OUR  BETTERS [A bit about the play]

OUR BETTERS is truly lots of fun to read! (And I'll bet it was even more fun to watch!) OUR BETTERS is a comedy of manners, set in 1915. The characters are mainly ex-patriot Americans, buying their way into the upper reaches of British society. The theme of the play is the rather listless love story of Bessie and Fleming, the young lovers. The fun of the play, though, is the triangle of two older ladies (in their thirties!), Pearl and The Duchesse, and Tony Paxton. Stephen plays Tony Paxton. This is how the play describes him:

Pretty good casting, wouldn't you say?! Stephen could play that, no problem! And Tony has some of the funniest scenes in the play, particularly in the third act.

Also in the first act, there is a pretty funny scene where they are discussing what work Tony might be suitable for:

[Pretty funny!!}

Something that was pretty interesting: as in Braveheart, Stephen's character provides the pivot point upon which the axes turn, like the center of a wheel. Stephen's amoral, heartless Tony is used to contrast with Fleming, the hero. Between Pearl and the Duchesse, Tony Paxton serves as the object of desire which creates the conflict between the two characters. And he is rather like the other end of the scale from Fenwick who dallies with Pearl and kind of keeps her as a pet.

My favourite line in the play was when the Duchesse asks him where he is going to go, and he says: "I shall go to the colonies." [Hot diggity!! Unfortunately... she talks him out of it by saying she will settle a thousand a year on him. Rats!!] I think it would have been lots of fun to have seen the play performed.