Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays
| Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays | |||
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| Written by | Alan Ayckbourn | ||
| Characters | Suzy Neville Mother Father Mr Accousticus Mr Passerby |
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| Date premiered | 30 November 1988 | ||
| Place premiered | Stephen Joseph Theatre (Westwood site), Scarborough | ||
| Original language | English | ||
| Genre | Children's | ||
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Mr A's Amazing Maze Plays is a play written by Alan Ayckbourn in 1988. It relies heavily on the audience for many scenes inside Mr Accousticus' house.
Summary: The story begins with young Susie/Suzy being given a puppy (Neville) as a gift from her kind mother. Her father disappeared while taking part in the Great International Balloon Race and hasn't been seen since. Soon after, Mr Constantine Accousticus moves into the large mansion across the road. Strange events occur soon after, noticed by Suzy and loyal Neville (Like birds losing their song and their neighbor Mr. Passerby, the once great opera singer losing his voice) but which are oblivious to her mother, who is too charmed by Mr Accousticus to notice what's happening around her.
Early in the play we are informed that Suzy is a lonely child, because most children at her school are rather rich and their parents do not wish for them to play with children as poor as Suzy, and her mother spends all day working at a biscuit shop, so she has no time to spare with Suzy. Instead, she saves up money for a special present, and one day gives Suzy a puppy, which Suzy names Neville. Neville likes eating, and soon grows far too big to live in the small cottage with Suzy and her mother, so he is told to sleep on the porch. While here it is revealed that Suzy's mother has a problem with pronouncing words, despite being quite clever really (e.g. she says "Eiderdeiderdown" instead of Eiderdown). It is also revealed that Suzy last saw her father at the Great International Balloon Race, where he just went up, and up, and up, and never came down again, without Suzy ever getting the chance to tell him how much she loved him.
The next day Suzy and Neville meet with Mr. Passerby, who claims to have been a great opera singer, named the Great Passerbi. Neither Suzy nor Neville believe him, but he always has a fresh supply of chocolate cake, which Suzy and Neville always appreciate. He explains to them that he had to quit once someone had stolen his voice late at night and replaced it with the revolting one he now has. He tells Suzy and Neville that he now sleeps with an orange beneath his chin to keep his mouth shut to prevent it happening again.
Later on, Suzy and Neville discover a large, new lock on abandoned old mansion across the road. The mansion is huge, with over 50 rooms and hallways, and Suzy tells her mother, after briefly forgetting after her mother tells Suzy she has received a promotion at the biscuit shop. Suzy states that Suzy may not play in the mansion's garden anymore, as the new owner will probably dislike them playing in their garden.
Later, while mother is telling Suzy and Neville a scary ghost story, their new neighbor introduces himself as Constantine Accousticus. Mother instantly falls for his charms, but Suzy and Neville are deeply afraid of him.
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Wikipedia