Mollusc

MR. BAXTER.: Is molluscry the same as laziness?

TOM.: No, not altogether. The lazy flow with the tide. The mollusc uses forces to resist pressure. It's amazing the amount of force a mollusc will use, to do nothing, when it would be so much easier to do something. It's no fool, you know, it's often the most artful creature, it wriggles and squirms, and even fights from the instinct not to advance. There are wonderful things about molluscry, things to make you shout with laughter, but it's sad enough, too--it can ruin a life so, not only the life of the mollusc, but all the lives in the house where it dwells.

And with this pronouncement, Tom Kemp diagnoses his sister Dulcie's 'condition.'

Having swept back into upper class England from the wilds of Colorado, Tom endeavors to put an end to Dulcie Baxter's tenacious molluscry. But he finds his work cut out for him as he sets in motion an unhinging of her carefully orchestrated domestic machinery. Enlisting the help of Mr. Baxter and the beleaguered governess, Miss Roberts, Tom is determined to turn the tide.

What results is a delightful comedy of manners, family, love, and loyalty, and a window on Edwardian class differences and ambitions.

Vertvolta Press is proud to present Hubert Henry Davies' hit play to a new generation of theatre lovers.