http://www.vailplays.co.uk Vailplays.co.uk - Full length stageplays by Alexander Vail: "In Vino Veritas"; "Nuclear Family"; "A Matter of Breeding"; "Parisienne Ladies"; "That Stocks Will Stand"
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"marvellous and extremely thought provoking" - Mike Eilers
(5 females; 2 males. 1 interior set, 1 exterior set)
Madeleine is hugely successful. A feared and respected magazine editor, she rules her empire with a fist of iron. However, her skills in the boardroom do not translate, and her family life is a disaster. It is only when she hosts a major work event at home, surrounded by her family, that we see she has destroyed the lives of those around her.
That Stocks Will Stand is the latest full-length play by award-winning playwright Alexander Vail: a character study of a family in freefall.For a copy of this script, or for more information, click
Parisienne Ladies (2002)
"warm and funny... a very talented young writer" - Art e-zine
"a stylish and promising debut" - Malcolm Jones, Theatre Museum
"So well written: a joy to direct" - Fiona Dalton
(5 females; 3 males. 3 Interior Sets)
CHARACTERS (In order of appearance):
SIDONIE:
Mid 20s. A beautiful maid in the Lachaille household. Used to work for Gigi’s grandmother, but moved with Gigi when she married. Flirtatious, clumsy and funny.VICTOR:
Late 50s. Butler to Alicia de St. Ephlam for nearly thirty years. Lecherous, cynical and shocked by nothing.
GIGI:
Aged 17. A young bride, she is only just getting to grips with giving orders to domestic staff, and the responsibilities of wealth.ANDRÉE:
Mid 30s. Gigi’s mother - had little to do with her upbringing, whilst carving a career as an actress with the Opera Comique. Carefree and selfish. Not at all bothered by class or status.ALICIA:
Late 50s (exact age unknown). Infamous in her time as a grand cocotte, lives alone, surrounded by jewels and trinkets of a colourful past. Victor is her only companion. She is bitter and proud, with delusions of grandeur.GASTON:
Late 20s. He has curbed his playboy ways and settled down for domestic life. Successful, suave and cheeky.GEORGE:
Early 60s. Gaston’s father is recently retired and widowed. An elegant, wealthy and charming man.INEZ:
Late 50s. Younger sister to Alicia. Socially aware, she embodies impoverished elegance.Act One
Scene 1: The drawing room of the Lachaille Mansion
Scene 2: The boudoir of Alicia de St. Ephlam
Scene 3: The dining room of the Lachaille mansionAct Two
Scene 1: The drawing room of the Lachaille Mansion
Scene 2: The boudoir of Alicia de St. Ephlam
Scene 3: The drawing room of the Lachaille MansionFrench authoress Colette first invented Gigi, the sixteen year old courtesan-in-training, and wrote of her romance with the man of her dreams, Gaston Lachaille. At the end of ‘Gigi’, she goes against family convention and they finally marry. Parisienne Ladies picks up where Colette left off, a while after their wedding. Now only seventeen years old, she is about to celebrate her first wedding anniversary with Gaston.
