Script of Everyone Sang

1. 241r012018
ALBERT: All I wanted was to come home and marry my girl.
SARAH: Come on now, let's not argue. I can understand your frustration,
Albert, and of course it hasn't been easy for you either. I think we all
just need to calm down.
ALBERT: If that's how things are, I'm not being given much of a choice, am I?
Albert sighs angrily and starts to leave the room.
ALBERT: I'm going to get out of this uniform
There is another pause at his words.
ALBERT: What now? Do I even need your permission to do that?
Ethel is blunt once again.
ETHEL: I sold your clothes Albert, that's how hard it's been for us.
ALBERT (astounded) : Everl,thing?
ETHEL: We had no choice; we had no idea when you would be back.
SARAH: Or even if you would be back. . ... we'd had no word and we were
struggling that much. I'm sorry son. I should have had more faith.
Albert laughs bitterly and sits as he shakes his head in disbelief
SARAH: Ethel and I will go straight out to the market and try and cobble
something together for you. In the meantime I'm sure Tom will lend
you a shirt. I'm just so grateful to finally have you home.
l6
Ethel & Sarah exit down aisle. Albert goes into house SL
CUT TO: George & Ada enterfrom'SR
GEORGE I asked every-where Ada. The *ay.o*e of them look down their nose
illT"Yt1,ill?it#;';[f'u'ot
vou think vou'd asked them to give
ADA: Not today then. NeVer mind, perhaps tomorroW.
GEORGE: And while we're waiting for tomorrow we have to survive today.
ADA: Come on, sit down, you've been on your feet all day.
Ada takes George's hand before noticing how it looks-.
'::
ADA: George, your hands, theyire ,o rud it's painful to look at.

2. 241r012018
He snatches it back.
GEORGE: It's cold outside.
Ada hesitates for a moment before letting the matter rest.
ADA: Why are you wearing your old uniform? You should put on your Sunday best
GEORGE: I thought it might help, showing that I did my bit, how I got this useless
arm...What are we going to do, Ada?
ADA: For a start, I'm going to have to do more than take in laundry, there are still
some factories that are looking for girls. I don't have much experience, but I could try.
GEORGE: I don't want to be a kept man.
ADA (sharply): That's just foolish pride talking and you know it. You'll find that more and
more women will be working following this war.
GEORGE: I know, ignore me...Perhaps I should go back to the disability allowance folk
and ask for more bright ideas as to what I can do with one arm. "Oh, there's always tailoring,
Mr Hodson." Talk about being bloody clueless.
ADA (mischievously): Or maybe you're just limiting your own horizons, Mr Hodson. There's
a shortage of maids at the moment. Girls have started to get ideas and they're moving into the
factories, so we need the men to take their place. I could imagine you in a black dress,
dusting the banisters.
GEORGE: You're mad, you are.
ADA: If we didn't laugh, we'd cry, eh?
Ada hesitates before bringing up a triclqt subject.
ADA: I went to visit EvO today; she's not coping too well. Harry would want you to
go and visit her, George.
GEORGE: I need more time.
ADA: Youlve being saying that for weeks now. You were friends since you were
kids, now you won't even mention his name.
George becomes agitated, he starts rubbing his hand again.
GEORGE: Ada, please, I can't talk about it.
ADA: It's all right, don't upset yourself, but when you decide you're ready, I'm here
GEORGE (calmer): I'11never stop being grateful I had you to come home to. (They exit SR)
t7

3. 24110/20t8
CHOIR. HOMEWARD BOUND
Ben is holding a note - runs in up centrol aisle,
BEN: Lads! It's over, we won,! We've won the war! The Germans have left the camp and
they've told us in a note, a bloody note!
He laughs ecstatically and can barely hold the note as his hands are shaking.
Thomas takes it from him and reads.
THOMAS: They say we're free to leave the camp and make our own way home.
EDWARD: Home boys, we're going home!
The three cheer raucously and throw their arms around each other. Then Ben stands aside
and motions Thomas infront of him.
THOMAS: Hold on though, we've got no proper clothes, no food, how on earth will we
manage?
Edward is too hoppy to core about the logistics.
EDWARD: We'll find a way, we've got no choice!
Ben motions Thomas to leave.first,
BEN: You do the honours, Thomas. Time to enjoy the simple pleasure of being able to go
'where you want, when you want.'
Thomas takes a last look around the hut. He's almost in a daze.
THOMAS: It feels strange. Forir years of not daring to think about seeing family or home
again and one morning you're suddenly told "it's over now; off you trot back to England". It
doesn't seem real. I feel as if I could run all the way back to Wolverhampton.
BEN: I wouldn't recommend it- mate.
Thomas exits and the others cheer him. Edward puts his arm around Ben and starts
EDWARD: Now this lousy war is over, no more soldiering for me!
Ben joins in and they exit noisily.
EDWARD and BEN: When I get my ciwy clothes on, oh how happy I shall be!
They sing - The Choir takes over - When this lousy war is over (They exit SL aisle)
l8

