Synopsis:
ANNIE, an old tramp-cum-char-lady who 'does' for a poor Jewish family in London's East End, reminisces her sad old life and describes the family she works for - Wesker's parents. Annie Wobbler is the real name of a childhood memory.
When she has finished ANNIE whips off her eccentric, tatty clothes beneath which is a red-head in black underwear who is -
ANNA, a working-class student who has just achieved her degree in French, and is making up to go on a date with her boyfriend. This date is going to be very different from previous dates - she's now a B.A. first-class honours and has gained a devastating confidence. Made up she looks stunning; but her red hair is a wig, and the dress she's put on is really two dresses. When the scene ends she removes wig, unhitches one of the dresses, and is now -
Excerpt:
"It began with poetry. Why is it that a certain selection of words arranged in a certain way explode in you and yet, change one word, one syllable and there's not even a damp spark? I keep getting this urge, you see, to write poetry. It's a very strong urge and I become filled with a special kind of ... kind of ... how can it be described? A kind of incorporeal expectation - a bit like being on heat. And out it comes, this poetry, this selection of words and images I think is poetry. And it's shit. And a pain. Such a pain. You've no idea the pain it is to begin with this heat, this fever, this sense that an astonishing assembly is about to take place and all that assembles is shit!"
Reviews:
All three different characters are shown with an intensity of personal involvement which is where Wesker flourishes best.
Sunday Telegraph
