To please mum dad started to put a bit of money into the Thespians and that meant at least two things.
First, mum got leading roles in the plays. Now I know what you’re thinking, that mum only got the parts because of dad’s money. That’s only partially true because as I’ve said she really is a good actor, and at the time in question (“The Mature Lady Wins”), she was thirty nine but could and had played roles much younger than that very successfully.
For example, at age thirty eight she’d played the twenty one year old Lady Windermere in “Lady Windermere’s Fan,” and nobody questioned it.
In the play that I’d starred in as the male stripper, “Girl’s Night Out,” mum had played a twenty three year old woman who had been brought along by her friends to see a male strip show for the first time.
The second thing was, the local trades’ people got a lot of business from our family, and so dad made sure that they advertised the plays and sold tickets to their customers. As a result, the Thespian’s fortunes began to look up, and now consistently played to a packed Memorial Hall.
After dad died mum still supported the Thespians and they had continued to flourish.
In the current play I knew I was making a mess of the part, but it was the first time I’d had to play a love scene opposite mum.
** * * * * * *
Lionel stumped back to his seat in the auditorium, a look of despair on what he hoped was his aesthetic countenance, repeating, “Get on with it…just get on with it.”
Mum whispered, “Come on David, there’s really no need to be shy.”
We went into our Lines:
Lady P. “Oh Garth, do you know how I long for you?”
Me.”But your Ladyship I am only the gardener, and I would never presume…”
“Lady P.”There can be no class divide where love prevails, kiss me Garth.”
Here we were supposed to go into a clinch. I did my best. There was a groan from Lionel, but he didn’t stop us.
Lady P.”Strip me darling, look at my beautiful naked body.”
I fumbled with straps that went over her shoulders and the dress that was supposed to slither down mother’s body to the floor got hung up on her hips. There was another groan from Lionel.
After a bit of a tussle the dress did manage to descend hesitatingly to the floor and mother stood there in her panties and bras. I was supposed to start to undo her bras to reveal her breasts.
My hands were trembling; in fact the whole of me was trembling as I reached behind her back to unhook the bras.
“Oh no…no…no…” Lionel screamed, “how many times…how many more bloody times do I have to tell you, you know we arranged for the bras to unhook at the front, to make it easier, so why…?”
“Sorry Lionel…sorry…” I mumbled, “I feel so nervous I forgot.”
“Just try that bit again,” Lionel wailed, “and I plead with you…I beg of you get it bloody right this time.”
Mum tugged up the dress and went into her line about me stripping her again. This time the dress slithered and I reached up to the bra clip – in front this time – and undid it. The bras were about to fall off, “Blackout” Lionel yelled. The lights went out and mum clutched at the bra cups to hold them against her breasts.