Amy's View

Act One

The play opens in 1979. Amy and her boyfriend, Dominic, have come to visit her mother, Esme. Esme is performing on stage in London and Amy is amazed to hear that she comes home to Berkshire every evening by taxi. While they wait, Dominic tinkers with an old bicycle he has found and Amy’s grandmother, Evelyn, bustles in and out. Evelyn cross-examines Dominic in the way that only old ladies can, and openly asks Amy if she is sure she is with the right man. As they chat, we are told of a home-made publication Amy used to sell as a child, which she called Amy’s View. Their conversation also reveals Dominic’s keen interest in cinema and his hopes of establishing a career in filmmaking. Mention of Amy’s childish publishing history prompts the revelation that he has also started a publication, entitled Noir et Blanc, in which he reviews films. Amy observes that there are similarities between Noir et Blanc and Amy’s View, except “this time the view is Dominic’s”.

By this time the