Constant Companions: Synopsis
Cast: 3 male / 4 female plus 2 off-stage voicesRunning time (approximate): 2hr 11mins (not including interval)
Availability: Apply to Casarotto Ramsay.
Acting Edition: Constant Companions has not been published.
Constant Companions consists of three plot lines which - to a certain degree - overlap with each other. The plots progress simultaneously with action moving back and froth between each. For ease of description, the plot lines are described seperately here. It should be noted the Ruby and Edie plots essentially run parallel with each other over the course of two days, whilst the Jan plot line moves forward more than three decades.
ED (Edie)
Characters
○ Don (40s, a bachelor)○ Lorraine (60, a lawyer)
○ Sylvia (30, her assistant)
○ Winston (late-30s, a technician)
○ Anthea (50s, a wealthy woman)
○ Edie (an android maid)
○ Jan Sixty (an android janitor)
○ KK 'Ruby' (off-stage, Don's Konstant Kompanion)
○ Conrad (off-stage, Lorraine's husband)
Perplexed and admitting this may be slightly out of his league, Winston nonetheless agrees to try and sort the problem by the day after. Anthea agrees to this and Winston is left to work on ED to try and rectify the fault. ED begins manipulating Winston almost immediately and proves capable of deceit. She also persuades Winston to be candid about his first, unfulfilled love, which she goes on to exploit and eventually seduces Winston inn her charging cabinet.
Winston, believing ED is in love with him, intends to run off with her and, having convinced Anthea the android has been repaired, goes to collect his payment. He returns to find Edie gone and Anthea tells him, ED has left anto run away with her son, who has also vanished.
A heart-broken Winston, who has been in contact with Don over his android Ruby by phone throughout all this, finally responds to Don's desperate plea for help and after an argument, heads to Don't apartment.
Ruby
We never see Ruby, only hear her voice and the results of her actions off-stage.In his flat, Don has just received his Konstant Companion (KK), an android which has been purchased - at considerable expense - to satisfy his sexual needs. Over the phone he is re-assured it is easy to build by his friend, Winston, who advises him to assemble it in the bathroom as it needs a 'sterile' environment.
Winston, it transpires, also has a KK named Monica - after his mother - which appears to be more of a domestic figure doing his cooking and keeping the house clean.
Don assembles his KK but does not listen to the operating instruction, which warns him the body does not come fully charged and has to have a full charge before operation.
Now assembled and named Ruby - after Don's dog - the android has difficulties leaving the bathroom and tears off the towel rail beginning a slow flood of the flat. To make matters worse, she immediately begins to run out of power. Don desperately tries to call Winston to no avail.
Winston eventually responds - having himself been devastated by events at the DeSantos household and comes to the flat, stops the flooding and is able to 'save' Ruby. He explains the problems she had leaving the bathroom were due to the enlarged size of her breasts, which Don had ordered as an extra.
Winston says he will wait with Don and when quizzed about his relationship with Monica, it transpires she ended their sexual relationship as it was making him so unhappy as he was unable to cope with the variety of her sexual programming and lost confidence. They now only go for walks with Winston lagging behind and she looks after the house.
As the significance that he has failed in every relationship, humans or android, dawns on him, he responds as Don asks if he's alright… "No. Not really, no…" he replies.
Jan
Lorraine is a successful lawyer on her 60th birthday - which her minor celebrity husband has forgotten - much to her chagrin. JAN60, a janitor / security android, has fallen in love with Lorraine thanks to a programming update which has allowed him to experience new emotions such as laughter. His programming also allows small occasional lies, but to do any more would corrupt his programming and shut him down.Lorraine's PA, Sylvia, offers JAN some valuable advice including to 'Concede. Gracefully' when arguing with Lorraine. JAN presents Lorraine with very strong brandy and tells her he is in love. Disbelieving, Lorraine gets drunk on the brandy very quickly. She asked what JAN wants and he says to dance, they do and she - in return asks for a cuddle and begins to cry.
Several months later, Lorraine has just returned from her honeymoon with JAN. She is blissfully happy and reveals that JAN is the perfect companion in every imaginable way. They are like a young couple and Lorraine is almost a different person when with JAN.
Twenty-five years later and Sylvia is still a PA. JAN, less assured than previously, visits her having brought Lorraine to the office on the way to her 85th birthday meal. He is looking for advice - Lorraine's memory and mental faculties are failing her, but she insists she is always right and he wrong. JAN, unable to lie without damaging his system is increasingly compromised and suffering as he is 'invariably' right. He insists they are still in love, but the strain is affecting his ability to operate. Lorraine comes in, mistaking Sylvia's name and contradicting much of what Jan says. They leave a worried Sylvia behind.
Five years later and Lorraine has died. Jan has returned to the office to resume his previous life as he was essentially leased to Lorraine for the duration of their marriage. Sylvia, now 60, is now a full partner. JAN reveals his final words to Lorraine were 'I will miss you.' Sylvia responds how nice that was, but JAN notes it wasn't specific to Lorraine, but the whole of humanity as a species, which the androids will outlive particularly given humanity seems 'hell bent' on destroying itself.
Several months later, Sylvia is visited by Edith DeSanto - formerly ED - who married Robin, but who has died at the age of 47. Ed subsequently discovered he had 'genetic imperfections' and wants to sue for compensation as Robin was, essentially, faulty goods. As androids have recently been given equal rights with humans, she argues just as a human could sue if an android was faulty, surely the same can now be said the other way. Sylvia agrees there could be a case and calls in JAN for advice. The androids high five each other as the conversation continues.
Synopsis by and copyright of Simon Murgatroyd. Please do n to reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.