THE CANTERVILLE GHOST

The script
 Prologue (Track 1)

Canterville Chase, 1585

The stage is dark. We hear a mysterious music and light slowly fades
in on the left of the stage. Simon of Canterville appears from the shadows,
wearing a red heart-shaped necklace.

SIMON
I know you will never betray me.

(Eleanor of Canterville appears on the right side. She is wearing the same
necklace and she is holding it in one hand.)

ELEANOR
I will never betray you.

SIMON
I love you. I love you more than anything in this world.

ELEANOR
I love you. I love you more than anything in this world.

SIMON
(Singing):

BETRAYAL IS THE WORST CRIME

UNFORGIVEN FOR A LIFETIME
A TRAITOR LIVES IN CHAINS
IN AN EXISTENCE OF PAIN

SIMON
I want to give you something very important. And I am going to do it because I love
you and because I know you will never betray me.

ELEANOR
I want to give you something very important. And I am going to do it because I love
you and because I know you will never betray me.

SIMON
This is the Bloody Heart. The most precious jewel of our family. It belonged to
Queen Mary and was given to the Canterville family by Queen Elizabeth herself as a
token of gratitude for supporting her in her succession. We could buy an empire with it.

ELEANOR
This is the Bloody Heart. The most precious jewel of the Canterville family. It
belonged to Queen Mary and was given to the Canterville family by Queen Elizabeth
herself as a token of gratitude for their support and their miserable obsequiousness. We
could kill an empire with it.

(Behind Eleanor, Anthony Babington appears and he unfastens her

necklace)
YOU GIVE ME THIS HEART
A GREATER TREASURE THAN I CAN SAY
THE REST CAN BE GIVEN AWAY
A KINGDOM FOR A HEART

SIMON
I GAVE YOU THIS HEART
IT WAS ALL IN VAIN
BETRAYAL’S YOUR NAME
YOU’RE BREAKING MY HEART

(MUSICAL BRIDGE INSTRUMENTATION GETTING LOUDER)

ELEANOR
It is time for this jewel to return to a true Catholic queen.

ANTHONY
This will be enough. We will kill that filthy Protestant bastard and a true queen will
rule.

ELEANOR
Mary Stuart.

ANTHONY
Mary Stuart. Well done, my love.

ELEANOR
I love you. Let us leave this filthy place. These nasty Cantervilles, they reek of
Protestant.

ANTHONY
Get the carriage and the horses ready. Get dressed and do not take anything else;
the Queen will reward us enough. I will take the necklace.

ELEANOR
Let me wear it a few more seconds. I want to feel its weight on my neck.

SIMON
Eleanor!!
(Anthony and Eleanor start)

ELEANOR
Go! I will distract him.
(Anthony leaves)

SIMON
What does this mean!? (holding a letter)

ELEANOR
What?

SIMON
Who are you? For real. What do you want from me?
ELEANOR
What are you talking about? Calm down, Simon.

SIMON
Who is he?

ELEANOR
You will have to kill me to know!

SIMON
So be it!

ELEANOR
Unless he kills you first. Anthony!!!

SIMON
(He grabs Eleanor, shakes her and throws her to the ground. She dies
instantly. Simon realises and he reacts, full of regret.)
Eleanor? Eleanor!! No! No! Wake up! Eleanor, my love… What have I done to you?
What have I done to you!! Forgive me! Eleanor!

SIMON
ELEANOR BETRAYED ME
BUT I NEVER WANTED HER DEAD
ACCUSED OF MURDER
BY TRAITORS I AM SENTENCED
MY LOVE’S LOST FOREVER
AND NOW ALL I HAVE LEFT IS HATE
THIS IS HOW CANTERVILLE DIES

CHORUS
BETRAYAL IS THE WORST CRIME
UNFORGIVEN FOR A LIFETIME
THIS IS HOW CANTERVILLE DIES

SIMON
BUT VENGEANCE WILL BE MINE

Scene 1 (Track 2)

Canterville Chase, 1977

(We hear ‘Stayin’ Alive’ as the characters enter. First we see Cecil,
wearing wide corduroy trousers, flashy glasses and long hair. He carries
a stereophonic player hanging, with headphones, and a
torch.)

CECIL
 Holy crap! You scared me!

VIRGINIA
Will you stop messing around with the audio stuff!

CECIL
Hey, babe! I’m not messing around, these are the Bee Gees!

