Title of the play:

The fatty cook, the gentle housemaid, and Mrs Swanson.

Level: four


CHARACTERS

The fatty cook

She is an old woman of 60. She dreams about her retirement and she would never be forced to wake up in the early morning any more. It takes up her an hour and a half to get her job every morning.

The gentle housemaid

She is a young woman of 39. She dreams about her son and she would never leave him alone with his grandma any more. It takes up her 5 minutes get her job every morning.

 

Mrs Swanson

She is an old widow woman of 69. She dreams about Malaga the city where she was born. She would never be happy since her older daughter moved to Genebra to work. She has fixed awakening time: 8:30 every morning.

SYNOPSIS (simple story outline)

The cook’s husband is very ill. She earns a salary not enough to pay for her consumerist family. When her husband dies, she would have only half of her husband retirement pay. Who on earth is going to pay the bills?
The gentle housemaid has got bored of the fatty cook, borrowing her money every day for this or that bill to come. She promised herself not to lend her money any more. Then tension in the work place is rising day after day.
Mrs Swanson gets annoyed whenever she hears them arguing about whatever the question would be.

Things go wrong to the fatty cook, and in the end, the fatty cook is fired.

CHARACTER OBJECTIVES – What does each character want?

The fatty cook

She wants money, more money. She loves the high class life Mrs Swanson lives. She is proud of her family that has the better fish from the expensive fishmonger where she buys the fish for her boss. For eating well better the more expensive than the cheaper one. Who

is the best cook in the world? She thinks about her job more than 15 years under service in this house.

The gentle housemaid

She wants money, more money. She loves the day to come to return back home and kisses her son and passes much of her time enjoying with him. She is saving her money to the days to come and besides sends a monthly pay to her mother who is taking care of her son.

 

Mrs Swanson

She is retired from the world. She passes her days making crosswords and puzzles and watching her favourite programs on TV. When her older daughter comes to Madrid, she wants the best for her daughter and orders the cook to prepare a big lunch and the best dishes and dishcloth to use to the gentle house maid.

SCENE BREAKDOWN – Where? When? What happens?

Scene 1
Music: Mi vida eres tu, salsa music plays.
Scene set in the cook’s kitchen. The house maid is washing the dishes at the sink. The cook comes in from doing the shopping heavy loaded carrying two bags on each hand. She is annoyed and in bad mood. Nobody speaks until the cook stars demanding attention using bad manners.

Scene 2
No music:

The scene is set in the kitchen around a table having the house maid a coffee break. The house maid stars singing over the sound of rude vocabulary from the cook.

Scene 3
No Music:

The scene is set in the private room for the house maid next to the kitchen. The cook makes a dramatic entrance through the doors as the scene starts. The housemaid is having a rest.
Scene 4
Music: Imagine. (The Beatles)

Mrs Swanson is in the lobby and the housemaid is crying sitting on a chair beside the favourite Mrs Swanson’s armchair who is sitting nervously waiting to be called.
Scene 5
Music: Martial Arts

Scene set in the cook’s kitchen .This is a fight scene done in slow motion with the three characters moving around the stage doing martial arts moves.
Scene 6
Music: Dramatic piano music plays.

The cook dances a dramatic style dance to open the scene. She starts crying. The two other dancers come onto stage. The decision has been taken and as a result, the fatty cook is fired.

Scene 7

Love music plays. Miss Swanson and the house maid are alone in the kitchen. Both start dancing hand in hand.