The Shakespeare Garden Club
A FANTASY
—by—
Mabel M. Moran
of the
Larchmont Garden Club
Larchmont, N. Y.
Copyright 1919. By Mabel M. Moran.
CAST
Ann Hathaway
Mistress Page
Mistress Ford
Lady Macbeth
Perdita
Cordelia
Desdemona
Katherine
Jessica
Portia
Rosalind
Juliet
Titania
Ophelia
Rosaline
Cleopatra
The Shakespeare Garden Club
A FANTASY
By MABEL M. MORAN.
SCENE: A room in Ann Hathaway’s cottage at Stratford-on-Avon.Furnishing in keeping with the period.
(As curtain rises Ann is in the act of placing chairs,benches etc., in a semi-circle around the room; in center ofcircle is a long chest to be used as desk for the presidingofficer.
Noise is heard at door. Ann runs and opens same.Enter Mistress Page and Mistress Ford,—with animated flutter).
ANN: Mistress Page (kisses) and Mistress Ford (morekisses). No finer sight ere greeted eye than you twodear ladies—nor never did I need you more.
PAGE: How now?
FORD: And why is this?
ANN: Forsooth, ’tis a meeting here to-day of the ShakespeareGarden Club—and like to be grave and solemn, sonone better than you Merry Wives of Windsor to cheerme up.
PAGE: A meeting—a-lack-a-day—may we stay? We arenot members.
ANN: Oh, you are my guests—and most welcome.
FORD: Do we know the ladies?
ANN: Nearly all, I trow, there’s the President, Lady Macbeth.
PAGE: She was ever all dignity—and ambition.
ANN: And the Secretary is Portia, the attorney-at-law.
FORD: A-la-la, she’ll make you toe the mark.
ANN: Jessica, Shylock’s daughter, is Treasurer.
PAGE: No one dares owe dues to her, I’ll warrant.
ANN: But sit you down, and have a merry gossip together.Methinks the ladies do arrive.
(Knock on door. Perdita enters, greeting and handshaking)
ANN: (Aside to wives as Perdita crosses stage and takeschair at end) You remember the Winters’ Tale theytold of her? (Wives nod energetically)
ANN: And here comes Desdemona, wife of Othello.
Enter Desdemona. (sits by Perdita)
PAGE: (aside) How could she ever have married thathorrid black man?
Enter Cordelia.
FORD: I have never met her, she’s daughter to KingLear, a cranky father and hard to please, but she’s alovely religious woman.
[Pg 4]
Enter Katherine.
PAGE: Why that’s Petrucio’s wife, the one they calledthe Sh