Scene: The
Proudfoot home, for the most part furnished as in Act I. A body is lying on the central table, covered
in a linen sheet. The workbenches and shelves are in disarray, their items
thrown to the floor as someone searched.
Otto sits at his father’s table, examining the
tools one by one. Some are discarded, others restored carefully to their place.
Constable Henry enters, carrying a metal strongbox.
Continue reading "The Tragical History of Otto Proudfoot: Act IV" »
Scene: The bower of Mistress
Romana, owner of the bordello known as Turtle House. The left wall is occupied
by an enormous bed, covered in silken fripperies. The back wall has a single
door and a crowded vanity. The right wall is decorated with masks and sundries,
and holds a high window open to the night sky. Otto is lying down on the bed,
reading a book. Mistress Romana enters
in an outlandish dancing costume, with high boots and corset.
Continue reading "The Tragical History of Otto Proudfoot: Act III" »
Scene: An elegant sitting
room. A bookshelf covers one wall; the opposite wall holds a marble hearth
inlaid with astrological symbols in semi-precious stones. Two comfortable
leather chairs face the fire. The rear wall opens onto a hallway, as in the
Proudfoot home. An odd skeleton hangs
from the ceiling—some kind of animal, but nothing easily recognizable. As the
curtain opens we see Ebard (Applejack) in a silk dressing-gown, pacing back and
forth with an open book. His lips move, but we hear no sound. Suddenly, the
fire in the hearth turns green and a puff of foul vapour rises up. There is a
knock at the door.
Continue reading "The Tragical History of Otto Proudfoot: Act II" »
Scene: A
townhouse interior. A cluttered workbench occupies the left-hand wall, holding
various locks and pieces thereof; the wall above holds sundry files, chisels
and hammers. The rear wall is hung with portraits, and is broken by a large
archway. Beyond the arch, a narrow hall runs to the left and stairs lead up to
the right. The right-hand wall holds a woman’s workbench, and is broken by a
swinging door to the kitchen. A bookshelf above holds several pamphlets and a
single thick tome. The centre of the room is occupied by a low oak table carved
from a single bole.
As the lights come on, we see Otto as a child standing
atop an unlikely and precarious stack, attempting to reach the tome. Pots
clatter in the kitchen, and Otto’s father is pounding out a tumbler on his
workbench. Otto reaches the tome, but loses his balance. The stack falls apart
with a crash as Otto tumbles to the ground and scurries under the table.
Continue reading "The Tragical History of Otto Proudfoot: Act I" »