Born in the gardens

by Peter Nichols

Not much has changed in the days since Maud's husband, Victor, died, except for the addition of the casket in the music room. She and her son Maurice are still pottering around the house, watching television and enjoying their eccentric hobbies. Everything becomes much less comfortable, however, when her other children arrive for the funeral. Quirky, dark, and hilarious, 'Born in the Gardens' combines a commentary on Thatcherite politics with an examination of a family in transition. It was written for the bicentennial anniversary of the Theatre Royal, now the Bristol Old Vic, in 1979.