It's like this (if you think so)

Characters Lamberta Laudisi = Arabella Al-Zoghbi Consigliere Agazzi = Alessandro Mascaretti La signora Amalia Agazzi = Maria Padilla Salazar Dina = Kathryn Head La signora Frola = Elizabeth Coveney Il signor Ponza = Daniel Brooks La signora Sirelli = Elena Bergonzi Il signor Sirelli = Ciaran Smith La signora Cini = Hannah Goodbourn Il commissario Centuri = Celia Corrigan Il prefetto = Marco Mestre La signora Ponza = Emily Turner Un cameriere = Paul Philo

Luigi Pirandello

IT’S LIKE THIS‌ (IF YOU THINK SO) Translated by LETICIA COSTA - MARGARET KWAKYE ANNA SURRICCHIO

Translation supervisor Dr Paul Philo Production Leticia Domingos da Costa Maura Iannelli- Chanda Traslation and the production of the booklet Anna Surricchio Leticia da Costa Margaret Okyere Kwakye Lighting and sound/Stage management/Prompter/Front of house Margaret Okyere Kwakye Leticia da Costa Anna Surricchio Naomi Cooperman

From the adapted version of the original play Performed on 25 March 2015 at Royal Holloway University of London

Director Maura Iannelli- Chanda 1

2

Act 1 Act 1 Scene 1 Laudisi : Ah, so your husband went to complain to the Gover nor ?

Amalia : Oh goodness, Lamber ta, he went to complain about his subordinate.

Laudisi : A subor dinate, at the office, but not at home.

Dina : He got his mother -in-law a place, here, on the same floor.

Laudisi : And didn’t he have the right to? There was a flat available, and he rented it for his mother-in-law. And according to you, his mother-in-law should now come and pay a visit to the wife and daughter of her son-in-law’s boss?

Amalia : No Lamber ta! It seems to me that we wer e the ones who went to pay our respects but we were not received.

Laudisi : So now your husband is demanding that this act of cour tesy be reciprocated?

Amalia: Mor e like an act of r epar ation, I would say. Because two ladies should not be left standing stock-still outside the door.

Laudisi : Don’t we all have the right to keep ourselves to ourselves?

Dina : Come on auntie, calm down! The fact is that we wer e cur ious…Forgive me but this is only natural!

Laudisi : Natur al, yes, because the two of you haven’t anything better to do!

Dina : No! Look, after all you cannot deny that this man and his family behave in such a bizarre way to arouse curiosity. Listen: this man turns up, rents a flat, on the top floor of a block on the outskirts of this town….

Laudisi : So, what of it?

Dina : He’s locked his wife up there!

Amalia : Meanwhile his mother -in-law…. lives next to us!

Dina : He for ces mother and daughter to live apar t.

Laudisi : Who told you this? Maybe it’s the mother, maybe she wishes to have more freedom.

Dina : No auntie! Ever ybody knows it’s him!

3

Amalia : Listen, we can under stand that a daughter , once mar ried, would leave home and go to live with her husband, even in another town. But when a poor mother, who has followed her daughter, is forced to live a part from her… come on now, you have to admit it: no, this is not at all easy to understand.

Laudisi : Per haps, it is a question of temper aments, they don’t get along….

Amalia : No, no, they ar e always together .

Dina : Son-in-law and mother-in-law!

Amalia : He comes her e ever y evening to keep her company….

Dina : Even once or twice, dur ing the day.

Laudisi : ….Maybe they’re having an affair, mother-in-law with the son-in-law?

Dina : No, what ar e you saying? The fact is that he never br ings his wife with him and so she can never visit her own mother, ever!

Laudisi : The wife might be unwell…perhaps she can’t leave the house…

Amalia : Nonsense! It’s the mother who visits her daughter… but can only talk to her from the courtyard!

Dina : Because she is not allowed to go up into her daughter ’s flat….This poor lady rings the doorbell outside; the daughter comes to the window and the mother talks to her from downstairs, craning her neck like this!

Butler : Excuse me?

Amalia : Who is it?

Butler : The Sir ellis with another lady.

Amalia : Let them in.

2Act 1 scene 2

Amalia : My dear fr iend!

Signora Sirelli: I took the liber ty of br inging with me my good friend, signora Cini, who was really looking forward to meeting Amalia : Delighted to meet you! Please have a sit. This is my daughter Dina. My sister Lamberta Laudisi.

Sirelli : Enchanted.

4

Act 1 scene 2

Laudisi : Ha ha ha….my dear lady, may I answer to your husband?

My dear man, how do you expect your wife to be happy with the things that you tell her, if you, obviously, tell them the way you perceive them?

Sirelli : No, how they ar e in r eality! How they ar e in r eality!

Signora Sirelli : That is not at all the case! You ar e always wr ong!

Sirelli : Believe me, you ar e wr ong, not me!

Laudisi : But, no my fr iends! Neither of you is wr ong. Allow me?