For a copy of this script, or for more information, click
Act One – Scene 1
The play opens with Sidonie preparing for the anniversary party. She is interrupted by Victor, who has been sent by Alicia to spy on the proceedings, under the pretence of delivering his mistress’s wedding present. It is the opening night for Gigi’s mother Andrée, in the opera ‘Lakmé’, and he lets slip the secret that Gaston has funded the production to land her the leading role, a part she has always aspired to as a struggling actress. Victor flirts outrageously with Sidonie, but to no avail. She does allow him one snippet of gossip, however: that Gaston’s father (a former companion of Alicia) has arrived unexpectedly to join their party. Excited at this news, Victor hurriedly exits. Gigi arrives, and no sooner has she sat down, than her mother arrives on a flying visit. They have a heart-to-heart, before Andrée rushes off to prepare for her opening night. After she discusses domestic arrangements with Sidonie, she finally gets a chance to put her feet up and relax.Act One – Scene 2
Alicia is laying on a chaise longue, eating a plate of grapes and passes the time. Through sheer boredom, she rings for Victor to attend her. When he finally arrives, she begins to try on a dress for the dinner party, when he passes on his gossip about George being in town. This throws her into a frenzy as she frantically changes her outfit and tries to prepare herself to meet up with her old flame. When she is ready, she grandly makes her exit, on Victor’s arm.Act One – Scene 3
Gaston and Gigi are opening their anniversary presents, only to discover that Sidonie has broken most of them. They have a delightfully romantic exchange, but are interrupted by George. One by one, the guests arrive for dinner. We also meet Inez for the first time, who clearly revels in poverty in the same way that Alicia revels in her opulence. Dinner is served by Gigi, as the butler is ill, and the guests race through two courses before leaving for the theatre to watch the opening night. The first act closes as Alicia mentions, matter-of-factly that Gaston has paid for the show. Gigi asks her husband to deny this, but he cannot.Act Two – Scene 1
The morning after the night before: Sidonie, in a highly emotional state, clears the debris from the previous night’s party. Andrée enters, hung over, and asks Sidonie what is the matter. Sidonie explains that she went out for dinner last night, but her boyfriend tried to take liberties with her, and she was left to settle the bill in the restaurant. She leaves Andrée to nurse her headache, and Gigi enters. Gigi breaks the news to her mother that she is pregnant, and that she hasn’t told Gaston, because she is so furious with him. Andrée doesn’t know about Gaston’s patronage, so Gigi doesn’t want to upset her by telling her now. Andrée leaves to prepare for her matinee performance, and Inez arrives shortly afterwards, in a poorly disguised effort to see George. When he enters, they decide to go for a walk back to her tenement building on the Ile de St Louis. Left alone, Gigi makes up with Gaston and tells him she is pregnant. Joyous, they go off for a picnic.Act Two – Scene 2
Alicia is alone in her boudoir, thinking about George. Victor interrupts her reverie to bring her headache powders. She claims she will never need them again, now she has found love again. They begin to make preparations for her to holiday at George’s chateau in Burgundy. She attempts to telephone George at Gigi’s house, only to be told that George and Inez have one for a walk. Frightened that her sister will steal her new man, she gets ready to go and confront them both.Act Two – Scene 3
Opens with Sidonie, whose first chance to rest is interrupted by Victor. Their banter continues but is interrupted in turn by George arriving back from his walk with Inez. Victor pretends to leave, but lurks outside the door long enough to hear Sidonie flirting with George, before following him upstairs. As Victor goes to leave, Gigi and Gaston enter. The doorbell rings and shortly afterwards, Inez and Alicia charge on, demanding to know why George has been flirting with them both. Gaston dismisses Alicia from his house, and then sits down to have a talk with his father, who confesses that he is falling in love with a lady, but refuses to disclose her identity. Soon after, Sidonie answers the door to Alicia and Victor, who try to bribe her out of marrying George. She agrees to leave the house at once, then goes to pack her bags. Meanwhile, Gigi and Gaston agree they must fire Sidonie, so Gigi tells her and offers to find her a new job – with George. Sidonie cannot believe here luck, and accepts gladly. Inez and Alicia turn up for dinner, and when George arrives, they bombard him with questions. He speaks to Inez, Alicia and Sidonie, and tells them he has fallen in love with… Gigi’s mother Andrée, who enters. Gigi chooses this moment to tell the whole family that she and Gaston are expecting their first child, and Alicia feels “an headache coming on”.