OTIS
Hey, Bee! Hurry up and bring all the material left! And find a switch.

CECIL
Ok, Mr. Otis.

OTIS
So this is the famous Canterville Chase.

VIRGINIA
Dad, this place gives me the creeps. It feels like there was a presence here.

CECIL
It’s meeee!

VIRGINIA
Cecil! You idiot!

OTIS
I assure you Virginia, there’s no presence here other than ours.

VIRGINIA
How can you be so sceptical?

OTIS
Child, I’ve worked in a million haunted houses before, and I’ve never found a ghost.
Most of the cases turned out to be a fraud. I was not sceptical, life made me that way.

CECIL
If you don’t think there’s a ghost here, why did we take the case?

OTIS
Because of the Bloody Heart. A priceless jewel that was lost and never found after
Simon of Centerville’s death.

VIRGINIA
But you know that it could just be a legend, don’t you, dad?

OTIS
Yes, darling. But if it’s real, then this house might be the only place to find a clue
about its location.

CECIL
If we find it, we’ll be rich.

OTIS
 True, but to find it, we’ll need some light. Cecil, did you find a switch?

CECIL
No, I don’t think there’s any electricity in these ruins.

OTIS
Daughter, with a little light, you’d see things much clearer.

(Light turns on. Lord Canterville appears. They start)

LORD CANTERVILLE
Better this way? Oh, my apologies. Did I scare you?

VIRGINIA
CECIL
Yes!!!

OTIS
Of course not! Mr. Canterville, I guess.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Lord Canterville, if you don’t mind. Mr. Otis?

OTIS
Hiram B. Otis. And my daughter Virginia Otis.
(Cecil tries to introduce himself, but the others ignore him).

VIRGINIA
Nice to meet you.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Is she also a parapsychologist?

OTIS
She is studying and learning the profession. She is helping me with this case.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Maybe she chose a bad case to get started.

VIRGINIA
What do you mean?

LORD CANTERVILLE
You may be very, very afraid.

CECIL
Mr. Otis.

OTIS
Oh, sorry. This is Cecil, our helper.

CECIL
Actually…
OTIS
Cecil please, set up all the equipment.

CECIL
Yes, Mr. Otis.

OTIS
So the house is haunted.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Yes sir, it has been for the last three centuries.

VIRGINIA
What kind of haunting?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Ghosts. One specific ghost, although he has appeared in different shapes.

OTIS
A ghost in disguise. Interesting.

VIRGINIA
That’s terrifying.

LORD CANTERVILLE
It is. He has been terrorizing all the dwellers in this house since three hundred years
ago. No one lives here anymore; the place was abandoned for good fifty years ago.

CECIL
Excuse me. But as well as Mr. Otis’ helper, I am a telecommunications engineer
and a computer technician… well, besides a parapsychologist, you know? And…

VIRGINIA
Cecil?

CECIL
Well, nothing, it’s just that I will need a table. And a plug for the equipment.

OTIS
Oh, for God’s sake, Cecil…

CECIL
Sorry… I’ll take that one.

VIRGINIA
Wait, let me help you.

OTIS
So, how has that... ghost appeared?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Oh… As I said, different shapes. Once he showed himself as a skeleton to Lady
Tremouillac. On another occasion, he was seen in broad daylight bowling with his
own bones on the lawn-tennis grass field…
VIRGINIA
Eww!

CECIL
That’s disgusting! It looks like…

LORD CANTERVILLE
Blood.

OTIS
Dry blood, indeed.

LORD CANTERVILLE
More than dry. We could say it is… engraved on the wood.

VIRGINIA
Whose blood?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Lady Eleanor of Canterville’s. She was murdered by her husband, Sir Simon of
Canterville. They say he hit her head against this table and then he vanished. Sir
Simon’s body was never found, but his guilty soul keeps haunting this house. And this
stain remains here.

CECIL
Well, it’s disgusting, we’ll have to clean it.

LORD CANTERVILLE
The blood stain is a sign of the tragedy of this house, and the origin of its strange
phenomena. It has been admired by many and feared by others. But to remove it?
That’s impossible.

OTIS
You’d be surprised to know how many indelible stains I’ve found in most of my
cases. Luckily we always carry some holy water. Cecil, bring me the blue bottle.

LORD CANTERVILLE
With all due respect, I don’t think you will be able to…

OTIS
It was blessed by the Pope Paul VI himself.

