’s still got the slightly gloopy baby-fat thing going…

It doesn’t feel like real fat it feels more – gloopy… full of…

ALICE (giggle). He’s shaking.

PHIL. Liquid.

Water.

Gel.

ALICE. His body has this sheen to it. He’s shaking.

PHIL. She hasn’t washed much recently…

ALICE. We haven’t washed much recently.

PHIL. She hasn’t washed much recently.

ALICE. You’re shaking.

PHIL. I’m fine –

ALICE. You’re shaking. It’s nice.

PHIL. I’m fine.

I’m desperate. Apart from anything else –

ALICE. First time since –

PHIL. I avoid her vagina and indeed the whole pubic region as I descend, I swerve to the left slightly to –

ALICE. First time since –

PHIL. I put my fingers on her inner thigh.

Inner thigh.

Just by her inner thigh.

And I sort of trace her inner thigh with the edges of my fingernails… She’s got stretch marks in a few places…

ALICE. He touches my creases – my pockmarks. Fat marks. Creases. Sad marks. Happy.

PHIL. I trace her – graze her – inner thigh with just the edge of my – edge of my fingers.

ALICE. He always fucks around a bit…

PHIL. And I sort of do this thing – this circular movement – circle – circular – where I’m gently massaging – with the edge of my fingers – getting higher and higher…

ALICE. It’s not – I mean, he’s no –

PHIL. Touching the beginnings of pubic hair.

She hasn’t done her bikini line in months so… That’s not as high as it should be. The pubic hair feels greasy.

ALICE. I want to grab his hand. I want to hurt his hand.

PHIL. And then I just gently nudge her clit with the side of my little finger.

ALICE pulls a face. Takes an intake of breath.

Her fleshy clit.

It’s not particularly fleshy today but I just gently nudge.

ALICE pulls another face. Again the sharp breath.

Nudge.

Nurdle.

ALICE. I circle my hand around his…

PHIL. She takes my hand around hers.

I hate it when she –

ALICE (giggle). And I push his hand in towards me –

She takes a series of breaths. Is she enjoying this?

PHIL. She feels the need, the need for speed.

ALICE. I push his hand –

PHIL. She always tries to…

ALICE. I push his hand –

PHIL. I –

ALICE. He pulls his hand away from mine.

PHIL. I –

ALICE. He pulls his hand away – my hand – away from me –

Pause.

PHIL. And – break – and that’s darts, ladies and gentlemen.

Pause.

ALICE. He pulls his hand away from mine.

Not a hard pull – but a – pull… A – pull. He pulls his hand away from mine.

Pause.

PHIL. As my dad once said to me, if I wanted to be guided, I’d have bought a map.

I think that was my dad.

And I like maps.

Pause.

I’ve got this technique with my fingers… for when I enter.

ALICE. His fingers approach faster now.

He’s probably sorry for the – pull.

PHIL. A technique taught from centuries…

A technique thought up by monks and dragons.

Or – maybe – just made up – invented – by me.

Invented sounds better than made up.

ALICE. His fingers approach fast. He is sorry for the – pull.

He starts to enter me…

ALICE pulls a face. Again the mini-breath.

PHIL. I mean, I say technique… no, it’s a technique.

ALICE. He starts to – enter me.

More breaths.

PHIL. She’s not much of a clitoral girl. It’s all about the hole for her.

Which is, which was – well, who am I to judge?

ALICE. I always like it when I’m first entered.

More breaths.

PHIL. It’s sort of the bend-and-stretch technique.

ALICE. He –

More breaths.

PHIL. Or I like to call it an – air technique.

I put two fingers in – and then I sort of splay them apart as far as I can.

Sort of splay them apart. It’s magic.

ALICE. He – oh.

She stops getting excited.

PHIL. Let the air into her just to… I don’t know what it does.

ALICE. That –

PHIL. Okay?

ALICE. Yeah, just…

PHIL. Okay?

ALICE. Yeah.

PHIL. I say magic. I say mine. It’s probably not an original technique.

I’m sure other men do it. Not that I’ve discussed it with them. It beats blowing on it. You can blow on it yourself, but air does the trick just as well. With the fingers splayed. You can just use natural air. Not your own.

The ‘air’ technique.

ALICE. He –

PHIL. I really don’t like going down on a girl. And I’m not going down on her. She hasn’t washed for ever…

ALICE. He –

PHIL. And then I stop the air technique – air magic – trademarked – and start exploring with my fingers.

ALICE. Finally he –

More breaths.

PHIL. In. Out. Shake it all about.

Try and build a rhythm and explore, at the same time, you know?

More breaths.

ALICE. I like his fingers inside me.

I like –

I’m not –

I’m pretty ripped up. Tender in places I haven’t –

More breaths.

PHIL. Still with the two fingers I used for the splaying.

Now exploring.

I’ve been able to start with two fingers inside her since our second wedding anniversary. Before that it was…

More breaths.

ALICE. His breath becomes very – regulated…

PHIL. Her pelvic floor is not what it was –

More breaths.

ALICE. Breathe in.

PHIL. In.

More breaths.

ALICE. Breathe out.

PHIL. Out.

More breaths.

ALICE. He’s very studied. I like the fact he’s studied. I mean, sometimes I hate it, but mostly I like the fact he’s studied.

PHIL. She’s not that wet yet.

She’s got that sort of leftover moisture inside her.

ALICE. Breathe in.

More breaths. But they’re starting to sound affected. Not real.

PHIL. When she was pregnant it was one finger again – she was so tight, and you could feel the weight of the baby on your – and that’s – amazing –

ALICE. Breathe out

PHIL. – I know I’m not supposed to think…

ALICE. Two fingers going anywhere, going in different directions…

Two fingers. Exploring. In me. In me.

Two fingers inside me. Three fingers.

PHIL. Three fingers.

ALICE. Penetrating me.

More breaths. Very artificial now.

PHIL. Like –

ALICE. That.

PHIL. Like –

ALICE. That.

PHIL. And then I stop and let her do the work… She likes this bit.

ALICE. He just leaves his fingers inside me. As if he’s had enough of trying, he always does this.

PHIL. I always do this. It’s like – pretending your fingers are a dildo. But she’s not allowed to use ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Original Production
• A Note on the Play
• Dedication
• Characters
• The Solid Life of Sugar Water
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information