I’ll prove it to you…Can both of you see me? You can see me, right?

Sirelli : Of cour se we can!

Laudisi : No, no, don’t be too hasty. Come here, come here.

Sirelli : Why? Signora Sirelli : Come on, get over ther e!

Laudisi : So you see me? Take a proper look. Touch me.

Signora Sirelli : Touch her then!

Laudisi : Like this, good. You ar e sur e that you touched me just the way you see me, right?

Sirelli : Yes! Laudisi : You cannot doubt your self, natur ally! Go back to your place.

Signora Sirelli : Come back and sit down!

Laudisi : Now, if you don’t mind, could you come here my dear? No, no, I’ll come to you. So you see me, right? Lift your pretty little hand: touch me. What a lovely hand!

Sirelli : Oi, oi!

Laudisi : Pay no attention to him! Ar e you also sur e that you ar e touching me just the way you see me? But, for goodness sake don’t tell your husband, nor my sister, nor my nice, nor the lady here: signora…

Signora Cini : Cini.

Laudisi : Cini… how you see me, because all four of them will say that you are mistaken, but you are not wrong at all. Because I am really the way you see me. But this does not take away the fact that I am really also how your husband, my sister, my niece see me and the lady here signora…

Signora Sirelli : Ah my dear , we have come her e to the sour ce….

So eager to learn more news!

Amalia : News of what, my dear s?

Signora Sirelli : Of signor Ponza, the new Gover nor ’s secretary.

The whole town is talking about little else!

Signora Cini : We ar e all cur ious, ver y cur ious indeed…

Amalia : Believe me, we know as much as anyone else!

Sirelli : Didn’t I tell you! Do you know the reason why the wretched mother can’t visit her daughter?

Amalia : I was just discussing that with my sister .

Laudisi : I think you have all gone insane!

Sirelli : He keeps her locked up!

Amalia : The mother -in-law?

Sirelli : No, no the wife! The wife!

Signora Cini : Locked up!

Dina : You see auntie? And you wer e tr ying to defend him…

Sirelli : What? How can you defend that monster ?

Laudisi : No, not at all, I have no intention of defending him! All I’m saying is that your curiosity is intolerable….and, above all, pointless.

Sirelli : Pointless?

Laudisi : Pointless! Pointless, ladies and gentlemen!

Signora Cini : Pointless to want to know facts?

Laudisi : To know what facts, excuse me? How can we r eally know about other people? Who they are… what they are… what they do… why they do it…

Signora Sirelli : By asking people what they know… but here my husband always claims to know everything, and me, well… I end up knowing nothing!

Sirelli: No wonder ! She is never happy with what I tell her ! She always questions how I report the facts. Indeed she maintains that what I tell her is never how it was.

Signora Sirelli: Hold on a minute, you always come up with such absurdities!

5

6

Signora Cini : Cini.

Laudisi : Cini… because they are also absolutely right.

Signora Sirelli : Then, you ar e differ ent for each of us?

Laudisi : For sur e I am differ ent, my dear lady! And you per haps are not? You are never different?

Signora Sirelli : No, no no no no no! I can assur e you that, as for me, I am always the same!

Laudisi : This is tr ue for me too, believe me! And I am saying that you are all wrong for not seeing me how I see myself!

Sirelli : So? All of this… to prove what?

Laudisi : So do you think that this is not leading anywher e? Oh, that’s a good one! I see you all so worked up, trying to understand who people are and how things are, as if people or things were simply like this or like that.

Signora Sirelli : Accor ding to you we will never know the tr uth then?

Signora Cini : If we cannot even believe in the things we see and touch!

Laudisi : But of cour se, my fr iend! But I am telling you this: r espect what others think they see and touch, even if it contradicts what you see and touch.

Signora Sirelli : Oh! Listen her e! I am tur ning my back on you and I am refusing to speak to you again! I do not want to go crazy!

Laudisi : No, no! Car r y on talking about signora Fr ola and her son-in-law signor Ponza: I am not going to interrupt you anymore.

Amalia : Oh thank goodness! And my dear Lamber ta, you would do better by going to the other room!

Laudisi : No! Why? I find it enter taining listening to you. I’ll stay quiet I promise. At the most I’ll just have a good laugh.

Signora Sirelli : Have you tr ied to see the mother -in-law next door?

Dina : Of cour se! Twice!

Signora Cini : So you have spoken to her ?

Amalia : No, we wer e not invited in, my dear fr iend!

Signora Sirelli, Signor Sirelli, Signora Cini : Oh! What? How is that?

Dina : Even this mor ning….

Amalia : The fir st time we waited outside the door for mor e than a quarter of an hour….and no one came to open up. We tried again today….

Dina : And it was he who came to the door !

Signora Sirelli : What a face! Ther e’s such an evil look about him.

With that look he has unsettled the whole town! And then he is always dressed in black….All three of them dressed in black… even the mother-in-law, isn’t that true? And what about the daughter?

