THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 9

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 9

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MRS OTIS: It´s a secret corridor.

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MR OTIS: It´s very dark here.

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MRS OTIS: Look, there´s a door.

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CINDY: What´s on the other side?

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ROBBY: Open it, Virginia.

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Virginia opens the door and all of them get in.

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CECIL: It´s a secret room.

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MRS OTIS: I don´t like it here. It´s like a prison cell.

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MR OTIS: Don´t be afraid.

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CINDY: Wow! Look, there´s a skeleton.

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ROBBY: Gee. It´s chained to the wall.

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CINDY: There´s a dish and a jug on the floor.

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ROBBY: But there´s no food and no water.

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MRS OTIS: It must be the skeleton of Sir Simon de Canterville.

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CINDY: Hey! Look out of the window!

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ROBBY: The old black tree has got flowers on it. I can see the flowers in the moonlight.

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VIRGINIA: God has forgiven him.

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CECIL: You are an angel.

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END OF ACT 9

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 8

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 8

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The Otis family are in the livingroom. Cecil, Virginia´s boyfriend is there too, but Virginia isn´t there.

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MR OTIS: Go upstairs and find Miss Virginia. It´s tea-time.

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The servant leaves to look for Miss Virginia and returns after some time.

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SERVANT: But I cannot find your daughter anywhere, Madam.

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CINDY: Let´s look in the garden. She must be there.

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ROBBY: I´ll look in the wood. You look near the lake.

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Cindy and Robby leave the stage.

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WASHINGTON: (He arrives) I can´t see her anywhere!

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MR OTIS: Perhaps the circus has taken her. There is a circus camping in the park. I will go to look for her there.

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CECIL: Please, let me go with you. I love her.

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Mr Otis and Cecil leave. Mrs Otis and Washington stay.

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NARRATOR: Everybody went to look for Virginia. The hours passed little by little. At midnight, everyone was still awake. it was impossible to sleep.

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MRS OTIS: (Mr Otis and Cecil arrive) Poor Virginia, where is she?

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WASHINGTON: I don´t know, Mom. The police have searched the lake.

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CECIL: They´ve looked in every corner of the garden.

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MR OTIS: We´ve looked for her at the station.

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CECIL: We´ve looked for her at the circus.

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MR OTIS: I´ve asked Scotland Yard to send their best detectives.

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MRS OTIS: Oh, my poor baby. That horrible Ghost has taken her!

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There was a great crash of thunder. Strange music floated through the air. Suddenly the wall opened and Virginia appeared. She had a jewellery box in her hands.

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MRS OTIS: Darling, you´re safe.

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CECIL: Sweetheart, I´m so glad to see you.

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TWINS: Yipeee! Virginia´s back.

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MR OTIS: (angry) Where have you been?

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MRS OTIS: (softly) Thank God we have found her.

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VIRGINIA: Papa, I´ve been with the Ghost. He is dead. You must come and see him. He had been very bad but he was really sorry.

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CINDY: What´s in the box?

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ROBBY: Yes, show us Virginia.

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VIRGINIA: It´s a box of jewels. The Ghost gave it to me before he died. Now follow me.

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END OF ACT 8

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 7

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 7

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NARRATOR: One day, Virginia came back alone to Canterville Chase.

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Virginia appears on the stage.

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VIRGINIA: Who´s that? Perhaps it´s a servant.

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NARRATOR: To her surprise, she saw the Canterville Ghost sitting by the window. He was sadly looking at the red and golden autumn leaves.

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VIRGINIA: It´s Sir Simon. He´s all alone. What shall I do? Shall I speak to him? Excuse me, Sir Simon.

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GHOST: Go away. I don´t want to talk to you. I hate Americans.

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VIRGINIA: I am so sorry for you. My twin brothers are going away to Eton tomorrow. After that, if you are good, nobody will upset you.

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GHOST: Don´t ask me to be good. I am a ghost. I must make noise with my chains. I must frighten people. It´s my job.

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VIRGINIA: I know you have been very bad. Mrs Umney said that you murdered your wife.

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GHOST: Yes, that´s true. But it was a family matter.

