FlatSpin (play)

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FlatSpin
Written by	Alan Ayckbourn
Characters	Rosie Seymore Sam Berryman Annette Sefton-Wilcox Edna Stricken Maurice Whickett Tracy Taylor Tommy Angel
Date of premiere	3rd July 2001
Place of premiere	Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
Original language	English
Series	Damsels In Distress
Subject	Romance, Secret Service
Genre	Comedy thriller
Setting	Joanna Rupelford's flat, London Docklands, 2001
Official site
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'FlatSpin' is a 2001 play by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn, the second in a trilogy of plays called Damsels In Distress (GamePlan and Roleplay being parts one and three.) It is about an actress called Rosie Seymore who accepts a date with a mysterious Sam Berryman, who seems to have mistaken her for a Joanna Rupelford.

Contents 1 Characters 2 Setting 3 Synopsis 4 Productions 5 Critical Review 6 External Links 7 References

[edit] Characters

As part of the Damsels in Distress trilogy, FlatSpin was written to use the same seven actors as the other two plays in the series. In this play, the characters are:

• Rosie Seymour, mid-twenties, out-of-work actress, currently a flat-minder
• Sam Berryman, thirties, something secret
• Annette Sefton-Wilcox, late thirties, property company representative
• Edna Stricken, forties, drug courier
• Maurice Whickett, fifties, Sam's boss
• Tracy Taylor, twenties, Maurice's favourite "helper"
• Tommy Angel, thirties, thickset ex-SAS bodyguard

Rosie and Sam are the central characters; the other characters make appearances in one or two scenes.

[edit] Setting

The entire play is set in flat belonging to a Joanna Rupelford, on the riverside in the London Docklands. As part of Damsels in Distress, the play was written to use the identical set to the other two plays. As with most Ayckbourn plays, it was originally performed in the Round for its original performances at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. However, it was adapted for the Proscenium for subsequent performances elsewhere.

The play is performed in two Acts, each divided into two scenes.

[edit] Synopsis

At the beginning of the play, Annette Sefton-Wilcox is introducing Rosie Seymour to one of several flats she is minding for a few days. This flat belongs to a Joanna Rupelford, who never seems to be at home (even to the point of the labels never being peeled off the pans). In the conversation between Rosie and Annette, it is disclose that Rosie is an actress with very little success behind her (her only role so far being a rabbit in a miserable touring children's production), and no boyfriend, and she is openly desperate for man or a job. Her one hope is that she is down to the last two for a big role as Jane Eyre, but just after Annette leaves, Rosie receives a call from her agent tell her the part went to the other girl.

But before Rosie can despair too long, Sam Berryman, introducing himself as a neighbour, calls in at the flat. After a few misunderstandings (including mistaking Rosie for a lesbian owing to Rosie explain her upset state as "it was between me and another girl"), Sam leaves, and comes back in again to start afresh. After further confusions, he goes out and comes back in yet again, until finally he come in, introduces himself, and instantly tells Rosie that she is the most beautiful woman has has ever seen and wishes to take her out for dinner. Rosie, having already taken warmly to his magic tricks and visit to sick children in hospital, accepts immediately. The only problem is that Sam is assuming that Rosie is in fact Joanna Rupelford and this is her flat, and Rosie, having got this far, decides to continue going along with it.

In the second scene, Rosie is preparing for her date, now arranged as Sam coming to cook dinner in this flat. Rosie is still impersonating Joanna Rupelford, and is trying her dresses. The spanner in the works is that a woman keeps trying to contact Joanna, first by phone, and then in person, who Rosie hurries away each time before Sam spots her. The date itself, however, works extremely well - Sam gives Rosie a hands-on demonstration in how to roll gnocchi, and before they get anywhere near cooking the food, let alone eating it, they end up kissing and Rosie waits for Sam in the bedroom.

