Synopsis Woman in Mind

1 synopsis

1.1 act 1

1.1.1 scene 1
1.1.2 scene 2


1.2 act 2

synopsis
act 1
scene 1

susan awakes man tending speaking apparent gibberish, misheard english (such “squeezy cow, squeezy” meaning “easy now, easy”). dr. windsor (or “octer bin sir”), , susan suggests s died , gone no-one speaks english, , when bill says december bee (“remember me”), susan retorts there no bees in december. when bill s language starts make sense, explains knocked herself out garden rake.

after bill leaves fetch cup of tea, susan s husband (andy), lovingly tends her, joined daughter lucy , brother tony, fresh tennis courts. show concern welfare , tease rake. lucy , tony fetch ice, , andy goes cancel ambulance bill has ordered.

when bill returns, however, apparent not right. bill sees tiny garden, whilst susan insists garden massive, complete rose-beds, swimming pool, tennis courts , lake. susan denies having sister-in-law or son , becomes more confused when bill says husband has not yet come home. when real husband (gerald) , sister-in-law (muriel) enter, susan faints.

scene 2

the following day, susan, dozing in garden, woken gerald. in tune real world, openly discusses deadness of marriage, gerald insensitively glosses over. muriel serves “coffee”: ground coffee prepared 1 instant. indignantly muriel points out tended late mother, late husband (or finished off, susan sees it) before digressing deluded conviction late husband s ghost return message.

when gerald reminds susan son, rick, coming lunch, transpires joined sect 2 years ago forbids members talking parents. writes, gerald. susan, hurt this, blames (and rick s fear of women) on public school scholarship gerald bullied him take. susan momentarily distracted glimpses of tony , lucy, before bill returns check on susan, drawn gerald s account of book s writing on history of parish. susan therefore takes opportunity talk lucy, praises her status historical novelist, , informs (naturally susan first know) getting married.

in real world, bill agrees stay lunch (muriel s omelette surprise , mistakes tea tin herbs). gerald makes excuses sect, until confessing rick coming sell possessions in room – horrifies susan has left of him. bill offers act go-between gerald , susan can communicate son.

when rick arrives, gerald has trouble bringing himself house. before susan can enter, imaginary family brings sumptuous outdoor banquet, , persuades dine them instead. rick comes garden and, susan s surprise, asks come inside. goes son, collapses again.

act 2

susan wakes find rick still speaking her, explaining has left sect , has girlfriend. joy, however, short-lived when learns married , moving thailand – nursing, , him odd jobs . not allow susan see her, because rick embarrassed way acted around past girlfriends.

rick leaves stung susan explain gerald, says “it s not fair lay blame @ door”. fierce argument, susan egged on tony , lucy (by sitting in on of susan s conversations). lucy tries console susan praising status brilliant heart surgeon. time, susan snaps @ lucy shut up. lucy runs off in tears, , susan tries apologise accepted gerald.

in sunset of imaginary world, andy caresses susan , forgives being angry lucy. susan, worried increasing influence lucy, tony , andy have on real life, tries asks andy leave alone. andy says go when asks, stays when susan so, suggesting didn t mean it. scene becomes unreal, andy anticipating susan says, voices of susan , imaginary family coming out of both mouths.

back in reality, susan find bill beside (who fled on mention of dessert, has returned). susan confides bill hallucinations, , when asked rick, tells him semi-fantasy getting married, , has met daughter-in-law be. having hinted on own family life – 2 daughters married wheeler-dealer stockbrokers , wife cheating doctor – bill reveal how feels her, , kiss when susan points lucy. bill tries humour susan talking susan pointed, lucy has moved away. tony , andy arrive, , suddenly, bill become part of fantasy – wheeler-dealer stockbroker poaching rabbits. thrown lake, leaving andy , susan reminisce on own wedding day. kisses her, susan weakly protests “oh dear god! m making love devil!”

at indeterminate time overnight, gerald , rick find susan sprawled out on middle of lawn during thunderstorm. gerald tries bring susan inside, mocks him offer of quiet divorce. appears susan has burnt gerald s precious book of parish, susan has no memory of. muriel comes out screaming, having read message of knickers off muriel . refuses pleas come inside, denouncing gerald narrow-minded meanness, rick priggish brat, , muriel wanting phantom pregnancy.

tony appears , opens umbrella , storm ends in time appears lucy s wedding, tony , andy appear sort of race stewards, , lucy, although dressed bride, seems taking part in brides race . meanwhile, bill becomes clichéd bookie, muriel heavily pregnant french maid, gerald archbishop , susan s real son rick (now odd-job man), horror, seems groom imaginary daughter lucy. kinds of snippets relating real life mesh surrealistic nightmare. ignoring susan s protests, toast her, acclaiming susan precious them all, demanding speech.

the final shred of reality when muriel says ambulance on way , , blue light flashes. susan s speech descends same gibberish bill used @ beginning of play, and, desperate request december bee , collapses final time.