Bothered and Bewildered
by Gail Young

Name: Bothered and Bewildered
Brand: Gail Young
SKU: 9780573110634
Rating: 4.6 (4 reviews)

Bothered and Bewildered Book Cover — Bothered and Bewildered Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins Present Day Role(s) for Senior Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

As her family struggles to come to terms with her Alzheimer’s, Irene blurs reality with her passion for romantic literature.

She spends hours discussing how best to write her “memory book” with her imaginary friend and favorite author Barbara Cartland (the deceased, world-famous romantic novelist), disclosing long-kept family secrets that she would never divulge to her daughters.

This tragicomedy is about memory, loss, secrets and – above all – love.

For more insight on the play’s development and premiere, see the open Facebook page for Bothered and Bewildered or visit www.gailyoungplaywright.com .

Press Reviews

"A story that is laden with poignancy and pain as a person loses the veneer of respectability to expose the raw truth of what lies beneath... a brave look at a difficult and topical subject."
— Edinburgh Guide

"Dear Gail, I am assured that you will be depicting my mother in a sympathetic way from reading through your script. She was renowned for her sense of humour and you really bring that out... Good luck with the play, I am sure it will be a great success, and make sure that whoever plays my Mum is dressed in pink!"
— Ian McCorquodale, Barbara Cartland’s son

"I must confess on reading the synopsis of the play I was uncertain how many laughs would be possible out of such an emotionally draining subject. I was dead wrong!! In my humble opinion the play was excellent, and I and the capacity audience thoroughly enjoyed it. The play was so very touching, sad, and funny and held my attention throughout with very well drawn characters, and the writing was so good that I felt for the daughters every step of the way and cared very much what happened to them all. I loved the introduction of Barbara Cartland as an imaginary friend."
— Christine Hunter Hughes, NODA NW Regional Councillor, October 2014

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
IRENE Elderly widow and mother of Beth & Louise, early 70s.	female	70s	Elderly widow and mother of Beth & Louise, early 70s.
BETH Eldest daughter of Irene, 45-55.	female	45-55	Eldest daughter of Irene, 45-55.
LOUISE Youngest daughter of Irene, 45-55.	female	45-55	Youngest daughter of Irene, 45-55.
BARBARA CARTLAND 50-60	—	50	50-60
NHS CONSULTANT Male or female, 30-40.	female	30	Male or female, 30-40.
COMMUNITY POLICEMAN Male, 30-40. (Can be played by the actor playing NHS CONSULTANT)	male	30	Male, 30-40. (Can be played by the actor playing NHS CONSULTANT)
JI	—	—	—
JAMES Early 20s. (Must be played by the actor playing JIM)	male	20s	Early 20s. (Must be played by the actor playing JIM)
YOUNG IRENE Beth’s daughter, 16.	female	—	Beth’s daughter, 16.
SHELLEY Irene’s granddaughter, 19. (Must be played by the actor playing YOUNG IRENE)	male	—	Irene’s granddaughter, 19. (Must be played by the actor playing YOUNG IRENE)