CHERRY BLOSSOM GROVE : PART ONE

CHERRY BLOSSOM GROVE

The Scenario :

This play is conceived televisually so there are quick changes of scene.

The drama takes place in a large house in a leafy suburb of London. The house is owned by Jasper and Betty Kesteven. Their daughter Hermione lives on the first floor where she has a flat of five rooms. Betty and Jasper live on the top floor where they also have a flat of five rooms. The ground floor is multiple occupancy where each resident occupies one room and shares a kitchen and bathroom. On this floor live Ewan and Justin. Tamsin is a girlfriend of Ewan; she is a buyer and has her own flat elsewhere. Amanda is Justin’s girlfriend and she also lives at another address. Ewan works in a local factory while Justin is studying for a degree in Art and Architecture. The owners of the house are away at the beginning of the play but return soon after. To impress Tamsin, Ewan takes her to Hermione’s kitchen which is superior in kind to the one he shares with Justin on the ground floor and passes it off as his own. Ewan is always out to impress any and every girl he meets and has no difficulty in attracting the opposite sex. Justin is of a quieter and more reserved nature and can’t believe some of the games Ewan can play.

CAST LIST :

Betty Kesteven : A middle-aged woman married to Jasper

Jasper Kesteven : Owner of Cherry Blossom Grove

Hermione Kesteven :  Daughter of Jasper and Betty

Ewan : A man in his thirties, not married but always looking for talent

Justin : A student of twenty years old

Tamsin : The new girlfriend of Ewan

Amanda : Justin’s girlfriend

 

SCENE : Hermione’s kitchen

Justin : We shouldn’t be in here.

Ewan : It doesn’t matter. They left the door open. I’m sure Hermione won’t mind us using it.

Justin : I’m sure she will. It’s not our part of the house, Ewan. Are the other rooms locked?

Ewan : Yes.

Justin : Good, at least you won’t be tempted to use Hermione’s bedroom. Just because they’re on holiday doesn’t mean we can do what we like.

Ewan : I don’t want Tamsin thinking we’ve got nothing. It’s nicer than our kitchen, and first impressions count.

Justin : Who is this Tamsin anyway?

Ewan : She’s my latest conquest.

Justin : Last in a long line eh?

Ewan : You’re only jealous because I attract girls more than you do.

Justin : You do that alright. What happened to Sally?

Ewan : I saw Sally the other night.

Justin : So it’s still on with Sally?

Ewan : If I see her.

Justin : Aren’t any of them special to you, Ewan?

Ewan : They’re all special. I owe it to them all not to disappoint any of them.

Justin : Where did you meet Tamsin?

Ewan : She came to the factory with her work. We got chatting while she was waiting to see one of the bosses and I asked her out.

Justin : And now you’ve asked her here.

Ewan : Yes, she should be here soon.

Justin : Where are you going to go?

Ewan : We haven’t decided yet. We’ll probably just have a drive and maybe go for a meal.

Justin : She’s got a car then?

Ewan : Yes, she needs it for her work.

Justin : Are you sure you know what she does?

Ewan : Yes, she’s in with the bosses at work. It won’t do me any harm getting to know her.

Justin : No, but you are getting to know Hermione now as well.

Ewan : Yes, don’t lecture me, Justin. I know what I’m doing. Tamsin is different to Hermione. I think she’s better looking. Her clothes are nicer too. I can’t imagine Hermione wearing a motor cycle jacket, can you?

Justin : Not exactly, no.

(Door Bell Rings)

Ewan : That must be her. I told you she’d be here soon. Remember to act naturally and remember this place is our kitchen.

(Ewan leaves room to answer the door. He returns with Tamsin)

Tamsin : Hello, I’m Tamsin.

Justin : Hi, I’m Justin, Ewan’s friend.

Tamsin : Yes, Ewan’s told me about you, Justin.

Justin : Would you like a cup of coffee?

Tamsin : Oh alright then. We’ve got time, haven’t we, Ewan?

Ewan : Yes, we’ve got plenty of time.

(Justin puts kettle on and collects mugs for the coffee. He has difficulty finding the spoons, not being used to the kitchen. Ewan gives them to him as they were hanging on a rack in front of him. He says nothing becoming slightly flustered by his faux pas.)

Tamsin : Are you not used to making coffee, Justin?

Justin : Oh yes, I would lose my head if it weren’t screwed on.

Ewan : Yes, Justin, no milk for me.

Tamsin : I take milk.

Justin : Milk? (said anxiously)

Tamsin : Yes, just a drop of milk please.

(Ewan reaches over to the fridge and realizes there is none)

Ewan : There’s none in the fridge.  You’ve got some in your room, haven’t you, Justin?

Justin : Oh yes, I have. I’ll go and get it.

(Justin leaves the kitchen)

Tamsin : He’s sweet, isn’t he, Ewan? You know you’d think he didn’t know the way round his own kitchen.

Ewan : Yes, he’s like that, Tamsin. Always in a flap.

Tamsin : Not so you, Ewan. So strong and dependable I feel I could trust you with my life.

Ewan : Yes you could, Tamsin.

Tamsin : I feel you know what you want from life and are not afraid to take it.

Ewan : I’m not afraid of anything.

Tamsin : You know that’s the funny thing about Justin. I feel as if he’s afraid of something, I just can’t think what.

Ewan : No, he’s alright, Tamsin, just a bit on the nervous side. You know these intellectual types.

Tamsin : Yes, he must be clever, studying at the university.

(Justin returns with a milk bottle)

Justin : I’ve got the milk.

Ewan :Good, perhaps we can have the coffee now. Tamsin was just saying how clever you must be.

Justin : Me, not really.

Tamsin : What is it you are studying,  Justin?

Justin : Art and Architecture.

Tamsin : Oh, that sounds very grand.

Justin : There’s a lot to cover, so I’m kept busy. We are on the fourteenth century at the moment.

Tamsin : That Florentine painter, what’s his name, that was so influential?

Justin : Giotto.

Tamsin : Yes, that’s him, such beautiful things.

Justin : I can see Ewan knows how to pick his girlfriends. You obviously appreciate culture.

Tamsin : I didn’t have a bad education.

Justin : What do you do exactly, Tamsin?

Tamsin : I’m a buyer.

Ewan : You’re a professional, aren’t you, Tamsin?

Tamsin : Of sorts.

Ewan : You are too modest. You’ve got a good job.

Tamsin : Yes, it’ll do.

Ewan : Drink up your coffee and we’ll go, otherwise Justin here will have you talking about the finer points of the Renaissance well into the night.

Tamsin : I wouldn’t mind.

Ewan : I would. Come on. Let’s go.

Tamsin : Nice meeting you, Justin. I’ll see you again sometime.

Justin : Yes, nice meeting you, bye.

(Tamsin and Ewan leave the kitchen, a few minutes later so does Justin)