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VIRGINIA: It´s wrong to kill anyone.

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GHOST: (angrily) My wife was ugly. She cooked badly. She didn´t look after my clothes. And after she died, her brothers took revenge. Do you know what they did?

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VIRGINIA: No.

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GHOST: They shut me in a room without any food until I died.

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VIRGINIA: Oh, Mr Ghost - I mean, Sir Simon - are you hungry? I have a sandwich here. Would you like it?

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GHOST: No, thank you. Ghosts don´t eat anything. But it is very kind of you. You are much nicer than the rest of your horrible, rude, vulgar, dishonest family.

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VIRGINIA: Stop. You are rude and dishonest. You stole my paints and used them to replace the bloodstain. I love painting but you took all my colours - red and green and purple.

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GHOST: I´m sorry. It is very difficult to get real blood these days. Your horrible brother removed the stain every day. It was necessary to use your paints. You Americans don´t understand anything.

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VIRGINIA: (angrily) You know nothing about it. You must come to America. Then you will understand!

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GHOST: I don´t like America. You have no history. All you have is money and bad manners.

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VIRGINIA: (Very, very angry now) Goodbye. I will go and get the twins.

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GHOST: Please don´t go, Miss Virginia. I´m sorry. I am so lonely and unhappy. I don´t know what to do. I want to go to sleep but I cannot.

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VIRGINIA: Poor, poor Ghost, haven´t you got a place where you can sleep?

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GHOST: Far away, on the other side of the woods, there is a little garden. The grass is long and deep. The flowers are great white stars. The nightingale sings all night long while the cold moon looks down. The old tree spreads its branches over the sleepers.

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VIRGINIA: (frightened) You mean the Garden of Death.

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GHOST: Yes, Death. Death must be so beautiful. I want to lie in the soft brown earth with the grass above my head. I want to listen to silence. ... I can be at peace. You can help me. You can open the doors of Death´s house for me. You have Love. Love is stronger than Death.

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VIRGINIA: Give me time. I must think.

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GHOST: Have you seen the old writing on the library window?

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VIRGINIA: Often. I know it well. There are six lines. They say that a golden girl will help you to pray. The black tree will have flowers. A child will cry...

"Then the house will all be still

And peace will come to Canterville."

But what does it mean?

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GHOST: It means that you must cry for me because I cannot cry. You must pray for me because I have no words. If you have always been sweet and good and kind, the Angel of Death will forgive me. Bad voices will whisper in your ears but nobody can hurt you because you are so good.

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VIRGINIA: I am not afraid. Take me to the Garden of Death. I will ask the Angel of Death to forgive you.

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GHOST: Follow me. Hold my hand. Be brave.

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VOICES: (hissing) Go back. Go back!

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VIRGINIA: I´m frightened. There are horrible faces looking at me.

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VOICES: Be careful, Virginia. Be careful.

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GHOST: Don´t be afraid. Look, the wall is opening.

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VIRGINIA: I´m frightened!

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GHOST: Follow me.

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VIRGINIA: There´s a cold wind. Hands are pulling at my clothes.

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GHOST: Quickly, quickly, or it will be too late!

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END OF ACT 7

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 6

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 6

NARRATOR: The Ghost did not know what to do. He was afraid of the twins.

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GHOST: The Otis family come from a modern country with no history and no soul. It is impossible to live with them in the same house. They´ve changed everything. The hall is full of photographs of Mr Otis. Where are the old paintings of all the Lord Cantervilles? These Americans are so uncivilised.

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CINDY: (whispering) Look, there´s the Ghost. He hasn´t seen us.

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ROBBY: Let´s jump out and frighten him.

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CINDY: Yes, we´ll shout in his ear.

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TWINS: Booooo....

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GHOST: Help! Help!

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Washington appears on the stage holding a syringe in his hand as if it were a gun.

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WASHINGTON: Stop here, Sir Simon. If you don´t stop, I´ll spray you with water from this syringe.

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GHOST: Help! Help! What can I do? (He goes through the chimney)

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CINDY: Look, he´s gone up the chimney.

