A sketch by Jean-Pierre Martinez
Two characters open the curtain slightly to observe the audience waiting for the start of the show.
One – Who is that old lady in the front row with her hearing aid?
Two – Well, she’s the rightful heir…
One – The rightful heir…?
Two – The author’s great-niece! We had to ask her permission to stage the play. And believe me, heirs are even more troublesome than living authors…
One – What’s the point of staging plays by dead authors if we still have to pay the heirs…
Two – Well, in ten years this one will finally be in the public domain…
One – Let’s hope she enjoys the show at least.
Two – That’s not guaranteed. She attended the premiere back in 1927. Naturally, she has some preconceptions…
One – Then why did she come?
Two – Probably to count the audience and make sure she’s not being cheated out of her ten percent. We had no choice but to invite her and butter her up…
One – For now, her eyes are closed. Is she concentrating … or just asleep?
Two – Or maybe dead…
One – Oh no, she’s snoring…
Two – Then maybe we should wake her. Let’s cue the three knocks…
One – I’ll ask them to knock a little louder…
Blackout. The three knocks are heard…
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A sketch from the collection Stories to die for
Link to the collection for free download (PDF)
Find all of Jean-Pierre Martinez’s plays on his website:
https://jeanpierremartinez.net