Splendour

Abi Morgan

• Publisher: Oberon Books
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781786826008
• Edition: 1
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: World History
• Index: History

In the opulent drawing room of the Presidential Palace, a Western photojournalist awaits the return of the dictator. She is here to take his portrait. The dictator's wife, her best friend and an interpreter wait with her. Prada shoes, vodka glasses and light fingers tap out the time. He is late, very late… All four women harbour secrets and suspicions. All four are in danger. This is the day that revolution comes to the streets. Abi Morgan's devastating play allows us a glimpse into the minds of four women as their world turns.

Splendour was first performed by Paines Plough in association with The Peter Wolff Theatre Trust at the Traverse Theatre on 3 August 2000, with the following cast:

MICHELEINE

Mary Cunningham

KATHRYN

Faith Flint

GENEVIEVE

Myra McFadyen

GILMA

Eileen Walsh

Director

Vicky Featherstone

Designer

Neil Warmington

Splendour was revived at the Donmar Warehouse, London on 30 July 2015, with the following cast:

GILMA

Zawe Ashton

MICHELEINE

Sinéad Cusack

GENEVIEVE

Michelle Fairley

KATHRYN

Genevieve O’Reilly

Director

Robert Hastie

Designer

Peter McKintosh

Lighting Designer

Lee Curran

Sound Designer

Adrienne Quartly

Movement Director

Jack Murphy

Characters

MICHELEINE
the wife, female, late 40s

GILMA
the interpreter, female, early/mid 20s

KATHRYN
the photographer, female, mid/late 30s

GENEVIEVE
the informer, female, early/mid 40s

SETTING

The play is set in a house, in an affluent neighbourhood on the edge of a large city.

The sound of fireworks/shelling should be abstract.

Evening; A palatial drawing room in the home of a dictator.

MICHELEINE, the wife is our hostess. GENEVIEVE, her best friend, has just entered, her coat on as if she has just come in from outside. She is covered in snow. KATHRYN, a photo-journalist, is standing, her back to us, staring at a large and incongruous abstract painting that hangs on the wall. Her interpretor, GILMA, a local woman has just broken a red Venetian vase. She is sweeping up the broken shards of glass off the floor.

MICHELEINE: Genevieve, your hair it’s –

GENEVIEVE: Snow.

KATHRYN: …dripping on her green dress.

GENEVIEVE: I’m fine. The roads are terrible.

GILMA: I’m sorry.

MICHELEINE: It’s nothing, just a vase. (Introducing) Gilma.

GENEVIEVE: Gilma.

GILMA: Don’t look me up and down like that.

GENEVIEVE: I had to take the back route. Is there anything to drink?

MICHELEINE: Yes. We’re onto our third.

(GENEVIEVE walks across the room and pours herself a glass of vodka.)

I am sitting in the garden of friends, good friends a few hours before this moment.

GENEVIEVE: Jesus –

MICHELEINE: …we are having lunch with friends.

GENEVIEVE: (I.e. drink.) … Micha, where did you get this?

MICHELEINE: Lunch with Isabella.

KATHRYN: We are drinking chilli vodka.

GENEVIEVE: You saw her?

MICHELEINE: A few hours ago.

KATHRYN: Chilli vodka that is blindingly hot.

MICHELEINE: To my right is a pudgy man I always seem to get stuck with. He laughs too much at a joke my husband makes –

(GILMA hands MICHELEINE back the dustpan and brush.)

GILMA: (To MICHELEINE.) I’m sorry.

MICHELEINE: Of course, it’s a very funny joke… A nun is walking through a park.

GENEVIEVE: I thought Oolio would be –

MICHELEINE: Coming. You know the office. You’re dripping on the carp –

GENEVIEVE: (To MICHELEINE.) Micha, there are bells ringing all along the Southside.

(A beat. MICHELEINE takes her coat from her. GENEVIEVE clocks KATHRYN looking at the painting.)

MICHELEINE: A nun is walking through a park when a giant gorilla attacks her. He ravishes her in the bushes and then quickly bounds away. She is clearly distressed and returns to the convent where Mother Superior with some concern takes the young nun aside. ‘My dear I can’t help but notice, you seem very upset of late.’

GENEVIEVE: The painting –

(GENEVIEVE comes up to look at the painting with KATHRYN.)

I see you’ve noticed the painting.

KATHRYN: Sorry?

GENEVIEVE: The painting? You like it?

MICHELEINE: We commissioned it. It’s not one of his best.

KATHRYN: I’m sorry… (To GILMA.) Gilma? Gilma? I’m sorry. I don’t understand. (To GENEVIEVE.) I’m sorry. I don’t understand.

MICHELEINE: (Introducing.) Kathryn.

KATHRYN: (To GENEVIEVE.) Kathryn.

MICHELEINE: (To GENEVIEVE.) She’s a very important journalist.

KATHRYN: I’ve come to take a photograph.

MICHELEINE: This is my best friend, Genevieve. Our husbands have been, were friends for thirty –

GENEVIEVE: …five –

MICHELEINE: …years.

(GENEVIEVE and KATHRYN shake hands.)

KATHRYN: Gilma?

GILMA: The painting. Her husband –

KATHRYN: …painted it? We’re discussing fucking painting.

MICHELEINE: (To KATHRYN.) Won’t you have a little nut?

Moved by the Mother Superior’s vigilant concern, the young nun confesses to the recent contretemps with the gorilla in the park. The Mother Superior bestows sympathy but as the weeks pass, a vow of silence i...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half-Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Splendour