4. 24/t012018
CUT TO - George enters from SR and move to centre
George, looking cold and miserable, stands in the street with a cup, beggingfor coins
Rupert enters from rear up centre aisle and goes to hand him a coin.
RUPERT: Here you go, chap-George Hodson, is that you?
George is ashamed.
GEORGE: Sir...
RUPERT: How have you come to this?
GEORGE:
the parades.
How do any of the men, sir? This is life beyond the bunting, the parties and
RUPERT: They don't understand, do they? Any of them that weren't there. (Vehement)
It disgusts me; they disgust me, everyone who pats you on the back for a job well done and
expects you to go on with life as though nothing has changed.
George is not used to such open talkfrom a superior and is reluctant to respond.
GEORGE: Well, I don't suppose we can expect any different can we.
RUPERT: You are a married man, aren't you? What does your wife make of this?
GEORGE:
jobs.
She doesn't know, sir, I was going to say any coins I was given were from odd
RUPERT: My wife...I feel I can hardly look at her sometimes. She seems so shallow
now, yet how can I blame her? I was like that just four years ago. I can't recognise the
person I was.
t9
RUPERT: I can't imagine you'd get away with that for very long.
Rupert is suddenly less self-assured as he aslcs his next question.
RUPERT: Do you ever speak to her about things that happened over there?
GEORGE: Only bits...there's some things I can never talk about though, you
understand.
GEORGE (awkwardly): Don't give up on her, sir.

5. RUPERT:
sir".
Of course, you won't play anlthing else but the dutiful private. "Yes sir, no
George shows some iruitation at this.
GEORGE: I'm not sure what else you're expecting, szr.
RUPERT: No, I don't suppose you do. To be honest, I'm not sure I do myself. I just
think we were all there, sinking in the mud, wading amongst the corpses, sometimes barely
holding on to sanity. That night, you, Simpkins and I were stranded in that shell hole; did it
matter about rank or privilege? We were all just men, as we are now- shattered men. (With
sudden energy) Come on, George, let's go for a drink, you need something to warm you
up. It'llbe on me, of course.
GEORGE: I don't know, sir-
RUPERT: George, I don't need a subordinate tonight. Quite honestly, what I could really
do with is a friend.
GEORGE: I'm not going to lie, so could I.
Rupert puts his arm around George and they exit down the centre aisle to front of church
CUT TO - Lizzie & Molly enterfrom SL
Lizzie and Molly are two war widowed sisters. Both have children and are struggling to
make ends meet. Lizzie is fiercely independent and wants to make her own way in the world,
but Molly thinks she has found an easy solution to her tnoney worries.
LIZZIE: Wally Walters? (Lookingforward into Mirror doing make up)
MOLLY: Yes, Wally Walters.
LIZZIE: Molly, I don't understand -Wally Walters?
MOLLY: You can keep repeating his name all night, Lizzie; it won't make a scrap of
difference. Yes, I am going to marry Wally Walters.
LIZZIEz Oh, but why him, Molly? He must be near to twenty years older than you.
MOLLY: He's a good man and he says he's going to take care of me. You know he
earns a good wage and he's always had his eye on me.
LIZZIE: (Crosses behind her to grab her on pounce) Oh yes and he's seen his opportunity to
pounce now, hasn't he?
MOLLY: It doesn't matter. (Gets back up) I can't afford to be picky; there are few
enough men around as it is. The widow's pension is barely enough to put food on the table,
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Rupert laughs humourles sly.