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ROBBY: He´ll never come back. He´s afraid of us. We´ve won!

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WASHINGTON: Well done, children. That was a good plan.

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Mr and Mrs Otis appear on the stage.

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MR OTIS: What´s the matter? What´s all this noise in the middle of the night?

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MRS OTIS: You´ve woken me up. You´re very naughty, children.

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CINDY: We´ve frightened the Ghost, Mom and Pop.

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ROBBY: We put butter on the stairs.

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CINDY: We tied string across the corridors.

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ROBBY: We put water on top of the door.

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CINDY: We jumped out at him.

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ROBBY: That´s the end of the Ghost.

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MR OTIS: (sarcastically) I´ll write and tell Lady Canterville. The Ghost has gone!

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MRS OTIS: Good. Can I go back to bed now, children?

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WASHINGTON: Yes, it´s goodbye, Sir Simon.

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END OF ACT 6

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 5

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 5

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NARRATOR: The twins made plans in the middle of the night.

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CINDY: Let´s have some fun with the Ghost.

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ROBBY: Yes, let´s make a ghost. The Otis Ghost.

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CINDY: That´s a good idea. Here´s an old sheet.

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ROBBY: And here´s a turnip.

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CINDY: Here´s a knife from the kitchen.

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ROBBY: And here´s a candle. Let´s put them all together to make a ghost.

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CINDY: There. That´s really good. Now let´s write a notice.

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ROBBY: Let´s hang it around our ghost´s neck.

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CINDY: Now let´s put the candle inside the ghost´s head.

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ROBBY: That´s good. I´ll light the candle.

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CINDY: Excellent. Now let´s go to our room and wait for Sir Simon.

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ROBBY: Yes, I think I can hear him coming.

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The twins leave the stage, almost immediately the ghost appears.

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GHOST: Three hundred years ago I murdered my wife. Now I will do another terrible thing. I´m going to frighten everybody in the family. First of all, I´ll go into Washington´s bedroom. Then I´ll go into Mr and Mrs Otis´s bedroom. Then I´ll frighten the twins. Haa haa haa. By the end of the night, they will all be mad. But I won´t hurt pretty Miss Virginia. She is the only one of the family who has not laughed at me.

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Suddenly the Ghost notices The Otis Ghost.

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GHOST: But what is this? Aaaaaaaaaaagh... It´s a ghost. Help! Help! Help!

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The Ghost disappears from the stage shouting and running. The twins who are watching behind a curtain appear.

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CINDY: Yippeee! We frightened him.

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ROBBY: He´s a stupid old English ghost.

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CINDY: Our American ghost is much too frightening for him.

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ROBBY: Hurrah for the Otis Ghost.

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CINDY: Quiet. He´s coming back (They hide behind the curtain).

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GHOST: I´ll go to look at the other ghost again. Perhaps it´s a friend. We can work together to frighten the Americans. Where is it? (The Ghost starts looking at the Otis Ghost) This is a curtain. This is a turnip. And this is a kitchen knife. What does this notice say? 'Ye Otis Ghoste'. Now I understand. I´m a fool. The twins have tricked me. I will murder them!

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END OF ACT 5

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 4

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 4

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NARRATOR: That night, at one o´clock, Mr Otis woke up. There was a strange noise in the corridor.

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The Ghost appears carrying chains and making a lot of noise. Mr Otis appears carrying a candle and wearing his pijamas.

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MR OTIS: Who´s there?

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GHOST: Woooooooo. Woooooooo.

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MR OTIS: Who are you? Stop making that terrible noise. Nobody can sleep.

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GHOST: I am the Ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville. This is my house. Go away and never come back.

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MR OTIS: Look, take this bottle of 'Rising Sun American Lubricator'. Put it on your chains to stop them making a noise. Goodnight, sir. (Mr Otis leaves the living room)

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GHOST: What? Are you not afraid of me?

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Cindy and Robby appear in the room with some pillows in their hands.

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CINDY: Look, there´s the Ghost.

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ROBBY: Yippee. Let´s throw our pillows at him. (They start throwing their pillows at the Ghost who hadn´t seen them)

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CINDY: (Laughing) I hit him on the nose! (The Ghost tries to escape)

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ROBBY: He´s running away!