Sirelli : But the daughter has never been seen by anyone! I have told you a thousand times! I bet she dresses in black as well!

Signora Cini : And so…did he answer the door?

Amalia : Yes, but as soon as he was in fr ont of me, I couldn’t find the courage to tell him we had come to visit his mother-in-law….and from him not even a thank you….

Dina : Well, he gave a bow…

Amalia : Really, just a nod of the head.

Dina : You should mention his eyes! Those ar e the eyes of a beast!

Signora Cini : And then? What did he say then?

Dina : He was tr uly embar r assed…

Amalia : He told us that his mother -in-law wasn’t well and….

Dina : That he was gr ateful for our concer n….

Amalia : And he stood ther e at the door , waiting for us to leave.

Dina : We wer e mor tified!

Sirelli : How r ude of him! But you can be sur e that it is him that keeps her under lock and key, you know?

Signora Sirelli : The audacity! Tr eating the wife of a super ior in such a manner!

Amalia : Ah yes, but this time my husband was r eally offended: He took it as a complete lack of respect and he went to complain to the Governor, insisting on an apology.

Dina : Oh, good, her e’s daddy now!

7

8

Act 1 Scene 3 Agazzi : Oh my dear Sir elli. Madam.

Amalia : My husband, signora Cini.

Agazzi : Delighted. I just want to war n you that signora Fr ola will be here shortly.

Signora Sirelli : She’s coming, she is coming here?

Agazzi : But of cour se! How could I toler ate such r udeness towards my women, in my own home?

Sirelli : It would have been a good chance to…

Agazzi : To br ing to the Gover nor ’s attention what’s being said around town about this man? Don’t worry, I have done it!

Sirelli : Good, good.

Signora Sirelli : All this is unbelievable!

Amalia : Down r ight bar bar ic! Do you know? He keeps them both under lock and key!

Dina : No mum: as for the mother -in-law we don’t know yet.

Sirelli : As for the wife, it’s certain.

Agazzi : But now the tr uth will be r evealed…

Laudisi : Ha ha ha ha ha!

Agazzi : Why is she laughing?

Signora Sirelli : She claims it’s impossible to discover the truth!

Act 1 Scene 4 Butler : With you your per mission? Signora Fr ola is her e.

Agazzi : We will see now if it’s impossible to discover the truth, my dear Lamberta! Now everyone, please stay seated, seated. Show her in.

Amalia : Please come in. This is my ver y good fr iend Signor a Sirelli, Signora Cini, my husband, Signor Sirelli, my daughter Dina and my sister Lamberta Laudisi. Please sit down.

Signora Frola : You must for give me… I should have been the first to pay a visit…

Amalia : Not to wor r y, between neighbour s it doesn’t matter who does it first.

Signora Frola : Thank you, you’re too kind.

9

Signora Sirelli : Is it just you, her e, in town?

Signora Frola : No, I have a mar r ied daughter who lives her e.

Signora Sirelli : And signor Ponza is your son-in-law, correct?

Signora Frola : Yes, and I hope you will for give him.

Signora Sirelli : For give me if I speak out of place, how is it that having your daughter here…

Signora Frola : I’m left all alone?

Sirelli : Yes of cour se, it does seem str ange to be honest.

Signora Frola : Yes, I under stand. But you see, once a daughter is married….she has to lead her own life….

Signora Cini : Not to the extent of excluding her mother !

Signora Frola : But we do see each other ….

Sirelli : But your daughter never leaves the house.

Dina : At least, no one has ever seen her .

Signora Cini : Maybe she is taking car e of childr en….

Signora Frola : No, they have no childr en….the fact is that we are used to staying at home.

Amalia : But do you visit your daughter ?

Signora Frola : Of cour se, once or twice a day.

Sirelli : And you climb all those stair s, up to the last floor ?

Signora Frola : Well, I don’t really go up….my daughter leans out over the courtyard… and we see each other, we speak.

Dina : And you never see her close up? I would never be happy just speaking from a distance.

Signora Frola : Yes indeed… but the reason is that…

Signora Sirelli : Ah ther e we go! We wer e saying! Ther e must be a reason!

Amalia : You see Lamber ta? Ther e is a r eason.

Sirelli : It’s your son-in-law, right?

Signora Frola : Oh, goodness, you mustn’t think badly of him. You can’t imagine how much he cares for me and how much he cares for my daughter!

Agazzi : Of cour se! It doesn’t seem possible to me that he would forbid you to go up into the flat and spend time with your daughter!

Signora Frola : For bid it? Him? Oh no, no! It’s us, my daughter and I, to please him…

10

Agazzi : I have to admit, madam, all this is some what str ange… and actually, even a bit suspicious…

Signora Frola : No, no, why suspicious? We ar e happy, we ar e happy like this.

Signora Sirelli : Could it be a question of jealousy?

Signora Frola : No, not jealousy. He wants my daughter ’s love all for himself… there you have it!

Dina : Oh, to me that is cr uel. Plain and simple!

