LEWIS: We’re agreed. We don’t want to see Australian soldiers die in a meaningless war.

HENRY: It is a war with meaning. It is to stop communism.

JULIE: The communists are winning, Henry, we’re losing.

HENRY: Wwwwash your mouth.

ROY: [entering] Is that how you operated in court, Henry? Hate to be facing the death penalty with you as my attorney.

HENRY: Shut up!

ROY is stunned to see HENRY so aggressive towards him. HENRY turns to LEWIS.

You made fun of us all by making the Alb… Al…

ROY: Albanians.

HENRY shows his fist to ROY, silently threatening to hit him if he interrupts again.

HENRY: Albanian communists. You make fun of us by making us communists.

ROY: [irritated] I was the one who chose this opera.

HENRY: This Così condones the cccorruption of innocence. Women are told to be tramps. Free love. Women are not to be trusted.

LEWIS: Henry, it doesn’t condone—

HENRY: Be quiet. My mother only llloved my fffather, no one else. He died in Kkkoreaa and she llloved nnno one else but me.

There is an embarrassed silence.

LEWIS: I wasn’t making fun of you by dressing up Guglielmo and Ferrando as Albanian communists. I just thought it was funny, that’s all. I thought it was funny that they disguised themselves as communists, seeing it’s a world of aristocrats. And the women: that’s what the opera’s about. Whether love is an unswerving emotion and whether women can remain true. It’s a comedy.

HENRY: Whether women can remain true is a ttttragedy.

He starts to leave.

LEWIS: Henry! Henry!

LEWIS jumps in front of HENRY.

Henry, I don’t want you to leave.

HENRY decides to walk around LEWIS.

Henry!

LEWIS pushes HENRY back. He reacts and pushes LEWIS.

I’m not going to let you walk out on us! You’ll have to hit me to get out.

HENRY raises his fist as if to hit LEWIS. CHERRY and RUTH cry out.

Hit me, it’s the only way I’m going to allow you to leave us. [A beat.] Go on, hit me.

HENRY pauses and then drops his arm.

HENRY: I don’t want to hit you. I like you, you’re not the Viet Cong.

HENRY walks around LEWIS.

LEWIS: Henry. Stop.

HENRY stops.

I have an idea. Why don’t we make Ferrando and Guglielmo disguise themselves as Australian soldiers?

HENRY: Like my fffffather?

LEWIS: Like your father.

Pause.

HENRY: All right.

Pause.

LEWIS: Okay. Let’s start from where the two lovers return disguised as Australian soldiers.

ROY: When’s Nick coming back?

LEWIS: He’s not. Now let’s get started on this scene. We’ll open with you two over there.

ROY: [sotto voce to CHERRY] Needs a poke. Very tense.

END OF ACT ONE

ACT TWO

SCENE ONE

The theatre. The music from Act One, scene five of Così Fan Tutte is played on a gramophone operated by ROY. HENRY, who is supposed to be miming to the music, sings loudly. He stands downstage behind a hospital trolley on which is a collection of his toy soldiers and a toy boat. In time with the music—the soldiers and people singing the Number 8 chorus—he marches his toy soldiers on to the boat. Nearby water drips through the hole in the roof. During the song, RUTH gets a bucket and puts it under the dripping water.