"enormously amusing" - Christopher Oxford
"a brilliant play" - Genna Eilers
"superb dialogue" - Stephen Bateman
(4 females; 4 males. Single set)
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance):
JONATHAN HAMPTON
Aged 45. Successful playwright. Happily married and respectable.INDIA HAMPTON
Aged 44. Jonathan’s wife. Runs a PR company. Fun, bubbly and childless.VINCENT GARRISON
Aged 65. Actor. Is bitter about a life spent doing bit parts and rep theatre. Was a ‘Hammer Horror’ star in the 1970s, but then never got another reputable part.AIDAN MILLER
Aged 24. Actor. Plays the male lead in “Dare Not Speak”, his big break.SIENNA CHANCELLOR
Aged 23. Model/actress/whatever. Beautiful, stupid and easily star-struck. Plays the female lead in “Dare Not Speak”. Minor reality TV star.BEA SHERIDAN-STONE
Aged 50s. Star of stage and television. Is revelling in newfound popularity, since appearing in a daytime soap, and enjoying a new choice of roles for her age range.KATHRYN MOUNTFORD
Aged 25. Budding film director. Bea’s niece. Dark and serious. Old for her age.NICK ARCHER
Aged 45. Jonathan’s agent and oldest friend. Opportunist. Frantic and urgent, South London accent, unpretentious.Jonathan Hampton is on the top of the world. Hotly tipped for a knighthood for his services to Drama, he has been writing acclaimed plays for two decades, and Hollywood now beckons. It is the opening night of his new play “Dare Not Speak” on the West End, and he and his wife India have invited a few close friends for a celebratory supper, while they wait for the critics’ notices to be published. However, there are surprises in store as it soon becomes apparent that his new play is more autobiographical than anyone realised, and Jonathan gets an education in the pitfalls of celebrity culture.
For a copy of this script, or for more information, click
Act One
The play opens with India and Jonathan arriving home from the opening night of his new play. They hurry around, preparing for their guests, who will arrive any minute. They are the picture of domestic bliss – completely at ease with each other. India discovers the revolutionary touch-free flush on their toilet is broken just before the guests arrive. The first is Vincent, an old friend of theirs. Shortly afterwards, Sienna and Aidan, stars of the show arrive. Vincent latches on to Aidan immediately and flirts with him. Sienna soaks in her surroundings and chats with India. Then Bea and her niece Kathryn arrive, only for Sienna to start screaming as she comes face to face with one of her idols in Bea. Having established each others’ characters, they sit down for supper. Jonathan refills drinks as India brings in the food from the kitchen, and they all eat. The atmosphere is convivial but tense, as they discuss nudity, drug addiction, India’s infertility, prostitution, celebrity, adultery, and the secrets of a successful marriage.After the main course, they mill about taking in each others’ conversations, and discuss art, their careers, and their murky pasts, while eating dessert. The lavatory still doesn’t work, so while Vincent disappears to use the en-suite bathroom, Aidan and Jonathan try to fix the flush. In doing so, they knock out a fuse, and the entry-phone in the process. Vincent returns to tell India her mobile is ringing in the bedroom. She answers it to find that Nick, Jonathan’s agent, has been trying to get in downstairs. He seems to be panicking. The guests wait for him to arrive, as he has the first edition newspapers, carrying the reviews of the show. When he arrives, he waves the pile of papers and frantically says it couldn’t be any worse. “Just tell me it’s not true, and I’ll take them to the frigging cleaners.”
Act Two
Keeping time, the characters have had twenty minutes to absorb the shock of what has happened, and have clearly not stopped drinking. With almost complete silence on the stage, India is reading the London Herald with the headline “HAMPTON IN CHILD ABUSE SCANDAL”, while Jonathan has a fraught but hushed conversation with Nick, and the guests all read through the different papers. It transpires that a girl has given a newspaper interview, claiming to have slept with Jonathan when she was only fifteen, and was then forced to abort his baby.Nick’s mobile rings incessantly and he discovers there are paparazzi outside the building, so everyone is ordered to keep away from the windows. They talk about the fickle nature of fame and how it affects those in the limelight. The self-interest of most of the characters soon overtakes their desire to comfort Jonathan, and he finds that even his closest friends would willingly desert in a time of crisis.
Sienna passes out on the bathroom floor, and Aidan gives Bea some cocaine. Vincent tells another bizarre tale from him sordid past, and one by one they all return to the table. At this point, Kathryn quotes from the interview, and alters her voice slightly. Jonathan hears her, and then realises that she is the girl in the paper, changed by make up and time. Imprisoned by the paparazzi with India and Kathryn, he is forced to confess his affair of nine years ago. This is made worse by the fact that everyone in the room has just watched the opening night of his play, which is his account of the affair.
The atmosphere becomes very tense, as Jonathan looks for supporters among his friends, but none is forthcoming. They all start bickering, and various rows erupt, before India takes charge to diffuse the situation. India and Jonathan fall out spectacularly; she cannot tolerate this latest bombshell, the truth about his infidelity and deception, and tells him she wants a divorce. Bea, one of his closest friends, feels she must side with her niece and cut off all ties with Jonathan. All clearly drunk by this point, various rows erupt, until they decide to stagger out and face the paparazzi, rather than stay trapped in such a volatile environment a moment longer.
