Fuente Ovejuna
Fuente Ovejuna
Gooch’s shrewd and skilful adaptation of de Vega’s account of a small community’s fight against injustice and oppression
Malcolm Hay, Time Out
Adaptation of Lope de Vega’s 15th Century classic in which a Spanish village rises up against a tyrannical overlord who believes he can have the pick of the village’s women. Rendered into a modern, colloquial, ’Madness-style’, Cockney verse form. Produced in 2011 by students at the London School of Film, Media & Performance. First produced as a community play at The Tom Allen Centre. A Joan Littlewood favourite.
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Script Excerpt
(The village square.)
(Laurencia and Pascuala, working with Jacinta.)
Laurencia: I was glad to see the back of him, myself.
Pascuala: Oh really? Sure you weren’t a little sorry when he left?
Laurencia: It wouldn’t bother me if Don Fernan was never seen in Fuente ever again.
Jacinta: They all say that, you know, Laurencia. Hard as nails outside, and on the inside soft as butter …
Laurencia: No. I know exactly what I feel about that sort.
Pascuala: Today maybe, but what about tomorrow? They’ll be back from Ciudad Real tonight.
Laurencia: Look, I don’t care what you – or anybody else – says, come to that, what good’ll come of you or me consortin’ with that sort? D’you really think I’d end up Mrs Don Fernan?
Pascuala: No way.
Laurencia: They make me sick, the two-faced swine. There’s more’n one young kid round here who’s fallen for the line he’s spun an’ ended up regrettin’ it.
Pascuala: You try to put ’em off, it’s like they speak a foreign language, you’ll be lucky to escape his clutches.
Laurencia: It’s his time he’s wastin’. – Know that Flores, always with him? He’s been on my tail a month, a sort of go-between, all this (she gestures) about how wonderful his master is, an’ offerin’ me clothes an’ jewellery … Gives me the creeps just listenin’. That way they’ll get nowhere fast.
Jacinta: Be nice to think so … – Where was this?
Laurencia: Down by the river, all last week.
Pascuala: It must mean trouble, Laurie, got to.
Laurencia: Not for me, Pascuala. P’raps for him.