CECIL
(whispering) Sorry sir, but there’s only Mr. Clean in this bottle.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Mr. Clean?

CECIL
Oh! It’s wonderful product from our land…

LORD CANTERVILLE
I know perfectly what Mr. Clean is, thank you. If you are here to make fun of…
VIRGINIA
There are only a few drops of Mr. Clean, sir. The rest is holy water.

CECIL
Yeah, blessed… by the Pope… you know.

OTIS
Voila! The stain is gone.

(Suddenly there’s a loud wind noise, as if a window had opened. Light

flickers, and among the blizzard we hear a voice saying ‘Begone!’)
SIMON
Begone!

VIRGINIA
Who was that?

LORD CANTERVILLE
It is him! He is warning us!

OTIS
Nonsense! It is just the wind. Cecil, close the window!

VIRGINIA
That was terrifying.

CECIL
I hope we had it recorded!

LORD CANTERVILLE
You must leave. He will never let me sell this house. It was a silly idea to hire you.

OTIS
Lord Canterville. You called us to free this house from a haunting. I promised you
that if there was a ghost here, I would get rid of it. So far I have already removed that
three hundred-year-old bloodstain. Trust us. I promise I will clean this house so you can
sell it. Deal?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Deal.

CECIL
Good.

VIRGINIA
You won’t regret it.

(Light flickers a moment and goes out).

CECIL
Uh oh… Light’s out.

OTIS
 Cecil, Virginia, the flashlights.

LORD CANTERVILLE
I will not let you stay here at night without light. You can come back tomorrow. I will
walk you to your hotel.

OTIS
Alright. Let’s go.

(They start to leave)

LORD CANTERVILLE
I will have the electrical installation checked tomorrow. It is very old.

CECIL
Oh! I could help with that. I am good at that too. I am also an electronic technician.

OTIS
Cecil…

CECIL
Well, in my free time, you know?

VIRGINIA
Oh! I forgot my purse!

CECIL
Once I repaired my grandparents’ electrical installation…

(Virginia comes back holding a torch. A heart beating and a breath have
been fading in until it is louder than Cecil and the others’ voices. Virginia hardly
lights the scene with her torch. Suddenly a hand enters the light, holding Virginia’s purse.
Shocked, she takes the purse).

VIRGINIA
Thank… Thank you.

SIMON
You are welcome.

(Virginia drops the torch and runs away, leaving the stage. Simon picks up
the torch and lights up his face from below. As he starts laughing grimly, the
light goes out).

Scene 2 (Track 3)

Canterville Chase, the next day…

(Cecil is in the room. He is wearing the headphones and we hear

‘Hotel California’. He is repairing a transistor radio. There’s static,
Cecil hits the transistor, chains are heard, and then the song is back. This
happens about three times, the chain noise getting louder each time. The
last time Cecil manipulates the transistor and a clear psychophony is
heard saying “Begone” while a light flickers shortly. Then Otis enters,
startling Cecil).

OTIS
Cecil!

CECIL
Oh God!! Doesn’t anyone knock in this house?

OTIS
Do you have anything?
CECIL
I got the light to work. Unfortunately, we must take electricity from the next room.

OTIS
Nothing else?

CECIL
A strange interference. But only in one frequency. Look.
(He tunes in to the chain noise)

OTIS
Hmm… Interesting. Maybe a local radio station? The police?

CECIL
There is nothing like this around. Maybe some ham radio, but they usually identify
themselves. I don’t know—it’s weird. Besides, call me crazy, but it sounds… I don’t
know, it sounds like…

OTIS
Chains. It sounds like chains.

CECIL
Creepy. They’re chains being dragged. Who would broadcast a noise of dragging
chains?

OTIS
Someone who wants us to believe there’s a ghost.

CECIL
Do you think it may be a trick?

OTIS
It’s always a trick, Cecil. Find where the broadcast comes from and we’ll have the
trickster.

CECIL
Ok, give me a second. The signal seems to be coming from very close by. It almost
seems that…

OTIS
Impossible…

CECIL
 Oh… I’m losing it, I’m losing it…

VIRGINIA
Hi!!

OTIS
We lost it.

VIRGINIA
What are you doing?

CECIL
We are following the trail of a chain noise.

VIRGINIA
I’ve gone to the city hall to check the register. I’ve found some old drawings of the
house. It doesn’t seem like there’s any secret passage, but we’ll need to verify it.