After they leave, India and Jonathan have a very frank discussion, which exposes the cracks in their marriage, and India confirms that she will divorce him. She goes to bed, and leaves him, with nothing. He is left alone on the stage, where he pours himself another drink, and cries.
"charming... well-crafted" - Linda Cecil
"a stylish, intelligent take on the period" - Jane Amos-Davidson
(3 females, 2 males. Single set)
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance):
ISOBEL ASQUITH
Aged late 30s. Recently widowed, yet optimistic. Emotional and sensitive, unconcerned by status and yearns for the quiet life. Feels utterly stranded, by the loss of her beloved husband.LADY BRIGHAM
Aged late 50s. Complete antithesis of her daughter. Cold and calculating, she is a woman with a mysterious past, who will not allow anything to challenge her hard-fought place in society.JANE ASQUITH
Aged 18. A daughter of the Victorian age, she is well educated and loves reading. She has strong romantic opinions and is highly strung.BERTRAM
Aged 40 – 60. Butler to the Asquith family for many years. He is wise and well respected.BARON WILHELM HIRSCH VON URSTADT
Aged late 40s. Lonely Bavarian aristocratic widower, of poor health, who falls madly in love – much to his surprise – with Jane.
A Matter of Breeding, set circa 1880, defines the struggles of the time for many ladies, forced to follow duty rather than their hearts. Jane Asquith has styled herself as a typical gothic heroine, from her favourite romantic novels, and has been indulged by her parents with freedom and a classical education. By the standards of the time, she has developed into a thoroughly modern young lady, until her father dies unexpectedly. The entire play is set in the drawing room of Denbridge Hall.For a copy of this script, or for more information, click
Act One – Scene 1
The play opens at the funeral wake of Jane’s father, Sir Henry Asquith. The mourners are in the next room, but her mother Isobel has retired to the drawing room to read a letter her late husband left with their solicitor. Lady Brigham follows her in to find out what is the matter, and Isobel explains that the family are on the brink of financial ruin. Lady Brigham takes charge of the situation and decides that under no circumstances will Denbridge Hall be sold, nor may anybody else suspect there is any problem. She concludes that to save the family name, Jane must marry well – and soon. Isobel insists that her daughter has been brought up to expect to choose her own husband and marry for love, but Lady Brigham has no tolerance for her pleas, and instructs Isobel to prepare Jane for her fate.Act One – Scene 2
Two weeks later, this scene opens with Jane sitting in the window seat, reading one of her favourite novels at leisure. Isobel enters, flustered as she is expecting a visit from ‘granny’. Jane runs off to get ready.When Lady Brigham arrives, she is in high spirits but when she discovers that her daughter hasn’t broached the subject of marriage with Jane, she dismisses her to speak to the girl alone. Jane arrives, and they discuss her education, which ‘grandmama’ feels is wasted on a woman. Lady Brigham then explains that Denbridge must be sold and they must move into a small cottage in the West Country. Jane is appalled and insists she will do anything to keep Denbridge, so it is explained that she must marry, and that a suitable Bavarian baron has been found. Jane begs to have the chance to choose herself a husband at court, as she had always planned, and her grandmother concedes on the basis that she will chaperone her, and that Jane will marry within two months. If she doesn’t find a suitor at court, then it will be the baron.
