Stories (NHB Modern Plays) by Nina Raine

Author:Nina Raine
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nick Hern Books

Scene Ten

39 + 4

ANNA stands in a beautiful apartment with

CORIN. CORIN.…Here… it’s actually Chinese…

He pours her some tea from a beautiful cast-iron pot.

ANNA. Oh look at that pot…!

She looks around

It’s so beautiful here…

CORIN. Well, yes I’ll show you the other floors in a minute – no I’m not sure how long you’re meant to brew it for…

He peers at the tea.

I got it when I was filming with Woody…

ANNA. Oh really…!

…How was he?

CORIN. Wonderful. A real pleasure to direct.

ANNA. You didn’t ever disagree?

CORIN. No, no…

Only once… Silly really… it was a scene that I felt, well, you know his humour, very improvised, but there was one scene, you know, about the Holocaust…

ANNA. Oh… yes…?

CORIN. I felt it needed to be played without all that… zaniness… and improvised silly small talk, and there we were trying to do it again and again… and it just felt so horribly phoney. And fake… and I had to stop and I said I I I just can’t do this; can you please just play the scene. Cut all those jokes, cut right to the chase really. To his credit, Woody backed right off and just played the scene.

ANNA. Great.

Beat.

CORIN. Mmm. Yes.

Pause. They drink their tea.

ANNA. Oh yes it’s delicious…

Erm…

So, I don’t know quite what Daphne told you…

Beat.

CORIN. Well, she told me a little.

ANNA. Well, it feels very odd to be having this conversation with you but anyway.

She looks down into her tea for a second.

Well, Daphne said to me you’d been saying that it was something you had been thinking about. That you’d never wanted to before but now you’ve got to a certain stage and suddenly it was something that interested you.

CORIN. Yes.

ANNA. Well, you’re the first person I’ve spoken to, and, obviously what I want, what would be exciting, is to do it with someone interesting, someone talented. Obviously you’re both of those things.

Erm, I know you’re also famous and that makes it difficult.

And I wanted to make it clear it’s not about financial support, if it made you feel more comfortable I could absolutely sign something saying I wouldn’t try to get money out of you, or whatever, that it would all be confidential, or whatever you wanted.

The point is for me, what excites me is the idea of making a baby with someone interesting and talented.

CORIN. Yes.

Silence.

ANNA tries not to fidget. CORIN sips, puts down his tea.

How does it, how did you think it might happen?

ANNA. Um – do you mean – the –

The?

Beat.

Well, I’ve already gone a certain way, found a clinic, you can go to this clinic.

Registered as a couple which is much quicker, erm –

or, you can go to them and register as a sperm donor… so,

um, you can do it in many ways.

Beat.

Or –

I suppose –

We could always, um,

Could always do it the, the er natural way.

CORIN flinches slightly, ANNA immediately regrets this comment.

There are many ways, there are many ways. Skin a cat.

Pause.

CORIN. Yes.

Pause.

Well as Daphne told you – she’s right,

I am interested.

I am interested in the idea.

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