Dancing at Lughnasa Act 1

p.13 Maggie: Are we all for a big dance somewhere?

After I've put Michael to bed. What about then?

p.32 Agnes: There must be some reason why it overheats.

Because it's a *******, bloody useless set - that's why.

p.32 Agnes: Turn it off till it cools down.

Bloody useless set, that.

p.11 Agnes: Except more and more wrinkles.

D'you know what I think I might do? I think I just might start wearing lipstick.

p.11 Maggie: You can see enough to do you.

I'm going to throw this aul cracked thing out.

p.12 Rose: Turn on Marconi, Chrissie.

I've told you a dozen times:the battery's dead.

p.12 Agnes: Kate'll have a new battery back with her.

If it's the battery that's wrong.

p.22 Kate: No, no, no! We're going nowhere!

If we all want to go-

p.33 Kate: Have you no sense of propriety?

If you ask me we should just throw it out.

p.27 Jack: I'm afraid I don't remember them. I couldn't name ten people in ballybeg now.

It will all come back to you. Don't worry.

p.32 *dancing ends*

It's away again. That aul thing. Sometimes you're good with it, Aggie.

Thirteen? Never!

July last year; July the seventh.

p.39 Gerry: ...... but he's watching us from behind that bush.

Michael?

Gerry: You're looking wonderful, Chrissie. Really great. Terrific.

My hair's like a whin-bush.

All the way from Africa.

Yes.

p.19 Agnes: Rosie, pass me those steel needles - would you, please?

(To Kate) Are you tired?

p.37 Kate: That's a responsibility never burdened Mr. Evans.

A commercial traveller called into Kate's school last Easter. He had met you somewhere in Dublin. He had some stupid story about you giving dancing lessons up there.

p.21 Agnes: You could wear that blue dress of mine - you have the figure for it and it brings out the colour of your eyes.

Can I have it? God, Aggie, I could dance non-stop all night - all week - all month!

p.14 Agnes: I know.

Chris: (softly) Bastard.

p.11 Agnes: What for?

Chris: What indeed. Make a nice dress that, wouldn't it?... God forgive me...

p.14 Rose: And he wants to bring me up to the back hill next Sunday - up to Lough Anna. His father has a boat there. And I'm thinking maybe I'll bring a bottle of milk with me. And I've enough money saved to buy a packet of chocolate biscuits.

Danny Bradley is a scut, Rose.

p.14 Rose: I'm not saying.

Do we know him?

p.25 Maggie: Only nine cigarettes in it. They're so wild one of them must have escaped on her.

Doesn't Jack sometimes call you Okawa, too, Maggie?

p.19 Agnes: All the same I remember some great harvest dances.

Don't we all.

p.14 Rose: How was I to know that?

Don't you see me ironing? Now you've lost it. Get out of my road, will you!

And how's Maggie?

Fine.

p.25 Maggie: That;s because you keep winking at him, Kate.

He was always moody, that man.

Gerry: He was right.

He was not, Gerry!

p.14 Rose: I never said it was Danny Bradley!

He's a married man with three young children.

p. 20 Kate: ....... The doctor says it won't cure the malaria but it might help to contain it. Is he in his room?

He's wandering about out the back somewhere.

p.36 Gerry: How are you, Chrissie? Great to see you.

Hello, Gerry.

p.11 Maggie: Steady on, girl. Today it's lipstick; tomorrow it's the gin bottle.

I think I just might.

Tell her I was asking for her - Agnes.

I would ask you in but the place is -

p.37 Gerry: Looks lovely to me.

Maggie's going to wash it tonight.

p.29 Agnes: Not so sure about Nina. Do you like Nina for a name?

Nina? No, not a lot.

p. 20 Kate: ...... it's just that he has difficulty finding the english words for what he wants to say.

No matter what the doctor says, Kate, his mind is a bit confused. Sometimes he doesn't know the difference between us. I've heard him calling you rose and he keeps calling me some strange name like-

p.28 Kate: ....... Asking about everybody by name.

She remembered us all?

p.18 Kate: D'you know what he's making out there? Did you see, Christina? Making two kites!

Some kites he'll make.

p.33 Agnes: Who makes the tea every evening?

The connection seems to be all right.

p.35 Rose: You imagined it, Maggie.

oh God.

p.33 Maggie: It's Gerry Evans, Chrissie.

Christ Almighty.

p.11 Agnes: As long as Kate's not around. 'Do you want to make a pagan of yourself?'

Far too pale. And the aul mousey hair. Need a bit of colour.

p.14 Maggie: (singing) Can't you spare a swee word of love? Tchook-tchook-tchookeeeeeee..

For God's sake, I have an iron in there!

......what are you laughing at?

Gerry-

.... -one for himself and three for the married daughters.

He took four gramophones?

p.18 Rose: I think he's beautiful, Chris. I wish he was mine.

Is that a spinning top he has?

p.22 Kate: Maybe we're mad - are we mad?

It costs four and six to get in.

p.30 Kate: Marconi.