Act One – Scene 3
Six weeks later, and Isobel is waiting for Jane and Lady Brigham to return from their month at court. Jane is highly excited and is full of stories about how wonderful it all was, but points out that none of the gentlemen met her expectations. Her spirits are crushed when her grandmother flatly explains that the baron will land at Dover in a couple of days, and that they will be married within a few weeks. A fierce argument ensues, and Lady Brigham threatens Jane before leaving her to adjust to her fate.Act Two – Scene 1
Three weeks later, and Jane sits in the window seat, alone, in her wedding dress. Bertram the butler enters and thanks Jane for saving the livelihoods of the hundreds of families on the Denbridge estates and farms. She is then joined by her new husband, who understands she has only married him out of duty. He engages her in conversation, and she begins to warm to him, before he gives her a first edition of her favourite book. She is genuinely touched by this. He explains that they will leave Denbridge in a few months to go to Bavaria, and she pleads to stay longer. He says he will not force her to go until she is ready. Keen to prove herself a proper and dutiful wife, she leads him to bed.Act Two – Scene 2
Three weeks later, and Jane is sitting in her favourite place by the window. The baron enters and they discuss their plans for the day. She is clearly frosty towards him, and tries to pick an argument over the book she is reading. When he takes her insults without fighting back, she tries to outwit him with her knowledge of literature, but he matches her at every stage. When she marvels at his knowledge of her favourite subject he explains that he has an expansive library at his castle in Bavaria. He then astounds her when he explains that he is having a large part of it shipped to England for her benefit. She apologises for her dreadful behaviour, and they decide to go scrumping together in the orchards.Act Two – Scene 3
Another fortnight later, and Isobel is uncomfortable at having her tea in the European fashion, without milk, on a visit to Denbridge Hall. She now lives in a lodge on the estate, and it is clear that her daughter is adjusting well to her new way of life. Jane explains how the baron is increasingly unwell, and blames the English air, and that staying at Denbridge seems to be driving a wedge between them. They discuss the reasons she doesn’t want to go away, but she realises that it would be a great adventure, and decides to tell her husband she is ready to go to Bavaria.Act Two – Scene 4
Later that day, Jane tells to the baron she wants them to go ‘home’, mainly for his health to improve, and to be a better wife. They discuss it and agree to travel as soon as he is well enough. He has a coughing fit, and then asks her to read to him from the book he gave her on their wedding day, so she runs to fetch it. Then he sees he has bloodied his hanky, but hides it before she returns and says nothing, so as not to worry her. As she reads to him, he lays his head in her lap. She stops reading, and tells him for the first time that she has fallen in love with him, and would follow him anywhere he wanted to go. She finds he has fallen asleep, and as she tries to make him comfortable, his arm drops to the floor and the bloodied hanky falls on the floor. He is dead, and she screams, distraught.Act Three – Scene 1
A few days later, at the baron’s funeral wake. Lady Brigham comments to Isobel how dreary the fashions are for mourners, and shows herself to be unaffected by the whole affair. Jane enters, having seen the last of the guests out, and Lady Brigham expresses her displeasure at how early the mourners had been sent away. Jane turns on her grandmother, as she found it poor taste that so many people had only turned up for a social occasion – they certainly hadn’t known the baron.When pressed as to her sudden change of heart, she goes on to explain how much the last few months have changed her as a person: the romantic ideals and fantasies she once held up were shattered by a man she genuinely fell in love with. When asked what she will do next, she surprises both ladies by saying that she will keep her final promise, and travel to Bavaria. Furthermore, when she is settled in her new home, she will write. She has had a wonderful idea for a romantic novel, involving an idealistic young girl who is forced to marry an older man, who just turns out to be the love of her life…
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(2 females, 3 males +1. Four internal sets.)
CHARACTERS (in order of appearance):
GREG
Late 30s, from a ‘good’, home counties familyMAX
His American boyfriend, 31ABIGAIL
Greg’s best friend, late 20s/ early 30sCHRISTOPHER
Max’s best friend, 31MITZY
A close friend, late 30s/ early 40sCHARLIE
A close friend, early 30sWAITER
Non-speaking part, any age or gender
Greg and Max are a successful, financially secure, happy couple. The only thing missing from their lives is the child they long for. Having tried but failed to adopt, they decide to have a baby, using a surrogate mother. When their friend Abigail offers an ideal solution by carrying their child, they jump at the opportunity. But can their friendship survive the pregnancy, and what is Abigail’s hidden agenda?
This play examines the legal and emotional pitfalls of modern surrogacy, and asks, in a largely secular society where every family unit is unique and many are dysfunctional, should gay couples be legally prevented from starting their own families? In the 21st century, what is a nuclear family?
sixteen weeks in...
...thirty-two weeks gone...
...one week old
further details will follow soon. for more infomation, please email me