Our final play reading for the year was a fun short one act play called “Continental Customs: A play in one act for women” by Leonard de Francquen.
The play is set in a Customs house somewhere in Europe in the early 20th century. Five ladies are ushered into an office like room and left while their “captor” heads off to seek further orders. All the women seek to find out why they are being kept captive and each of them has a guilty conscience about something they have done while in Europe.
The five ladies are from very different backgrounds. The characters are Irene (on her honeymoon), Ruth (a lady on a business trip), Caroline (travelling with a man who is not her husband), Nell (who inherited some money and is out to see life) and Edwina (who is a dance teacher). After being caught up in revealing their secrets, each is worried.
Their captor (Petrina) returns to tell them they will be kept until an important government official is found. Before leaving them Petrina adds that the Captain of the guard would like one of the women to join him in his house. The women assume the worst about why the captain would want a ‘visit’ by one of the women. It is only at the end after the official has been found (locked in a building bathroom) that Petrina tells Nell (the other women having already left the room) the captain’s reason for wanting a visit was quite innocent – he wanted his wife to learn how to make English tea.
As this was a short play (only 30 minutes) we were able to discuss how well the playwright had developed the different characters well. Finally we headed to a café to celebrate another year of Play Reading.
The play is set in a Customs house somewhere in Europe in the early 20th century. Five ladies are ushered into an office like room and left while their “captor” heads off to seek further orders. All the women seek to find out why they are being kept captive and each of them has a guilty conscience about something they have done while in Europe.
The five ladies are from very different backgrounds. The characters are Irene (on her honeymoon), Ruth (a lady on a business trip), Caroline (travelling with a man who is not her husband), Nell (who inherited some money and is out to see life) and Edwina (who is a dance teacher). After being caught up in revealing their secrets, each is worried.
Their captor (Petrina) returns to tell them they will be kept until an important government official is found. Before leaving them Petrina adds that the Captain of the guard would like one of the women to join him in his house. The women assume the worst about why the captain would want a ‘visit’ by one of the women. It is only at the end after the official has been found (locked in a building bathroom) that Petrina tells Nell (the other women having already left the room) the captain’s reason for wanting a visit was quite innocent – he wanted his wife to learn how to make English tea.
As this was a short play (only 30 minutes) we were able to discuss how well the playwright had developed the different characters well. Finally we headed to a café to celebrate another year of Play Reading.
Joy Shirley
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