Force Majeure

Tim Price

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2022
• Print ISBN: 9781350322431
• eBook ISBN: 9781350322455
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medien & darstellende Kunst
• Subtopic: Britisches Drama

Stop it. Stop it! Everyone! We're on holiday, we're meant to be having a nice time. What the hell is wrong with you? Tomas and Ebba are determined to have quality family time with their children, so they head to the Alps on a skiing trip. But when disaster strikes, their family unit is tested to breaking point with hilarious and tragic consequences. Ruben Östlund's award-winning comedy about a family falling apart is adapted for the stage by Tim Price. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London's Donmar Warehouse in December 2021.

Scene Twelve

Corridor

Mats and Jenny fool around at Ebba and Tomas’ door.

Jenny Come on, behave.

Mats Here, feel this, feel this . . . No one can see us . . .

Jenny No.

Mats No-one can see us.

Jenny Mats!

She indicates the Cleaner walking past, giving them a judgemental stare.

Mats Hi.

Eventually the Cleaner leaves and Mats is immediately all over Jenny again.

Jenny No Mats.

Mats Come on. Please? Don’t be like that come to Papa!

Jenny rejects him.

Mats Why’d you do this to me?

Jenny Because.

Mats Now I’m gonna have to see Ebba with a massive throbbing ha/-iii!!

Ebba opens the door with a glass of wine in her hand.

Ebba Hi!/ You must be Jenny, come in come in!

Jenny Hi!/ So nice to meet you! Mats has told me so much about you guys!

They enter the room where Tomas is opening another bottle of wine.

Tomas Here comes trouble!

Mats Here he is! Been too long.

The two hug.

Tomas Hi Jenny, you’re too good for him!

Mats Ignore him.

Ebba The kids are asleep so it’s just us, you’ve been here before, right, Jenny?

Jenny It’s my third season. But it’s the first time with Mats. It’s been fun, we’ve had a great time today haven’t we?

Mats Absolutely.

Jenny How’s it been for you guys?

Tomas yanks out the cork – everyone startles and laughs nervously!

Ebba offers her drained glass to Tomas as she talks.

Ebba Well . . . It’s been . . . We’ve had a fantastic time. It’s been great. A great place to bring the kids. The conditions are great, all this snow . . . And I had a day of skiing on my own too. You should have that too./ It was great.

Tomas I’d like that.

Ebba It’s wonderful to go at your own pace and just . . . Maybe. I know, wouldn’t it be nice for you boys to ski together again?

Tomas That would be, cool . . .

Ebba It must be ages since you skied together!

Tomas Uh. Yeah it is.

Ebba I think you should do it.

Tomas Let’s see, maybe see what the kids want to do, they might want to –

Ebba How about tomorrow? I can take the kids. Don’t feel guilty about it.

Tomas I don’t.

Beat.

I was just thinking that this is their holiday/ they might have plans together –

Ebba I’m sorry . . . I’m sorry. This is your holiday I didn’t mean to take control of it, you decide what works for you.

Jenny No problem.

Ebba Jeez! What am I like?

Ebba takes a huge gulp of wine. She is already on another level of drunk than the others.

Jenny This wine is great.

Ebba Isn’t it? That’s the best thing about coming here, whatever wine you buy, you just know you can put away two bottles of it without really realizing, have some more.

Ebba tops up Jenny’s drink and takes a gulp herself.

Tomas So what do you do Jenny? When you’re not trying to keep this guy in check.

Mats Heey! Watch it!

Tomas I’m always watching it when you’re around.

Mats and Tomas cackle in a tragic way.

Tomas Sorry Jenny, you were saying.

Jenny I work in a bar.

Silence.

Tomas OK.

Ebba That’s great!

Beat.

We love bars. We never. We never go. Anymore. We never do anything. But if we did. We would go to a bar. What kind of bar?

Tomas Do you enjoy it?

Jenny It’s OK I guess. I have a good manager.

Tomas Well there’s plenty of time.

Ebba Tomas.

Tomas What?

Ebba You sound like you’re judging.

Tomas I’m just saying. He’s forty-two and he’s still figuring out what he wants to do, I can judge him!

Laughter.

Mats He’s judging because actually he wants to be me.

More tragic cackling from Tomas and Mats.

Jenny I know what I want to do.

Tomas Oh yeah?

Jenny Yeah, I want to open a place here.

Ebba Like a hotel?

Jenny A bar.

Mats She has some great ideas. Great ideas. Got it all worked out.

Tomas That’s great.

Jenny I’ve worked in bars all my life, and I’ve been coming here for years and it feels like it’s missing something with a bit of . . .

Tomas Qui/ et.

Jenny Sou/ l.

Tomas Soul-yeah.

Jenny Yeah, there’s nothing in the evenings...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Writers’ Thanks
• Contents
• Force Majeure
• Characters
• Scene One
• Scene Two
• Scene Three
• Scene Four
• Scene Five
• Scene Six
• Scene Seven
• Scene Eight
• Scene Nine
• Scene Ten
• Scene Eleven
• Scene Twelve
• Scene Thirteen
• Scene Fourteen
• Scene Fifteen
• Scene Sixteen
• Scene Seventeen
• Scene Eighteen
• Scene Nineteen
• Scene Twenty
• Scene Twenty-One
• Scene Twenty-Two
• Scene Twenty-Three
• Scene Twenty-Four
• Scene Twenty-Five
• Scene Twenty-Six
• Scene Twenty-Seven
• eCopyright