Darkest of Times [Albert J Moriarty] - Moriarty the Patriot

Act 1, Scene 1 - The Meeting

All he can hear is the thudding in his chest.

-

Fingers curved around the ends of the chair's arms and legs crossed, she stares ahead at the large mirror above her dressing table. The candle in front of her flickers, wax melting and dripping down the side into the tray. Letters are scattered to the side of her dressing table, empty envelopes are torn open and an ink bottle and pen adjacent to the pile.

Leaning forward, she grabs her hairbrush from the table, removing the ribbon from the braid and taking long strokes through her mid-length, auburn coloured hair hair.

A heavy sigh escapes her pink lips, placing the hairbrush down in front of herself as she gazes back at her bleak reflection in the mirror.

A knock on the door draws her out of her trance and she clears her throat. "Come in."

The door opens, one of the other actresses from the show grinning at her. "Sorry, Eleanor. Am I disturbing you?"

She waves a hand, a smile plastered on her face as she turns to the girl, Emily. "Not at all, I'm tired from the all late shows is all. Is something the matter?"

A folded newspaper appears from behind Emily's back and she holds it out. "We were all discussing the fact that the Daily Telegraph wrote a review regarding the play and cast. Would you care to read it out to everyone?"

"Oh really? I'd be glad to." Eleanor nods, accepting the newspaper from Emily's grip and following her out of the dressing room and down the hall to the communal common room.

The rest of the cast of actors stand around, glasses of wine or tumblers of scotch in their hands.

"Ah, our Lady Macbeth —Miss Eleanor has joined us! Let's hear all about this brilliant review, shall we?" Another actor beams merrily, raising a glass.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Eleanor jokes, unfolding the newspaper and turning the pages. She scans the words, pointing a finger to the headline with Emily holding the other end of the newspaper. "Here we are... The latest performance of William Shakespeare's 'Macbeth', being executed at the St James's Theatre, came as another brilliant show on its third night and it will continue to run for two more weeks in the grand theatre."

"Brilliant start," One of the actors quips, receiving a gentle nudge from one of the others.

Eleanor grins, continuing to read aloud. "The ensemble as a whole gave a stellar performance. The three witches lived up to the title of the 'weird sisters', their acting both creepy and mesmerising as they steered the plot of the play. The title character Macbeth is played by Henry Gilbert, who managed to successfully portray the complex character. He delivered a powerful performance and continued to do so with the everchanging character of Macbeth. He brought new depth to the difficult character whilst staying consistent throughout."

"Cheers to Henry!" The group chorus, clinking their glasses together as they praise his performance.

Eleanor smiles at him. "Well done Henry, you're a pleasure to perform beside."

"Likewise, Miss Eleanor." He respectfully nods. "Is there any note on your performance?"

Emily nods, pointing down. "Here we go!"

"However, Lady Macbeth, played by rising star Eleanor Williams, seemed to lack growth throughout."

"Lack growth?" One of the actors questions.

Eleanor frowns. "After her monologue in Act 1, the rest of her performance fell flat. The harsh, cruel ways of Lady Macbeth was played one note and drowned out as the rest of the cast shone brighter... The twists and turns of the play were clearly held together by Mr Gilbert while Miss Williams didn't push through when she needed to most... This was a subpar performance by Miss Williams."