Signora Frola : No, no, why say cr uel? If anything it’s a sort of affliction, a strong love that …excludes all the others. An allencompassing love in which his wife must live and no one else can be part of it.

Dina : Not even her mother ?

Sirelli : I would say that’s truly selfish!

Signora Frola : Per haps, but in this wor ld, bound by love, I know my my daughter is happy, and this should be enough for a mother…

Amalia : Well, as long as you ar e happy…

Signora Frola : Oh yes, as I told you. Signori...

Sirelli : But ar e we all happy with this explanation?

Agazzi : Ther e is a myster y her e…

Signora Sirelli : the poor mother , she must be suffer ing so!

Signora Cini : Her voice was tr embling, she could har dly hold back the tears.

Laudisi : What I noticed above all was her deter mination to shield her son-in-law from any suspicion.

Act 1 Scene 5 Butler : Councillor Agazzi, signor Ponza is her e asking to be invited in.

Amalia : I wonder what he wants!

Signora Sirelli : I’m a bit scared, but I’m also curious to see this monster up close!

Agazzi : We will hear him out… sit down, sit down. Stay seated.

We must stay seated. Let him through.

11

Agazzi : Please, please, come thr ough signor Ponza. signor Ponza, my wife, signora Sirelli, signora Cini, my daughter, signor Sirelli, and my sister-in-law. Please sit down.

Ponza : Thank you, I will only be a moment.

Agazzi : Have you come about your mother -in-law’s visit?

Ponza : My mother -in-law must have spoken to you all about her daughter. She must have said that I forbid her from seeing her, and from coming to my house.

Amalia : No, the lady had nothing but good things to say about you.

Signora Sirelli : Yes but if we had to say what we r eally think about it…

Signora Cini : It seems to us so cr uel, so ver y cr uel indeed!

Ponza : I am her e pr ecisely to clear things up, Councillor . The condition of this woman is…pitiful. Signora Frola is insane.

All : Insane?

Ponza : For these last four year s.

Agazzi : Insane? How? Ponza : Her insanity consists in the belief that I do not want her to see her daughter. But what daughter? For God’s sake! Her daughter has been dead for four years, now!

Tutti : Dead? What do you mean dead?

Ponza : She has been insane these last four year s pr ecisely because of this.

Sirelli : So the woman you ar e with now…..

Ponza : I mar r ied her two year s ago: she’s my second wife. Signora Frola persists in believing that it’s not true that her daughter is dead and she believes instead that I want to keep my wife all to myself, not allowing them to see each other. When you hear her speak, you cannot tell she is at all insane. So much so that she says she’s happy…

Signora Sirelli : Indeed, she did say that she is happy with things as they are.

12

Ponza : She shows gr eat affection towar ds me and I tr y to accommodate her as much as possible, even if this inconveniences me considerably. Fortunately my wife goes along with keeping the illusions alive: she goes to the window, she speaks to her, she writes to her…

But I can’t force my wife to live with her! My wife lives as if in a prison, under lock and key, afraid that she will come into the house.

Amalia : Of cour se, poor woman, can you imagine?

Agazzi : Now I under stand, yes, yes, now ever ything makes sense.

Ponza : Councillor , ladies and gentlemen.

Amalia : Uh…..so then, she is the mad one!

Signora Sirelli : Poor woman!

Signora Cini : Who would have thought it?

Agazzi :Indeed, fr om the way she was speaking…

Amalia : Ah yes, she would say something and then say the opposite…

Sirelli : Still, it does seem str ange to me… What do you think?

Laudisi : Me? Nothing!

Act 1 Scene 6

Butler : May I? Signora Fr ola is her e again.

Amalia : Oh God, and now what?

Signora Cini : Who knows what she is going to come up with, this time?… I can’t wait to listen to her!

Sirelli : I’m not entirely convinced she’s crazy…

Dina : Come on Mummy, ther e’s nothing to be afraid of: she’s completely harmless!

Agazzi : We must cer tainly let her come in. We must sit down. Let her come through.

Amalia : For goodness sake, help me, I have no idea of how to speak to her now!

Signora Frola : May I come in?

Amalia : Please do, please come thr ough, my fr iends ar e still here….

Signora Frola : …and I can tell that they are all staring at me, even you madam, as if I were a poor demented woman, I am right, aren’t I? 13

Amalia : No, signora, what a thing to say!

Signora Frola : Unfor tunately I had for eseen the consequences of my visit.

Amalia : No, be assur ed: we ar e happy to see you again.

Signora Frola : My son-in-law has just left? Hasn’t he? Was he calm at least?

Agazzi : Yes, he spoke ver y calmly… he spoke to me about office work …

Signora Frola : But I see how you ar e all star ing at me! I accept that the explanation I gave you on our way of living could not be sufficient. Should I just have said to you the same thing he goes around saying? That my daughter is dead and that I am a poor crazy woman who believes she is still alive?