Marconi? Yes, yes ... should be ...

p.33 Kate: Please take that surplice off, Christina.

Maybe a valve has gone - if I knew what a valve looked like.

p.29 Agnes: We won't see her so. That's a pity.

Nice names, aren't they? - Nina and Nora.

p.21 Agnes: I'm game.

Oh god, you know how I loved dancing, Aggie.

p.40 Gerry: Cross the old ticker.

Real lessons?

p.32 Agnes: Feel the top. Is it warm?

Roasting.

......'Minerva Gramophones - The Wise Buy.'

Sounds good, Gerry.

p.20 Kate: Cod-liver oil. You're far too pale.

Thank you, Kate.

p.21 Agnes: Wouldn't be a good one if we all went?

went where?

p.20 Kate: oh, dear! For you, Christina. One teaspoonful every morning before breakfast.

what's this?

p 21. Agnes: To the harvest dance.

Aggie!

p.18 Kate: Morgan's Arcade.

And I'm sure he didn't even thank you.

Fabulous. All I have to do is get the orders and pass them on to Dublin. A big enterprise, Chrissie; oh, one very big enterprise.

And it's going all right for you?

..... Oh, that was fun while it lasted. I enjoyed that.

And people came to you to be taught?

And Agnes?

Everybody's well, thanks.

Don't look so surprised! Everybody wants to dance. I had thousands of pupils - millions!

Gerry -

p.13 Agnes: What's that son of yours at out there?

God knows. As long as he's quiet.

p.25 Kate: And the battery. The man in the shop says we go through these things quicker than anyone in Ballybeg.

Good for us.

And Rose and Kate?

Grand.

p.26 Jack: Yes? I expected to enter my bedroom through that .... what I am missing - what I require...... I had a handkerchief in my pocket and I think perhaps, I -

Here's a handkerchief.

No, no, some other time; thanks all the same. The old schedule's a bit tight today. And the chappie who gave me the lift tells me Father Jack's home.

Just a few weeks ago.

p.32 Maggie: But if he goes down to the old well -

Just leave him alone for once, will you, please?

p.22 Agnes:It's settled. We're going - The Mundy girls - all five of us together.

Like we used to.

p.35 Kate: That's a very unchristian thing to say, Rose. There's no luck in talk like that!

Look at my hands, Kate - I'm shaking.

p.13 Agnes: He's maming something. Looks like a kite. Oh, that was the wrong thing to do! He's going to have your hair, Chris.

Mine's like a whin-bush. Will you wash it for me tonight, Maggie?

p.35 Agnes: Yes. There he is.

Oh sweet God - Look at the state of me - what'll I say to him? - How close is he?

p.34 Maggie: He's at the bend in the lane.

Oh, Jesus Christ Almighty.

p.18 Kate: It's nothing.

Oh, Kate, you have him spoiled. Where did you get it?

p.25 Maggie: Yes. what does it mean?

Okawa is his house boy, Kate says.

p.21 Kate: Okawa.

That's it! Aggie you've heard him, haven't you?

And how have you been for the past six months?

Thirteen months.

p.12 Rose: It is not. It went for me a while ago. You see! Takes aul Rosie!

Told you.

p.18 Kate: No question about that. And very mature for his years.

Very cheeky for his years.

p.21 Agnes: I'm game.

We couldn't, Aggie - could we?

Wow-wow-wow-wow. Where does the time go? Thirteen months? Phew! A dozen times - two dozen times I planned a visit and then something turned up and I couldn't get away.

Well, you're here now.

p.25 Kate: How would I know?

What are they saying in the town?

p.13 Maggie: Wouldn't it be just great if we had a - shhh.

What is it?

p.25 Kate: Some sill prank up in the hills. He knows he's dying, the poor boy. Just lies there, moaning.

What sort of Prank?

All last winter.

What sort of dancing?

p.30 Kate: Is it working now, Christina?

What's that?

p.11 .... I had a chance to observe him. *Lights up*

When are we going to get a decent mirror to see ourselves in?

p.22 Rose: Will Maggie go with us?

Will Maggie what! Try to stop her!

p.32 Maggie: Yes, miss. Where's Michael, Chrissie?

Working at those kites, isn't he?

...... As a matter of interest. Bit of good luck that, wasn't it?

Yes.

He just let it slip. And here I am. Oh, yes, wonderful luck.

Yes.

Lucky man.

Yes.

Safe and sound.

Yes.

Terrific.

Yes.

p.11 Maggie: Indeed you're not, Chrissie. I'm the one that broke it and the only way to avoid seven years bad luck is to keep using it.

You can see nothing in it.

p.19 Rose: I know you have! She's blushing! Look! Isn't she blushing?

You'd need to put a stitch in that hem, Rosie.

p.29 Kate: You've offered us that cheap wisdom already, Rose.

You've got some flour on your nose, Maggie.

p.32 Maggie: He's not there. He's gone.

he won't go far.

p.32 Maggie: He was there ten minutes ago.

he'll be all right.