OTIS
Did you bring the screen and the projector?

VIRGINIA
Yes.

OTIS
Good. Get on with it. There’s something I want to show you.

VIRGINIA
What is it?

OTIS
I’m going to show you the real reason why we’re here.

CECIL
Aren’t we here to catch some ghost?

VIRGINIA
Come on! Shut up and help me!
(They set the projector and the screen)

OTIS
Come on, it can’t take us all day. Cecil, turn off the light.

CECIL
Coming.

VIRGINIA
Is it necessary?

OTIS
Virginia, I assure you there is no ghost here.

VIRGINIA
If you say so… Oh my God!!
CECIL
That’s what I call an ugly woman!

OTIS
Let me introduce Bloody Mary.

CECIL
Bloody Mary? Isn’t that a cocktail with vodka and tomato juice?
OTIS
Cecil, please.

CECIL
Ok, I get it.

VIRGINIA
She’s Mary Tudor of England. She tried to reinstate Catholicism and murdered
Protestants all over the country. By killing so many people she earned that nickname…
Bloody Mary.

CECIL
That’s mental! So why are we seeing this?

OTIS
Because of the necklace she’s wearing.

VIRGINIA
The Bloody Heart.

OTIS
Bingo! That necklace was a wedding gift from Pope Marcellus II for her service to
the Catholic Church.

CECIL
That woman got married? I don’t want to think about the husband.

VIRGINIA
Philip II of Spain!! She married him to give a Catholic heir to England. Of course!
That’s the reason for the Pope’s gift!

OTIS
Indeed. But she failed. She died without bearing any children.

CECIL
Thank God…

VIRGINIA
So what happened with the Bloody Heart?

OTIS
As you know, the succession to the throne wasn’t easy. Some were in favour of
Philip II, a Spanish and Catholic king, while others supported his half-sister Elizabeth I,
a Protestant queen.
VIRGINIA
Anne Boleyn’s daughter.

CECIL
Whoa! I’m confused. What does it all have to do with the Cantervilles?

OTIS
The Canterville family supported Elizabeth I, and she rewarded Henry of Canterville
with the Bloody Heart, which had become one of the Crown Jewels.

VIRGINIA
And a sign of the Catholic defeat.

OTIS
An insult, we may say.

CECIL
Ok, I think I’m getting it… And Sir Henry of Canterville is…

VIRGINIA
The father of our beloved ghost. Sir Simon of Canterville.

CECIL
Ok. I got it. But why isn’t the Bloody Heart with all the belongings of this house?
What happened to it?

OTIS
It disappeared with Sir Simon of Canterville. The night he murdered his wife.

VIRGINIA
Why would he murder his wife?

OTIS
I have the feeling that if we find out the reason, we’ll find a clue to the Bloody
Heart’s location.

VIRGINIA
In the house drawings there was an old library, but its walls must be sealed or
something. Maybe we can find some kind of document there.

CECIL
I don’t think that would be a good idea. If it’s sealed, there must be some reason.

(The radio turns on with the chain noise interference. They all go to
listen to it).

CECIL
The chains again. Now the sound is very clear.

OTIS
Can you track the frequency?

CECIL
I’m trying.
OTIS
It’s becoming clearer. They must be very close.

CECIL
Really close. I’d say… It can’t be. I’d say it’s coming from this very house.

OTIS
Can you find out where?

VIRGINIA
Let’s check the drawings! We’re here.

CECIL
I think… Here! They are broadcasting from here.

VIRGINIA
That’s…

OTIS
CECIL
VIRGINIA
The library!!

VIRGINIA
The ghost is inviting us to go to the library.

OTIS
Don’t be ridiculous. There’s no ghost. It’s just somebody trying to make us believe
that.

CECIL
Shush! Shut up! It’s moving. I’m losing it… I’m losing… I’m…

(The sound from the radio vanishes and the scene remains silent.
Then the sound of chains is heard again, but right there. Behind them, in the
shadows, we see the ghost’s shape with the chains. For some seconds, they are
silent as they hear the ghost behind them. They breathe falteringly and they
whisper).

CECIL
Shush! What the hell is that?

OTIS
Don’t move. It’s him, he’s behind us.

VIRGINIA
It’s the ghost.

OTIS
I assure you, he’s as human as you and I. I’ll get close to him. Cecil, if it turns ugly,
shoot.
CECIL
What??