Agazzi : What?… So your daughter…

Signora Frola : And you…? Oh my God! How could you have seriously believed such an absurd explanation! Horrible even! He needs to tell people that. Only this way has he found peace.

Signora Cini : Oh God, in this case, he is the one who is insane!

Sirelli : Yes, it must be him. Ladies and gentlemen, I told you so!

He’s the crazy one!

Amalia : No way! Is that possible?

Agazzi : You must explain to us how things now stand, and clear ly, my dear lady!

Signora Frola : Councillor , you must take pity on this man.

Agazzi : So then it’s not true that your daughter is dead.

Signora Frola : Oh no!

Sirelli : So he is the cr azy one…..it must be him!

Signora Frola : No, no… Let me explain… you all saw him: he’s so strong… in getting married, he was overcome by an overwhelming love which almost destroyed my daughter… who is so very delicate.

Following the doctors’ advice we secretly took her away and put her in a sanatorium. So he fell into a raging despair, believing that his wife was dead…he dressed in black… and then when my daughter returned, a year later… he said that no, that woman was not his wife….and no one could change his mind. In order for him to accept her this time we had to stage a second wedding.

14

Dina : Ah! So you say that’s why….

Signora Frola : He keeps her under lock and key. All to himself… but he adores her… I’m certain of it. And that poor girl has to pretend to be someone else, and I have to pretend to be insane! So that he doesn’t get upset! My good people…

Laudisi : You’re all looking each other in the eyes? Ha! The truth?

Ha ha ha ha!

END OF ACT ONE Act 2 Act 2 Scene 1 Agazzi : So? Yes? Yes, yes… good. I understand. It really is strange, sorry, that you can’t. I understand, yes I understand… yes… see what you can do… Speak to you soon.

Sirelli : Well then?

Agazzi : Nothing, they can’t find the documents.

Sirelli : So you’re saying that we are left with either believing the one or the other? Just like that … without any evidence?

Agazzi : Unfor tunately!

Laudisi : Would you like my advice? Believe both of them.

Sirelli : How, if one states it’s white and the other that it’s black?

Laudisi : Well then, don’t believe either of them!

Sirelli : Ar e you joking? We do not have the evidence but the truth must lie with one party or the other, Goddamn it!

Agazzi : The question is which one…

Laudisi : Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Agazzi : All r ight, all r ight we’ll see who has the last laugh. Amalia!

Ladies come here!

Act 2 Scene 2 Signora Sirelli : What? You ar e still her e?

15

Agazzi : For goodness sake, take no notice of her … So, let’s plan it carefully. Yes. You ladies must go to signora Frola…

Amalia : Will she r eceive us?

Agazzi : I expect so!

Dina : It’s our duty to repay the visit.

Agazzi : So hear me out. You should stay ther e for a bit, say a quarter of an hour…

Sirelli : For heaven’s sake pay attention! Once you get going…!

Dina : A quar ter of an hour , I’ll keep a watch!

Agazzi : I’ll be back from the office in about twenty minutes.

Sirelli : And me? What about me?

Agazzi : J ust wait. On some pr etext you must per suade signora Frola to come here.

Come into the living room. This door must stay wide open like this.

On the desk, I’ll leave these documents for signor Ponza, and I’ll pretend that I’ve forgotten them. And on this pretext, I’ll bring him here...

Sirelli : Excuse me! What about me? When do I come in?

Agazzi : A few minutes after . Once the women ar e in the sitting room, and once I’m here with him. Come and get your wife, and I’ll invite them all to join us.

Laudisi : …and the truth will be discovered!

Dina : But auntie! Once both of them ar e in fr ont of us…

Agazzi : Take no notice of her , for heaven’s sake! Go, go now there’s no time to waste!

Signora Sirelli : Let’s go, let’s go, I’m not even going to say goodbye to you!

Act 2 Scene 3 Laudisi : Oh! So ther e you ar e! So my dear , who is the mad one out of us two? Oh yes I know, I say “you” and with your finger you point to me. The problem is that, the way I see you is different from how others see you. Here in front of you I can see myself, I can touch myself…

16

And you, what do you become under the gaze of others? A ghost, my friend, a ghost! You see these crazy people? Unaware of the ghost that they carry with them, inside them, they go around full of curiosity about the ghosts of others! And they are convinced that this is not the case.

Dina :Auntie! It’s already eleven o’clock. We must all gather together with signora Frola, in the sitting room.

Act 2 Scene 4 Agazzi : Come thr ough, please, come thr ough. Her e we go, I must have left them here. Please sit down. Indeed here they are. As I was telling you, it’s a complex case. But why this music, this is not the right time! What a stupid thing to do! Who is playing? Oh look!

Ponza : In the name of God! Is it her ? Is she playing?

Agazzi : Yes, your mother -in-law! She plays very well!

Ponza : But why, why ar e they letting her play?

Agazzi : What har m can it do?

Ponza : No, for goodness sake! Not this music! It’s the music her daughter used to play!

Agazzi : Does it pain you to hear her playing?

