The Playwright’s Woman
A short story by R. J. Creaney
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2012 R. J. Creaney
Cover design by R. J. Creaney.
‘Aerofoil’ font created by Denise Chan. Textures by http://sirius-sdz.deviantart.com and CG Textures.
http://rjcreaney.wordpress.com/
* * *
K.F. Darley
34 Upper Cheyne Row,
Chelsea,
London,
ENGLAND
Dear Mother,
I
write this letter nomn
It is with particular compunction that I write this letter. My latest
play, The
Innermost Chamber,
has been truly ravaged in the news-papers. It pains me to see how
they completely missed the subtle but biting satire and the social
commentary of the piece, and I very much doubt that anyone noticed my
homage to Beaumarchais! It is like Styx,
Dammed
all over again – I cannot tell which play of mine the critics
seemed to detest more.
The Times referred to it as a ‘three-hour long exercise in brazen affectation’. Roth from The Athenaeum thought that it was ‘decidedly lacking in freshness, and with a conspicuous over-reliance on outmoded theatrical conventions’. All of them suggested that relatively decent production values and acting were let down by a poor script. Some of the boys down at the Bishop’s Elbow had read a few more reviews, but declined to divulge me as to what they said – out of mercy, surely. Old James Grey (always a good chap) bought me an ale; I suppose because he felt sorry for me.
Those reviewers are wind-bags, to a man. I went to terrible pains to write that play – it took me seven and a half months to pen altogether – so the least they could do is acknowledge the effort on my part.
Apart from play matters, there is generally little to report. Workmen have been replacing many of the gas streetlamps of the district with ones that are lit by means of an electric current. I do not claim to understand it all, but it is quite fascinating stuff nonetheless; be sure to let father know.
With much love,
Your son,
Kevin
* * *
Una Darley
7 Lake Terrace,
Castlerea,
IRELAND
My dear boy,