VIRGINIA
Dad, no!

OTIS
Excuse me, I couldn’t help hearing the noise of your chains. I think we could help
you with this. This is 3 in 1 lubricating oil. If you let me show you, I…

SIMON
Grrrrrr!! Begone!!!

OTIS
Cecil, shoot!

VIRGINIA
Noooo!!

(Cecil shoots and the ghost furiously pushes Otis and runs away,
while the light flickers. There is confusion, Cecil runs after the ghost.
Virginia helps her father. Then Cecil comes back).

VIRGINIA
Dad! Are you okay?

CECIL
He’s gone! I think I hit him, but he disappeared in the corridor, he… he just
vanished!

OTIS
He couldn’t just vanish, it’s a person, not a goddamn ghost!

VIRGINIA
Maybe he is.
(She looks at the stain on the table. Then they all realize and keep
looking at it).

CECIL
The bloodstain. It’s back!

VIRGINIA
Maybe it is a ghost.

(Lights out)

(Song ‘It can’t be real’. Concerto with the 3 characters. Otis

sings first ‘it can’t be real, someone is playing with us, whoever it is, it’s not a ghost,
he will be unmasked’. Cecil continues ‘it can’t be real, it must be an illusion, after so
much searching for a real ghost, there’s something/somebody here, but it doesn’t
belong here’. Then Virginia sings ‘It can’t be real, I must have dreamed it, I saw pain
in his eyes, it can’t have happened’, etc. A ghost in Canterville, a haunted house,
echoes from the past not willing to leave. Etc…)
IT CAN’T BE REAL
OTIS
IT CAN’T BE REAL
IT MUST BE A TRICK
SOMEONE IS PLAYING ON US
UNMASKING HIM IS ALL WE NEED
CHORUS
A GHOST IN CANTERVILLE CHASE
A HAUNTED HOUSE CASE
ECHOES FROM THE PAST
NOT WILLING TO GO AWAY

CECIL
IT CAN’T BE REAL
BUT WHAT IF IT WAS
AFTER ALL THIS TIME
A REAL GHOST FOR US
CHORUS
A GHOST IN CANTERVILLE CHASE
A HAUNTED HOUSE CASE
ECHOES FROM THE PAST
NOT WILLING TO GO AWAY

VIRGINIA
IT CAN’T BE REAL
IT MUST BE A DREAM
I KNOW HOW HE FEELS
BUT IT GIVES ME THE CHILLS

CHORUS
A GHOST IN CANTERVILLE CHASE
A HAUNTED HOUSE CASE
ECHOES FROM THE PAST
NOT WILLING TO GO AWAY

CECIL
IT CAN’T BE REAL

VIRGINIA
IT IS NOT CLEAR
CECIL

IT CAN’T BE REAL

CECIL
A MYSTERY UNVEILED

VIRGINIA
WHAT DOES HE NEED?
OTIS (CONTRACANT DURANT CECIL I VIRGINIA)
IT CAN’T BE REAL
IT MUST BE A TRICK
SOMEONE IS PLAYING ON US
UNMASKING HIM IS ALL WE NEED

CHORUS
A GHOST IN CANTERVILLE CHASE
A HAUNTED HOUSE CASE
ECHOES FROM THE PAST
THAT WILL BE SOLVED AT LAST

Scene 3 (Track 4)

Library. There are some old books, but not many; some old stuff
scattered, and a small locked chest with an inscription.

LORD CANTERVILLE
I told you that bloodstain wouldn’t leave. It has been here for over three hundred
years. If you thought you could get rid of it with some Mr. Clean, you were mistaken,
Mr. Otis.

OTIS
Don’t worry, next time we’ll scrub more insistently.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Well, this is what remains of the library. Search all you want, but I doubt you find
anything to interest you.

CECIL
Not many books for a library. All I see here is dust and rubbish.

LORD CANTERVILLE
I told you so before you made me knock down the wall that sealed the entrance.

OTIS
If there’s nothing here, why was it sealed?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Precisely to avoid people wasting their time searching in an empty place. But I see
that you insist on wasting your time and mine.

VIRGINIA
What’s that?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Old pictures. They have no real artistic value, except for their age.

CECIL
Hey, look! That one looks a bit like you, Virginia!
VIRGINIA
Don’t be silly. It doesn’t look like me at all!

CECIL
I think she does somehow. Who is she?

