National Theatre Live: People, Places and Things

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Good evening, and welcome to... Trafalgar Theatre.

Please take a moment now to ensure your mobile...

For 90 years on this Earth, my youth robbed from me.

I've cursed you, Nina, ripped up your photographs and letters, but it's no use.

I see your face everywhere.

I say your name. I kiss the ground you walk on.

I'm bound to you for ever.

And now you're here.

I'm sad, lonely,

utterly alone and cold as if I've been imprisoned underground,

and everything I write is so bleak.

Nina,

stay here.

I beg you, stay here or let me go with you.

Nina? Nina? For God's sake, Nina.

My carriage is waiting. Don't walk me out.

Can I have some water, please?

– Where will you go? – Is Irina Arkadin here?

Yes, Uncle was taken ill...

Why did you say you worship the ground I walk on?

I'm not fit to live.

Death.

Death is what I deserve.

I'm so tired. I need to sleep.

I'm a seagull!

No, that's not right. I'm an actress.

He's here, too, isn't he?

Of course. It doesn't matter.

He didn't believe in the stage. He laughed at me.

I don't believe in it either. Not now.

Not now that I've had real problems, real things have happened.

My heart is broken.

I don't know what to do with my hands when I'm onstage.

I'm not real. I'm...

I'm a seagull.

No, that's wrong, too.

You shot a seagull, do you remember? Earlier in the play.

I mean... the story.

I mean...

Long ago you... No, not you.

What was I saying? I was talking about the theatre.

I love acting. I'm a real actress. I was a real actress.

Will you come and see me when I'm a real actress?

I'm different now, and I feel better and better every day.

You don't need to worry about me any more. I have faith.

– Nina! – Things don't hurt me so much any more.

I'm not afraid. I'm...

Enough!

Nina?

Nina?

Emma?

– Emma? – No!

Can you please do this one thing for me, please?

I'm just asking for...

No, listen... Listen to me. Listen to me for a second, OK?

All right, please. This is important to me.

I'm trying to do something.

For once in my life, I'm trying to do something for myself.

Don't be like that! Why do you have to be like that?

No, listen please.

Well, because right now you're being a complete cunt!

Well, I'm sorry you hate that word.

It's unfortunate because in one syllable

it so perfectly describes your entire personality.

Look, obviously I've called the wrong person.

Obviously you're unable to help me.

You can't give me half an hour to do something that might save my life.

Yes, it is that serious.

I am not being dramatic. That is such a cunty thing to say.

I'll stop calling you a cunt when you stop being a cunt.

No, listen...

– Mum! – (AUDIENCE LAUGHS)

Mum, listen, please.

Mum, you're...

You're already in my flat, just...

Yeah. Yeah.

There's a large clear plastic box in the hallway on...

Like a big plastic box.

It's see-through, I don't know how else to describe it.

Yeah, that's just unread post. Tip that out.

I don't know, the floor. It's bills, Mum. I'll deal with it when I get home.

OK, now fill the box with anything that looks, you know, medical or...

Yes, alcohol, of course yes,

and anything that looks like drugs or...

Right, OK.

On the coffee table in the living room there's a wooden box. Do you see it?

Yeah, don't look inside. Just chuck it.

Yeah, I know.

Yeah, I know it's the one Dad got me, I know that, but...

But that's not what I used it for.

Will you please just chuck it out?

OK. Right, now the kitchen.

You found all that? Great.

Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yep.

And the cupboard under the sink?

No, to the left.

And the oven!

OK, now, open the oven.

Because I don't use it for... Mum, I don't cook!

Well, just put it in the box with the rest of it.

And then the bathroom, but, Mum, listen...

I want you to just...

Don't be shocked, OK?

– Well, that's why I'm here, Mum. –

I am.

I am! I'm trying to get myself well.

No! I am not smoking!

– Mum, I really need you to... –

– Yeah. Yeah. –

OK, Mum. Thank you.

They're trying to take it all out of us!

Drain our blood and use it for gold!

This is gold and they're scared of its power!

And they're right! They're right! They're right!

They should be scared. They should be terrified.

– Mum, I have to go. Mr Waverly.

– Let's go back inside all right? – We are love!

We are God, we are power and life and we will never surrender!

– Er... You can't smoke in here. – What?

You can't smoke in here. It's a medical building.

– They're sucking our blood! – You can smoke outside.

– It's raining. – I have locked eyes with God!

– I have touched the eyes of God! – It's part of the medical building.

– I have licked God's eyeballs... – You can take it outside or put it out.

– Those are your options. – Do you have an ashtray?

There isn't an ashtray, no. It's a medical building.

– – I'm not being petty.

There have to be rules or things descend into chaos!

I can see what we need to do. You can see it, too, can't you?

It should all be torn to pieces!

– – Woah!

Things need to change but they won't.

There'll be so much death, one after another, then many at once.

It'll be such a loud party!

Aagh!

They're going to ask for everything!

But you've got nothing to begin with.

– – Nothing! Never surrender!

Everyone back inside, please.

– Checking in or picking up? – Is he OK?

– Are you checking in? –

If you'd like to finish your cigarette outside...

Oh, right. Sorry.

– Do you have anyone with you? – Yeah. No.

Actually, yeah, I think I'm just going to go outside for a second.

– You can leave your bags. – Yeah, no, I'll just...

How about we check you in first and then you can...?

– Is there much to do? – Just a few questions.

– Like...? – Like what's your name?

The questions do get harder, so you may wanna...

Er, no, I'd like to...

– Anonymity? – Something like that.

The privacy policy is all on the back of the form.

It's important to read and sign that, too,

but your recovery depends on you being completely truthful while you're here.

Do you understand that?

So, what name shall I put on the form?

– Nina? – Right. Nice to meet you... Nina.

All the forms are quite self-explanatory. I'll need a bunch of signatures.

Oh, and I'll need your phone and if you've got a laptop, iPad...

No, I need my phone.

Yeah, no. It's policy.

It's like the policy about smoking.

I thought I put that out.

– You didn't. – Right. Sorry. It's just...

This is my last cigarette and once it's out I'm...

We'll look after your devices for you then once you've finished your recovery...

But I'm waiting to hear about this thing, I need my phone because there's a thing...

Tell me, Nina, when did you last use?

Blunt, I know, but...

More than a week or less?

In the last 72 hours?

The last 24?

Are you high right now?

– Can you tell me what you've taken? – I just needed something to get me here.

It's important to be accurate

so we know how to treat you and it won't help you to lie.

You're going to have a full medical and history taken, so...

– I drank a bit and I smoked some weed! – What alcohol did you drink and how much?