The River

Jez Butterworth

WHO    The Man, late thirties, but could be played younger.

TO WHOM    The Other Woman.

WHERE    A cabin on the cliffs above the river.

WHEN    Present day.

WHAT HAS JUST HAPPENED    The play tells the story of four unnamed characters. They are described only as ‘The Man’, ‘The Woman’, ‘The Other Woman’ and ‘Another Woman’. In the first scene, The Man has invited his girlfriend, The Woman, back to his cabin. They plan to go fishing. The scene then fades to dark and then up again to reveal the man on the telephone reporting the woman missing. As he does so, there is the sound of a door banging, and a woman’s voice is heard from off. He tells the police that she is back and that it was a false alarm. A woman enters, but it is Another Woman, who is played by a different actress. However, they talk as if she were the first. He asks her, ‘Where were you?’ and tells her that he has called the police. Later she exits to the bedroom. He prepares supper. The (first) Woman then enters, towelling her hair, again as if nothing had changed. After supper, The Man asks her to go and get something he found when he was fishing once. He does not say what but tells her that it is in the bedroom in a hatbox under the bed, wrapped in a green handkerchief. She goes but when she re-enters she is The Other Woman. This same switch happens twice more before The Other Woman asks, ‘How many women have you brought here?’ The speech that follows is The Man’s response.

WHAT TO CONSIDER

•	The play is mysterious and haunting. The language lyrical.
•	It begs many questions about the nature of love, lies and the truth.
•	The Man is very physical and sensuous. He is obsessed with fishing and most of his imagery is from the natural world.
•	At the very end of the play, a third woman (Another Woman) appears.
•	Read the play to understand fully its twists and turns.

WHAT HE WANTS

•	To prove to The Other Woman that she is the one and only true love.
•	To possess her.

KEYWORDS  ghost  desperate  invisible  snare  sacred  imposters  lost  looking  lie

Man

You really want to know? (Pause.) When I was about twelve my uncle said he’d brought lots and lots of women here. Fillies he called them. And he said how he used to do the same things with each of them. The same routine. He’d bring them here around sunset, pour them a large Scotch. Take them fishing then bring them back and quote have his wicked way. He said he’d brought dozens here. So many he said he’d get them mixed up. Have to write down their names. And he laughed. He laughed that big laugh of his. But he suddenly had the eyes of a ghost. And the mouth of some desperate creature caught in an invisible snare. As I went to sleep that night I promised myself I would only bring one woman here. The woman I wanted to spend my life with. The woman I wanted to be with for ever. She would come here, and it would be sacred. It would be something I had only shared with her and her alone.

[…]

Earlier this evening, when you came back. I said something to you. And you laughed it off. […]

It’s okay. You were surprised. Not as surprised as me. Trust me, I didn’t want to say it. But I had no choice. Because there was nothing else in my head or in my whole being. There was no way forward except through that. There was no next breath without it. And you’re right. I may forget who you are. I may bring other women here, to this place, and I may tell them I love them, and make love to them. But they will be imposters. And I will be a ghost. Because it means I will have lost you. My body, my brain, my lungs, my stomach, my guts, legs, arms will be here but I won’t be. I will be out there, looking for you. And if we meet somewhere, at a restaurant, or a party and I’m with someone, I want you to know that they are by my side only because you are not. And she will be beautiful. And I will be laughing and smiling and she will be laughing and smiling, but she will be laughing at a lie. Because all I will have done to that person is lie to them. All I will do to anyone else, forever, from this moment forward, anyone who isn’t you, is lie. I have no choice. (Beat.) I have no choice.