Ponza : No, it does not distr ess me! It distr esses her ! It gives her immeasurable pain! And yet I have already explained to you the state of that poor wretch!

Agazzi : Yes, yes… but look…

Ponza : ...She must be left in peace. They’ll hurt her! They’ll hurt her!

Agazzi : But no, why? My women ar e also well awar e…

Dina : Oh you play amazingly well, signora Fr ola!

Signora Frola : Me! Not me! You should listen to Lina when she plays it. Oh! How well she plays it!

Ponza : Her Lina! Did you hear ? She said her Lina!

Agazzi : Of cour se, it’s her daughter.

Ponza : Yes, but she said Lina plays it well, not played it well!

Signora Frola : Ah, she is not allowed to play it anymor e, since that moment!

17

Ponza : Did you hear ? She said: Since that mom ent… Listen to how she talks about that poor dead girl!

Agazzi : Please, ask the ladies to come her e!

Ponza : The ladies? Her e? No, no! I’d rather…

Act 2 Scene 5 Ponza : Ah! You ar e her e? Again? What did you come her e for ?

Signora Frola : I came…

Ponza : You came her e again to say … What have you told these people? What have you told them?

Signora Frola : Nothing! Nothing! I swear ! Nothing!

Ponza : Nothing? What do you mean nothing? I hear d it myself!

You said Lina plays it… Lina plays! You know very well that your daughter has been dead for these last four years!

Signora Frola : But of cour se my dear ! Calm your self! Yes! Yes! Of course!

Ponza : …and thererfore she can’t play it. Of course she cannot play it ! How do you expect her to play it if she’s dead?

Signora Frola : That’s it! Of course! Isn’t that what I said my friends? I said “how can she?…If she is dead…”

Ponza : So why ar e you still going on about this music?

Signora Frola : Me? I am not going on about it. I don’t think about it anymore!

Ponza : And you know per fectly well that my new wife doesn’t know how to play.

Signora Frola : Of cour se, she doesn’t know how to play!

Ponza : And what was she called? Your daughter was called Lina, right? Now tell everyone, the name of my second wife! You’ll say it here to everyone. Tell everyone because you know perfectly well what her name is.

Signora Frola : Giulia! Giulia! Yes! Yes! It’s absolutely true, my friends, her name is Giulia!

Ponza : Ther efor e not Lina! In the meantime stop humour ing me in front of these ladies as if I were mad and she were not dead!

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Signora Frola : No, no! For goodness sake, stay calm! I’ve never suggested anything of the sort! Isn’t that right, my ladies?

Amalia, Signora Sirelli, Dina : But of cour se! Yes, she has never implied that! She has always said that her daughter is dead!

Ponza : Whatever possessed you to play what your late daughter used to play?

Signora Frola : You’re right… poor thing! Poor you. I’ll never do it again! I’ll never do it again!

Ponza : Go! Get out of her e! Out! Signora Frola : Yes… yes… I’m going, I’m going… Oh dear God! Ponza : I am so sor r y you had to witness this pathetic scene that I had to act out.

Agazzi : What do you mean? You wer e just pr etending?

Ponza : I had to, my fr iends! Can you not under stand this is the only way for her to maintain her illusions? I had to present the truth as if I was deranged. Please excuse me but I must go to her!

Laudisi : And ther e you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the tr uth is revealed! Ha ha ha ha ha!

END OF ACT TWO Act 3 Act 3 Scene 1 Butler : Excuse me. I am just on my way to the Counsellor .

Laudisi : Oh! Commissioner Centur i! Any news? (to the Butler ) Hold on!

Centuri : Yes, some.

Laudisi : Good! (to the Butler ) Leave it, I will call my br other -inlaw in here. You have performed a miracle! You’re saving the whole town! Can you hear? Can you hear them shouting? So, any definite news?

Centuri : Yes. Some infor mation, not much. Her e ar e the documents which I have received.

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Laudisi : Let’s have a look! Let’s see! No! But there is nothing!

Nothing solid in these documents, Commissioner Centuri! All the doubts remain, just as before! Do you truly want to do good for the citizens of this town? Write on this paper some unequivocal and precise information.

Centuri : Me? What infor mation?

Laudisi : Infor mation which will r estor e the tr anquillity to the whole town!

Centuri : What ar e you saying? Do you expect me to pr oduce forged documents? Are you kidding? Do me the courtesy of announcing me to the Counsellor straight away.

Laudisi : As you wish.

Act 3 Scene 2 All : Well done! Well done Centur i!

Agazzi : Dear Centur i! I knew you would succeed!

All : Let’s see the evidence, right away. Who is it?

Centuri : No, Counsellor , l …

Agazzi : Ladies and gentleman, please be quiet!

Centuri : I did all I could, yes… but signora Laudisi over there has told you all…

Sirelli : That you ar e br inging us definite news… precise information.

Centuri : Her e you ar e, Counsellor !

All : At last! At last!

