Mike came to Pauline's flat and said, "Well, the production's finished, so I'm returning these things of yours I borrowed for it. Did you see the play? Did you like it?"
"Yes, I did see it", Pauline replied, "but now you mention it: no, I didn't like it at all".
"Oh? And may I ask why not?"
"Well, for a start; it's hardly a new concept, is it: a shortened version of Macbeth in modern dress. And Phil Duckworth was easily the worst Macbeth I've ever seen: to describe him as wooden would be an understatement. I suppose you had to choose him because he was the only man in the cast capable of remembering his lines. And as for having the three witches as a kind of drug dream under strobe lights: that should have come with a taste warning instead of a health one!"
"I see. And did it perhaps occur to you that the intention was to show Macbeth as a rather dim soldier who suffered from delusions because of post-traumatic stress, so it was all deliberate?"
"So you say. But I say Phil was just a rotten actor. Period".
"Well, I can see there's no point trying to debate the point with you. But what about Samantha Johnson as Lady Macbeth? Wasn't she terrific? She'd never acted before,you know. Talk about undiscovered talent! Now she wants to be a professional actress; full-time!"
"And that's another thing. What on earth possessed you to depict Lady Macbeth as some kind of tarty teenager? It wasn't even funny!"
"Why shouldn't she be a teenager? There's nothing in the play to say how old she is. And Shakespeare's plays are full of teenagers. Look at Romeo and Juliet; and for that matter, Richard III and Anne Nevill at the start of the play. So why not Lady Macbeth too? And Sam played the part so well!"
"Look, Mike; I've known Sam Johnson for a lot longer that you have, and I can tell you, she's nothing more than a common little scrubber. So for her to play a tarty teenager wasn't acting at all: she just had to behave naturally! As a matter of fact, I can see her as a professional actress: on porn videos for sale on the internet; that'd be just her style. And I know perfectly well why you picked her for the part. You've always fancied her, haven't you? and you thought selecting her for the leading part would increase your chances: the old casting couch, of course. Well? Did your cunning plan succeed?"
Mike stood up to go. "I know perfectly well why you're being so rude", he said."You're angry because I asked you if you wanted to help with the production, and you said no. Either you were just too idle, or more likely you chickened out. Now I've had to work hard on it, but I've achieved something - and I can tell you, a lot of people liked the play, for all your sneering - and you've achieved nothing. You're jealous!"
"I wouldn't have wanted to be associated with rubbish like that, thank you very much!"
Mike snorted and left the room noisily.
The next visitor was Sam Johnson. She was wearing a new dress, in what looked like an expensive Designer style. How on earth could Sam have afforded that, Pauline wondered.
"Hiya!" said Sam in her usual slovenly voice, "I was packin' up my stuff an' I found I'd got these CDs an' fings belongin' to you, so I fought I'd better bring 'em back before I left".
"I like the dress", said Pauline.
"Nice, innit? It was a present".
"Are you going away?"
"Yeah! This guy: he saw me in the play, an' he gave me this dress. He wants me ter come down ter London. He's a film director, an' he wants me ter work for him. Short stuff to start wiv. Adverts; fings like that!"
Pauline thought any comment on her part would be superfluous.
