A TASTE OF SAKI

SYNOPSIS:

THE LUMBER ROOM
A boy finds an innovative way to outwit his aunt after she grounds him for not eating his
porridge.

THE OPEN DOOR
When a nervous stranger, seeking a rest cure, unexpectedly turns up at her aunt’s
country house, a teenage girl offers a horrifying explanation for why the door to the
garden is kept wide open.

THE STORY TELLER
A young man on a train manages to capture the attention of two small restless children
by telling them a rather unusual story.

THE UNREST CURE
A boy becomes an accomplice in a plot to cure his aunt and uncle of their love for
domestic routine and tranquility.

CHARACTERS:

Adults: Hector, Aunt, Uncle, Mr. Frampton; Rev. Huddle (requires a total of 4
actors in multiple roles)

Children: Hector (8-9), Reggie (7-8), Vera (14), Ethel (5)

SAMPLE DIALOGUE (from THE UNREST CURE):

AUNT
Aren’t we going to have tea? Whose automobile was hooting?

REV. HUDDLE (Desperately.)
It’s Dr. Goldberg.

AUNT
Oh really? Why doesn’t he come in?

REV. HUDDLE
Martha! We are under siege!
(Door bell rings. REGGIE goes to answer it).

AUNT
What happened to the Bishop and the Secretary?

REGGIE (Enters.)
It’s Mr. Isaacs. He’s got a telegram from you. Prince Stanislaus took him upstairs. He
says he wants the tea served in the upstairs study.

AUNT
But the maid is at the market.

REGGIE
She’s back. Prince Stanislaus told her about the tea. (Exits.)

REV. HUDDLE
May God have mercy on us all.

AUNT
What’s going on? We never serve tea in the upstairs study. Why can’t we have it in the
Library?

REV. HUDDLE
The Bishop and Colonel Alberti are there!

REGGIE (Enters.)
Prince Stanislaus says there will be twenty-six guests for tea. He likes his with lemon.
(Exits.)

AUNT
My head! Who is Colonel Alberti? That’s not even a proper English name.

HECTOR (Sticks HIS masked head in the door.)
The Boy Scouts mistook my signal, and have killed the postman. It’s probably my fault,
as I have very little practice at this sort of thing. I’ll do better next time! (Exits.)

AUNT
Who is that masked man? He shouldn’t have killed the postman. Who will deliver our
mail?

REV. HUDDLE
It’s Stanislaus, the Secretary.
(A woman’s scream is heard offstage, followed by the sound of breaking china.).

AUNT
What in the world was that?

REGGIE (Enters.)
That was the maid. She heard about the postman. She was engaged to him. (Exits.)

AUNT
I didn’t know she was engaged at all. (To REV. HUDDLE) Did you?
(REV. HUDDLE shakes his head in despair.)

AUNT
It was very inconsiderate of her not to tell us. Shall we have to buy new china? Maybe a
dainty Doulton pattern with geraniums would suit---

REGGIE (Enters.)
Mr. Cohn just arrived. We’re taking him upstairs. (Exits.)

REV. HUDDLE (Shouts.)
They’re going to kill them all, all! Right here in our house! On the staircase! What a
horror, what a shame! And they aren’t even Irish! (Sits down and starts crying.)