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Mr and Mrs Otis both appear because of the noise.

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MRS OTIS: Go back to bed, children.

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TWINS: We hit him with our pillows.

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MR OTIS: That´s not polite. That poor ghost has lived in this house for centuries. We should respect him.

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Virginia appears wearing a nightgown.

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VIRGINIA: Poor ghost. I am sorry for him.

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MR OTIS: But we must take his chains away from him. It is impossible to sleep with so much noise.

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Everybody leaves the stage. The Ghost appears again.

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NARRATOR: The Ghost was very angry. He made plans.

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GHOST: For three hundred years, I have lived in this house. Everyone was afraid of me. After all that, these Americans have come to live here. They have no respect. I will climb inside the old suit of armour in the hall. They will be afraid when they see the armour moving.

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The Ghost starts getting into the armour.

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GHOST: Ow... I´ve hurt my knees and my elbows.

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The twins appear from behind, moving slowly.

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CINDY: What was that noise?

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ROBBY: It´s the Ghost. Look, there.

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CINDY: Let´s get our peashooters. We´ll teach him a lesson.

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GHOST: Ow! Stop! Please, stop! Ow! Ow!

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Mr Otis appears holding a gun, Mrs Otis follows him.

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MR OTIS: Well done, boys. I´ve got my gun. Hold up your hands.

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GHOST: (Screaming with anger) I am the Ghost of Canterville Chase. I have lived here for hundreds of years. Listen to my terrible laughter. Your hair will turn white when you hear it. Haaaa. Haaaa. Haaaa.

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MRS OTIS: Are you all right? You must have a bad stomach-ache. Take this medicine. It is made in America. It´s the best in the world.

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The Otis family leave.

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GHOST: These Americans are stupid. But I will do terrible things. They will never come back to this house.

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END OF ACT 4

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST-PLAYSCRIPT(2004-5) - ACT 3

THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

PLAYSCRIPT 2004-5

ACT 3

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NARRATOR: There was a terrible storm that night. During the next few days, strange things happened in the house...

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The family are in the living room. Mr and Mrs Otis are drinking tea and reading, Virginia is painting, Washington is watching her and the twins are playing with their ball.

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MRS OTIS: Look, the stain is there again.

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WASHINGTON: Yes, I don´t understand it. 'Pinkerton´s Champion Cleaner' always works.

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CINDY: Every day, Washinton removes the stain.

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ROBBY: And every morning the stain is there again.

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WASHINGTON: Father locked the library door. But the stain was there again in the morning.

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CINDY: And every day the stain is a different colour. One day it´s red...

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ROBBY: Next day it´s purple...

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WASHINGTON: Next day it´s green...

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MRS OTIS: I´ve heard of blue blood. But I´ve never heard of green blood. (Mr and Mrs Otis laugh together)

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WASHINGTON: What´s the matter Virginia?

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MRS OTIS: Why are you looking unhappy?

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VIRGINIA: It´s nothing. Don´t worry.

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MR OTIS: This is interesting, perhaps there really is a ghost.

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MRS OTIS: I´m going to tell my friend in New York.

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WASHINGTON: And I´m going to write to the newspapers about it. We will be famous in America! We live in a haunted house!

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TWINS: Yippeeee!

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MR OTIS: Well, children, I see you enjoy living in Europe.

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VIRGINIA: I´m not sure. Things are very strange here.

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MRS OTIS: Yes, life in America is much better!

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MR OTIS: American actresses are much better than European ones!

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MRS OTIS: American food is much better than English food.

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WASHINGTON: Boston is more important than Rome.

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VIRGINIA: New Yorkers speak much more sweetly than Londoners.

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CINDY: But I like living in England!

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ROBBY: Yes, I want to see the Ghost tonight!

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CINDY: I don´t want to go to bed. I want to see the Ghost too!

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ROBBY: We don´t have ghosts in America.

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MRS OTIS: (standing up and going towards her children) No, children. You must go to bed now. It´s very late.

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END OF ACT 3