Agazzi : Her e it is, let me r ead it… I’ll read it…

Laudisi : I have alr eady r ead it!

All : Oh r eally? And? What does it say? What have you found out?

Laudisi : It is cer tain and beyond ar gument that signora Fr ola spent time in a sanitarium!

All : Oh! Signora Sirelli :Who, signora Fr ola?

Agazzi : No, no! That is not what it says her e!

All : Ah! What? What does it say then? What does it say?

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Laudisi : Yes, it cer tainly says “the signora”! It says specifically “the signora”.

Agazzi : No way! It’s not certain! They do not state whether it’s the mother or the daughter!

All : Ah! Laudisi : But it must be her , the mother … no doubt about it!

Sirelli : No way! It is the daughter , my fr iends ! The daughter !

Signora Sirelli : J ust as signora Fr ola has told us.

Laudisi : Excuse me! If all of you ar e so convinced that signora Frola is right, what are you still searching for? Enough! He is the crazy one, and let’s leave it at that!

Sirelli : That would be ok, but the Gover nor , my dear , believes the opposite and has placed all his trust in signor Ponza!

Signora Sirelli :Natur ally! Because he has only spoken to him!

Laudisi: Oh ther e you go, ladies and gentleman! I have found the solution!

All : What is your solution? What is it?

Laudisi : Is the Gover nor coming her e?

Agazzi : Yes, we ar e expecting him… why? What is on your mind?

Laudisi : Ther e is no point in him coming her e to speak to the signora. He should do something else. Something only he can do.

All : So what is it? What is it?

Laudisi : Signor Ponza has a wife…

Sirelli : Do you mean that he should let his wife speak to us? Of course, of course.

Dina : But how? If she is kept in the flat as if it wer e a pr ison?

Sirelli : We need the Gover nor to talk to her !

Amalia : Of cour se, she is the only one who can tell us the tr uth!

Signora Sirelli : No way! She will tell us what her husband wants her to say!

Laudisi : Yes, but only if she has to speak in fr ont of her husband!

Sirelli : She should speak to the Gover nor on her own.

Agazzi : And the Gover nor could demand it, using his author ity. Go on, you go dear Centuri and tell the Governor to come and see me…

Centuri : Ladies, gentlemen…

Signora Sirelli : Well done Laudisi!

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Dina : Yes, well done auntie! What a gr eat idea!

All : Gr eat! Well done! This is the only way!

Laudisi : Oh! Excuse me, ar e you absolutely sur e that she exists?

Amalia : For goodness sake, Lamber ta!

Sirelli : You want to doubt even her existence?

Laudisi : You have told me your self that no one has ever seen her !

Dina : Come on! Her mother has confir med that she sees her and speaks to her every day! This is also supported by the son-in-law.

Laudisi : Yes! But think this over for a moment. In that house there must be nothing else but a ghost.

All : A ghost?!

Amalia : Lamber ta! Enough!

Laudisi : Let me explain. Ther e is the ghost of the second wife, if signora Frola is right, or the ghost of the daughter, if signor Ponza is right. It just remains to see if this ghost of either the mother or the daughter is really a person in its own right.

Signora Cini : I don’t understand what pleasure you get in frightening us like this!

All : No way! She must be joking! She must be!

Act 3 Scene 3 Centuri: The Gover nor is her e! The gover nor is her e!

Agazzi : What? Is he her e? Why didn’t you stop him?

Centuri : I r an into him, by chance. He was with signor Ponza.

Agazzi : Dear God, no! If he comes with Ponza, they will both go to signora Frola’s house! Please, Centuri: ask the Governor to come to my house.

Centuri : Yes sir , I will do it.

Agazzi : Signori, I must ask you all to go into the sitting room. You stay, Sirelli. And you too Lamberta.

Act 3 Scene 4 Governor : My dear Agazzi! Oh you’re here as well, Sirelli? Dear Laudisi!

Agazzi : I am sor r y in making you come to my house fir st.

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Governor : It was my intention, as I had pr omised you. I meant to stop by your house after having spoken to signora Frola. But the sonin-law himself came to me and begged me to go to her house in person (to put a stop to all the rumours).

Agazzi : I must tell you that ther e is only one way to settle the matter.

Governor : Oh yes? Let’s hear it.

Agazzi : We ar e missing r eal evidence and the last thing left to tr y is for you, using your authority, to obtain a confession from his wife her version of events.

Governor : The wife of signor Ponza?

Sirelli : But this meeting should not be in fr ont of her husband, that is understood.

Agazzi : Ah! In that way she will be able to tell you the tr uth!

Governor : Of cour se! A per fect solution! That poor signor Ponza.

He doesn’t want anything other than to convince everyone of his point of view, believe me. He will be more than happy to oblige… and you, my friends, will be happy too! (to Centuri) Go next door and call signor Ponza. Ask him, on my behalf, to come here a moment.

Centuri : Right away.

Governor : You’ll see, this will be all settled in a quarter of an hour!

Here in front of all of you.

