Happy Families

By Agnes Adam

Price:

£2.00

Item attributes

ISBN:

978-0-85174-880-1

Acts:

3

Females:

10

Males:

6

Item details

The Ramsay family consists of father, mother, their daughter Jean and Mrs. Ramsay's mother. Jean's whole thoughts and ambitions centre round ballroom dancing and she has no patience with the old-fashioned ways of her elders. She decides to marry her dancing partner but has no intention of setting up house for herself and stays on in her parents' house. Then family life becomes disrupted with the clash between the old generation and the new. A further disruption is caused by the arrival of two cousins from America who turn out to be parasites, very difficult to dislodge. Finally they are got rid of but Jean, her husband and two children are still without their own home -- ballroom dancing and championships still taking first place. Poor Mrs. Ramsay is torn between two loyalties -- loyalty to her husband, her mother and her home on the one hand and loyalty to her daughter and grandchildren on the other. Finally, Mr. Ramsay seeing the complete disruption of his home, takes a firm stand and insists on Jean with her family leaving the parental home and shouldering her own responsibilities, thus leaving the older generation free to resume their own calm happy routine of life. The characterisation is varied and a?ords good scope for acting both for older and younger players. There are tense dramatic moments but plenty of humour to enliven it all.