LORD CANTERVILLE
She is Lady Eleanor Canterville. The picture was left in the library because it can’t
remain hanging on the wall. It always falls down with no explanation.

OTIS
Curious, the ghost of Simon Canterville knocks down the picture of his wife that he
himself murdered.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Well, I see you are finally considering the possibility that there is a ghost.

OTIS
Yes, a ghost that always shows up when you’re not with us.

LORD CANTERVILLE
What are you implying?

OTIS
Nothing.

VIRGINIA
What about this chest? It has a strange inscription.
(Cecil approaches and blows the dust off the chest)

CECIL
‘When the young lady makes a prayer bloom from the sinner’s lips and gives
freedom to the tears, then the house shall become calm again, and peace shall return
to Canterville.’

VIRGINIA
What does it mean?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Not a clue. It is unknown how long this inscription has been here. Gentlemen, I
must leave, if you don’t mind, you can continue another day.

OTIS
We’ll stay a little longer, if you don’t mind.

LORD CANTERVILLE
I insist that you will find nothing else here.

OTIS
Let us do our job, sir. That’s why you hired us, isn’t it?
LORD CANTERVILLE
Of course.

VIRGINIA
Can we keep the picture?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Of course not. I remind you that anything you find belongs to the house and to the
Canterville family. You can touch whatever you want, but do not take anything
away.

CECIL
Hey, what’s wrong with you? We’re parapsychologists, not thieves.

OTIS
Cecil, please.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Of course.

OTIS
Don’t worry, you can go. You can trust us.

(Otis offers Lord Canterville his hand to shake and Lord Canterville drops a
cuff link from his blazer. Otis picks it up, looks at it a few seconds, and gives it
back.)

OTIS
Nice cuff link.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Yes, thank you. Goodbye.

VIRGINIA
CECIL
Goodbye.

CECIL
He knows! He knows who we are. He knows we’re after the Bloody Heart!!

OTIS
Yes. Yes, Cecil, he knows. Since the beginning. Since the very beginning.

VIRGINIA
If he doesn’t trust us, why doesn’t he fire us? It doesn’t make sense.

OTIS
Maybe that’s exactly what he wants us to do. To find the Bloody Heart. The fake
ghost is only an excuse to bring us here.
CECIL
But then why all that mess? He could have hired us only as treasure hunters, we
find the heart and he gives us our reward and then goodbye.

VIRGINIA
A ruby that’s over three hundred carats. It belonged to the Crown Jewels of
England. It’s priceless! He knows he would have to pay too much.
OTIS
For the job and our silence… of course.

CECIL
Why our silence? He’s the owner of the house; the heart actually belongs to him.

OTIS
I’m not so sure that he’s who he says he is. His cuff links… they have an old papal
coat of arms emblem. He’s a Catholic.

VIRGINIA
That doesn’t make any sense. Queen Elizabeth II rewarded the Canterville family
with the Bloody Heart because they supported the Anglican Church, didn’t she?

CECIL
Maybe the family became Catholic eventually.

OTIS
Or maybe he’s not a Canterville…
(We hear a ‘click’, like a cassette tape ending)

VIRGINIA
What was that? It came from there!
(They hurry to find something hidden under one of the books. It is Cecil’s
tape recorder)
CECIL
Hey, that’s my tape recorder. Why is it here?

VIRGINIA
Didn’t you bring it?

CECIL
No, I left it in the hall, with all the equipment.

VIRGINIA
It’s just a music tape. You must have left it turned on and the tape ended.

CECIL
But I didn’t bring it here. I’m sure I left it in the hall.

OTIS
Maybe our Lord Canterville did it, to record our conversations and spy on us.
CECIL
It can’t be. This is an original tape. One can’t just re-record it. Wait, it’s not
possible… Someone sealed the security holes of the cassette with tape.

VIRGINIA
What does it mean?

OTIS
It means the tape is now re-recordable.
CECIL
(He rewinds and we hear ‘I’m not so sure that he’s who he says he is. His
cuff links… they...’ He stops it)
Oh no, no! The conversation’s been recorded on my Supertramp tape.

OTIS
It was him. There’s no doubt. He must have wanted to come back later to get back
the tape so he’d know what we said during his absence… Clever.

CECIL
It’s the best LP of this year!

OTIS
Come on Cecil. Don’t cry. Let’s go back to the hall and check if there are any more
recorders in the house.

VIRGINIA
I’ll stay a bit longer.

