UnScripts:A Number
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This script art a part of
The UnScripts Project
Your personal Shakspearian folio of humor, love, woe and other silly emotions.
Main Page | Marlowe of the Month | Requests | The Scripts Collection
This article is based on the theatre play by Caryl Churchill. For other use see Number bases.
- Characters
- HALTER, a man in his early sixties
- NUMBER 2, his son, forty
- NUMBER 1, his son, thirty-five
1[edit]
- NUMBER 1 and NUMBER 2
NUMBER 2
A numberNUMBER 1
What is itNUMBER 2
"A Number" strangeNUMBER 1
what number strangeNUMBER 2
titleNUMBER 1
is itNUMBER 2
yesNUMBER 1
NUMBER 2
a theatre playNUMBER 1
who wroteNUMBER 2
who wrote?NUMBER 1
who wrote theNUMBER 2
Caryl Churchill a dramatist she is, writes about human cloning and all that everyone will tell you it might be quite theNUMBER 1
quite the what?NUMBER 2
odd but not odd queer but not queer peculiar but not peculiar you know what I mean not everyone might comprehend what she is sayingNUMBER 1
really why notNUMBER 2
Hmmm....NUMBER 1
Oh, punctuation!NUMBER 2
whatNUMBER 1
never mind2[edit]
- NUMBER 1 and NUMBER 2
Reception[edit]
NUMBER 1
fine and what aboutNUMBER 2
considered great by the criticsNUMBER 1
butNUMBER 2
but?NUMBER 1
yes butNUMBER 2
does not really tell anythingNUMBER 1
about the problem but it doesNUMBER 2
then doesn’t provide any solutionsNUMBER 1
for the characters but it doesNUMBER 2
does not present all the aspects?NUMBER 1
of the issue but it doesNUMBER 2
as if you have read itNUMBER 1
what if I didAuthor[edit]
NUMBER 1
Caryl Churchill, see?NUMBER 2
soNUMBER 1
normally writes about sexual politics one of her greatest works is Objections to sex although she herself has three sonsNUMBER 2
wellNUMBER 1
wellNUMBER 2
were there any moreNUMBER 1
what?NUMBER 2
incidents of such a kindNUMBER 1
not much except for she wrote "Seven Jewish children" when she was around seventyNUMBER 2
you think thatNUMBER 1
I have no ideaNUMBER 2
a dog?NUMBER 1
how do I knowNUMBER 2
a husband?NUMBER 1
yes, married and lived happily but wrote another play called Drunk enough to say I love youNUMBER 2
well?NUMBER 1
still seems to be rather happyCharacters[edit]
NUMBER 1
A familyNUMBER 2
a normal one?NUMBER 2
butNUMBER 1
well I am not saying it is particularly unusual the father is drunk the mother commits suicide the father clones his child that happens often you knowNUMBER 2
and the clonesNUMBER 1
yeah a number of them a father with plenty of sons he does not know what to doNUMBER 2
son's name was somethingNUMBER 1
Bernard - the father gives the same name to all his sons of whom he is awareNUMBER 2
so they get angry and kill themselvesNUMBER 1
not all of themNUMBER 2
seriously stop cutting me off if you do that again I willNUMBER 1
clone me?NUMBER 2
no stop I didn't finish talking I wasNUMBER 1
clone me?NUMBER 2
why would INUMBER 1
why not?NUMBER 2
I’ve not been lucky with dogs. Not that they all died - they did, as a matter of fact, but this isn’t the point. I had a pit bull that basically killed all my friends not friends I meant acquaintances sometimes you meet a person at a bar and he throws a beer into your face and you start to know him you understand you have the same preferences and tastes or not exactly or orNUMBER 1
I’ve not been lucky with cats. Let’s talk about something else.Plot[edit]
NUMBER 2
So cloning, huh?NUMBER 1
noNUMBER 2
noNUMBER 1
noNUMBER 2
yesNUMBER 1
yesNUMBER 2
many of them at the same timeNUMBER 1
the father was often mean with his sonNUMBER 2
he had manyNUMBER 1
it was not possible to be mean with all of them he would die of tireNUMBER 2
what did he do with that manyNUMBER 1
oh I thought you were talking aboutNUMBER 2
then for God's sake let me finish myNUMBER 1
sure then I won'tNUMBER 2
Then you don’t. So what happened?NUMBER 1
liesNUMBER 2
yesNUMBER 1
tried to deceive everyone butNUMBER 2
whatNUMBER 1
failedNUMBER 2
failed, this is a word failed a lifeNUMBER 1
failed livesNUMBER 2
failed to deceive or failed a lifeNUMBER 1
those are just the sameNUMBER 2
noNUMBER 1
yesNUMBER 2
so they failed?NUMBER 1
yes all of them yes yes maybe except for oneNUMBER 2
who?NUMBER 1
another cloneNUMBER 2
the one whoNUMBER 1
seems to be happy with his lifeNUMBER 2
andNUMBER 1
his greatest interest in life is his wife's earsNUMBER 2
wellNUMBER 1
then he probably failed as wellTheatre[edit]
NUMBER 1
First performed by Michael Gambon and Daniel CraigNUMBER 2
I remember a book I once readNUMBER 1
the James Bond one who always wears a suit no matter whatNUMBER 2
It was a pretty bad and boring book actually.NUMBER 1
played all of the sonsNUMBER 2
About an elephant, don’t you remember? We read it togetherNUMBER 1
If it was real, this would give us a lot of James'es Bonds, which is not always a goodNUMBER 2
An elephant at seaNUMBER 1
solutionNUMBER 2
It was an elephant in red socks, was it?NUMBER 1
because clones may have different personalities you know perceptionsNUMBER 2
Red trousers!NUMBER 1
perceptions of life and the Universe3[edit]
- NUMBER 1
NUMBER 1
Wait, did he wear a suit on that play?- Silence
NUMBER 1
Hello hello hello.4[edit]
- HALTER and NUMBER 1
HALTER
I am your father.NUMBER 1
Where is NUMBER 2?HALTER
I don’t want a number of sons, thank you, you’re plenty, I’m fine.NUMBER 1
Why don’t you just let me leave?HALTER
My darlingNUMBER 1
I want to go awayHALTER
I love you.NUMBER 1
That’s something you can’t help.HALTER
I'm sorry.NUMBER 1
I'm not saying you should be. Just let me leaveHALTER
I still am. I am sorry.NUMBER 1
Leave leave leaveHALTER
For what for a week or two a holidayNUMBER 1
ForeverHALTER
noNUMBER 1
yesHALTER
yesNUMBER 1
yes?HALTER
yesNUMBER 1
no, no, no, wa-- Silence
5[edit]
- HALTER
HALTER
Ah, I miss him so much. I miss them both.