However, before joins her, he makes a telephone call. Whoever he calls clearly insists Sam leaves the flat, in spite of Sam's attempts to be allowed to leave later. Rosie is left on her own, thinking she has been left in the lurch yet again (albeit before sex and not after, which usually seems to be the case for her).

Act Two follows immediately from the end of act one. Rosie is suddenly confronted by two black-clad figures, Maurice Whickett and Tracy Taylor, and Tracy appears to be furious with her. When Sam returns, it is clear he knows these two strangers know him. It soon transpires that the three of them were all part of an elaborate sting: Joanna Rupelford does not actually exist at all, the flat has been set up for six months to entrap a drugs courier, there are cameras all over the flat (including the bedroom, which gives Rosie some consolation for the lack of action), and the operation is due to take place that night. Maurice is angry with Sam for his part in disrupting the plan, and evidently Sam does this sort of thing all the time.

The problem now is that Tracy was going to impersonate Joanna for the sting, but Edna Sticken - the woman who Rosie hurried away earlier - now believes that Rosie is Joanna, spoiling Tracy's big chance (an analogy to Rosie losing her big chance as Jane Eyre). With the only chance of the sting proceeding now being where Rosie continues impersonating Joanna, Sam persuades Rosie, against her better judgement, to play the part.

In the final scene, Rosie is waiting in the flat ready for the sting. She has been reassured that she will be watched on camera every minute, and help will come if there's any trouble. She is in the company Tommy Angel, an ex-SAS bodyguard who makes some wildly optimistic passes at Rosie, such as suggesting that many people find this sort of danger arousing. Tommy eventually asks Rosie to hit him on the head to show how tough he is. Rosie does so, and Tommy instantly falls unconscious, out of view in the corner. Before Rosie can get any help, Edna stricken calls at the door. Rosie plays the part of Joanna well, and hands over the case of money from a hidden compartment in a table as soon as she sees the drugs. Unfortunately, when Edna inspects the briefcase, it is full of cut newspaper instead of money. Even though Rosie knows nothing about it, Edna wants to push Rosie by spraying acid in her eyes. After a struggle, Edna catches Rosie, and is about to do the deed when Tracy comes in and brutally incapacitates her.

With the reason for the late arrival of help explained (the surveillance team got bored and watched the football instead), and Edna removed, Maurice has mixed reactions about the outcome - he got the suspect and the drugs but does not relish the prospect of explaining how all the money went missing. He, Tracy and Tommy leave, and then Sam retrieve the real briefcase full of money from the extra secret compartment in the table that Maurice didn't know about. He promises Rosie a tomorrow richer in every way, and they disappear into the shower. After they leave, Maurice and Tracy return and take the money, with Tracy giving Maurice a kiss. They depart, with Maurice quietly wishing Rosie the luck she'll need.

[edit] Productions

The premiere at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on the 3rd July 2001 featuring the following cast:

• Edna Stricken - Jacqueline King
• Tracy Taylor - Saskia Butler
• Rosie Seymour - Alison Pargeter
• Maurice Whickett - Robert Austin
• Tommy Angel - Tim Faraday
• Annette Sefton-Wilcox - Beth Tuckey
• Sam Berryman - Bill Champion

The Creative Team was the following:

• Director - Alan Ayckbourn
• Design - Roger Glossop
• Lighting - Mick Hughes
• Costumes - Christine Wall
• Music - Keith Jarrett

The first West End performance was made at the Duchess Theatre and featured the same cast and creative team.^[1]

[edit] Critical Review

The reviews of the play were broadly positive, though weaker than the other two plays. In the West End this was overshadowed by the praise for the third play in the Damsels in Distress trilogy, Roleplay. This became a problem later in the West end run, when the play, along with GamePlan, were sidelined in favour of RolePlay, to the disappointment of the Company.

Alison Pargeter's role as Kelly Butcher contributed to her winning the Best Newcomer in the Critics' Circle Awards.^[2]

[edit] External Links

• FlatSpin on official Ayckbourn website http://flatspin.alanayckbourn.net/

[edit] References