Sirelli : Ar e you sur e he will br ing his wife her e?

Governor : Leave that to me!

Act 3 Scene 5 Centuri : Excuse me, signor Ponza is her e.

Governor : Thank you, Centur i. Come in, come in, dear Ponza.

Agazzi : Please sit down.

Governor : Dear signor Ponza, I called you her e to tell you that, with my friends present, you have a simple and infallible way to dispel all doubts. You just have to allow us to talk to your wife.

Ponza : My wife? Oh, no! Let’s leave my wife out of this! You can just as well believe what I’m telling you!

Governor :What? Look her e! Now it seems that you don’t want us to believe you!

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Agazzi : After all you have tr ied in ever y possible way to pr event your mother-in-law from speaking to us.

Ponza : What do you want fr om me? In God’s name! Isn’t it enough that you have already upset my poor mother-in-law? You want to upset my wife too? Signor Governor, I will not put up with your bullying ways. I’ll put in a request to be transferred and…

Governor : Hang on! I will not toler ate this tone of voice, signor Ponza, when addressing me, who is your superior, me who has shown you so much kindness.

Ponza : So you ar e for cing me to do this?

Governor : … as your superior…

Ponza : Fine then, I’ll bring my wife here just to settle everything.

But it’s important that my poor wife doesn’t meet signora Frola! You have to promise me this! It would have dreadful consequences!

Agazzi : You can count on us. Please do not fr et.

Ponza : Okay, I’m leaving right away. I will make sure signora Frola is kept away… I’ll be back, signor Governor and we will put an end to all this!

Act 3 Scene 6 Governor : I must confess I didn’t expect such opposition from him.

Agazzi : You’ll see that he will force his wife to say whatever he needs her to say.

Governor : Oh no, don’t worry about this. I’ll be the one questioning her.

Butler : No, signor a, please stay her e, please r emain her e!

Agazzi : What is going on over ther e?

Act 3 Scene 7 Amalia : It’s Signora Frola! Signora Frola is here!

Agazzi : No! Who, in heaven’s name, called her here?

Amalia : No one! She came uninvited.

Governor : No! For goodness sake! Not now. Make her go, Signora!

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Agazzi : Quick, make her go! Don’t let her in! If signor Ponza finds her here, he will think it is a set-up!

Act 3 Scene 8 Signora Frola : My good sir s, I’m begging you, please! Have mercy!

Dear Governor Tell everyone else to have pity on me!

Agazzi : I am telling you, signora that you can’t stay here!

Signora Frola : Why? Why? (to signor a Amalia) My good lady…

Amalia : Look, the Gover nor is her e…

Signora Frola : Oh! It’s you, signor Governor! I wanted to come and speak to you!

Governor : No, madam, please tr y to under stand! Right now I can’t speak to you. You must leave at once!

Agazzi : Go for now; later you’ll be able to speak to the Governor!

Signora Frola : But why? What is going on?

Agazzi : Your son-in-law will be here at any moment: there you are!

Do you understand?

Signora Frola : Oh I see, yes, yes… I am going, I’m going right away. But I beg you not to go on with this! You think you are helping me but you truly aren’t! I’ll be compelled to leave, if you carry on with this, I’ll have to leave the town today, this way my son-in-law can be left in peace!

Amalia : My dear , don’t fret!

Signora Frola : Oh my dear lady, in this way I will lose all that I hold dear: seeing my daughter, if only from a distance!

Governor : But no, you’ll see: all will end well.

Signora Frola : But I’m begging you, leave my Ponza in peace, otherwise all that will be left for me is to leave this town and I won’t be able to see my daughter, even from afar…

All : Oh my goodness… There she is! There she is!

Signora Frola : What is it? Who is it?

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Act 3 Scene 9 Signora Frola : Oh! Lina! Lina!... Lina!

Ponza : Giulia!... Giulia! Giulia! Ah I thought so! You have taken advantage in such a cowardly way of my good faith.

Signora Ponza : (To signor Ponza and signora Fr ola) Do not worry! Do not worry! Leave now!

Ponza : We’ll leave, yes, let’s leave…

Signora Frola : Yes, yes… let’s go now, my dear, let’s leave…

Signora Ponza : What mor e could you want of me after this? Her e there is a tragedy that must remain hidden out of compassion; because it is only through compassion that real solace can be found.

Governor : But we under stand you need compassion, my dear lady. But we would also like you to tell us…

Signora Ponza : What? The tr uth? The tr uth is this: I am, indeed, the daughter of signora Frola…

All : Oh! Signora Ponza : And the second wife of signor Ponza.

All : What? How can that be?

Signora Ponza : Yes, as for me I’m neither! Neither!

Governor : Well, no. You must be the one or the other !

Signora Ponza : No sir . For me I am who you believe I am.

Laudisi : Lo and behold! Ther e you have it ladies and gentlemen: the truth! Are you all satisfied? Ha ha ha ha ha!

END OF THE PLAY

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