Playing Gooseberry
Kathryn West
Genre: Comedic Drama
Cast size: 4
Duration: One Act 50 minutes approximately
Kathryn West | Comedic Drama | One Act | 2m, 2f
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
- Reviews
Vernon and Barry were once inseparable friends, sharing a love of gardening, particularly gooseberry growing. But for the past seven years they have been estranged, after Vernon’s potentially world-beating giant gooseberries were poisoned on the eve of a competition. Vernon blamed Barry, who went on to win the competition, and they have not spoken since. But with this year’s competition only days away, Vernon believes that he has finally grown a gooseberry that will give him what he wants more than anything – to be the World Champion Gooseberry Grower.
Vernon and Barry’s long-suffering wives, Daphne and Freda, are still friends, and would like to go back to the way things were when both couples were close. As they sit in the garden sipping gin, Daphne reveals her hatred of gooseberries and her wish for the normal life she and Vernon had before the poisoning incident changed him into a bitter, obsessive man.
As the gin loosens their tongues and their inhibitions, each woman blurts out that it was in fact she who poisoned the gooseberries. These revelations leave them both stunned. Which of them was ultimately responsible?
The two women feel relieved of their guilt as they cannot be sure which of them caused the death of the plants and can effectively blame each other. They hatch a plan to get their husbands talking again, and engineer a meeting in a local pub. But the men won’t cooperate, and angry words lead to a fight in which Barry comes off worst. Humiliated, he makes a confession that shocks everyone and ensures the rift will never heal.
Daphne has reached the end of her tether, and on the eve of the competition, she tells Vernon that she has booked them tickets to fly to Spain to visit their daughter Marjorie, who lives there. But the flights are at the same time as the gooseberry competition, so Vernon must choose: his marriage or his gooseberries.
On the day of the competition, it seems that Vernon has made his choice, as he and Barry prepare for their final showdown. But is there still time for Vernon to realise what he truly wants? Will he and Daphne live happily ever after? Or is there one more twist in the tale?
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