OTIS
Don’t be late.

Scene 4 (Track 5)

Library, Virginia and the Ghost.

The light flickers and dims. Virginia takes out a torch and she reads
the inscription again).

VIRGINIA
‘When the young lady makes a prayer bloom from the sinner’s lips and gives
freedom to the tears, then the house shall become calm again, and peace shall return
to Canterville.’ What young lady? What sinner? I wish I could understand it.
(Virginia presses a letter on the chest that looks like a button. We hear
a ‘click’ and it opens a small drawer on the bottom of the chest).
What the hell… Letters! ‘Dear Eleanor, my love, my heart; I can’t wait for the
moment we meet again. Life is not life without you’. ‘My dear Eleanor, I would dry the sea
that keeps us apart to be with you again’. So you really loved her… then why did you kill
her?

SIMON
(off) Help me!

VIRGINIA
What? Who? Who’s there?

SIMON
Help me!

VIRGINIA
Simon?

(The light flickers again, a shadow crosses quickly behind Virginia,

grazing her. She falls on the ground).
VIRGINIA
What do you want from me?

SIMON
Help me!

VIRGINIA
But how? How can I help you?

SIMON
The prophecy. Eleanor. Help me!
(She is scared again, crossing to the other side. Then the other 3
actors appear dressed with black hooded robes hiding their
faces. They will appear in different places of the stage creating the illusion that the ghost
moves unnaturally fast. The voice will be recorded).

VIRGINIA
The prophecy? ‘When the young lady makes a prayer bloom...’ Do you think I am
the young lady that will help you? It’s not me, it’s not…

SIMON
Help meeeee!!!
(Pushing her to the ground again)

VIRGINIA
Enough! I’m not helping you if you scare me again! You’ve been terrorizing people
in this house for years! You killed your wife! You are evil!

SIMON
Enooough!
(He screams supernaturally, scaring Virginia to death, and she curls
up on the ground, crying)
It was not my intention. I only wanted to know the truth.
VIRGINIA
The truth.

SIMON
She betrayed me. All of us. She was not who she said. I never wanted her dead, I
was furious, she fell down. Treason! Betrayal!! Eleanor!!

VIRGINIA
She betrayed you? With another man?

SIMON
Grrrr!! Treason! Betrayal!!

VIRGINIA
Enough! Calm down! You’re scaring me again.

SIMON
I don’t know any other way. I was left with no more than hatred and betrayal in my
last moments. They chained me, with all the questions and not a single answer. For
centuries I have wandered. Never buried, never mourned… They made a criminal of
me… (grimly, ghostly) WHYYYY??!! ELEANOR!! WHY??!!

VIRGINIA
I’m not Eleanor! I haven’t got the answers! I don’t know! Who chained you? Who
killed you?

SIMON
Hahahahaha! Eleanor knows!
(Eleanor’s picture falls down, Virginia picks it up and rips the cloth of the back
of the picture. From inside it falls the portrait of a man. Virginia looks at it)

VIRGINIA
Was it this man? He killed you? Did he?

(With a scream full of rage, the ghost throws Virginia to the ground again).
VIRGINIA
Enough! Stop it! I’ll help you, I’ll help you! Just tell me how to do it.

SIMON
The prophecy... you must cry for me, for I have no tears left. Only that will save me.

VIRGINIA
I… I wish I could understand your pain.

SIMON
Come with me and you will understand.

(Song Ghost-Virginia. During the song, the ghost gets closer to

Virginia, hypnotizing her, until the end of the song, when he
removes his cloak revealing a skull face. Virginia screams and faints
in his arms. The ghost vanishes with Virginia. Cecil and Otis enter
on a rush as they heard Virginia screaming, but they see she is not there.
They look for a possible exit and Otis finds Anthony Babington’s
portrait. Then Lord Canterville appears showing amazement).

CECIL
Virginia! Virginia!

OTIS
She’s gone.

LORD CANTERVILLE
No, she hasn’t gone, the ghost took her.

(Dark)

CRY FOR ME
SIMON (A)
CRY FOR ME
CRY FOR ME
ALL I NEED FROM YOU ARE TEARS
CRY FOR ME
CRY FOR ME
AFTER ALL THIS TIME MY EYES ARE DUSTY AND DRY
SIMON (B)
I WAS BETRAYED AND THEN THEY LOCKED ME AWAY!
THEY TOOK FROM ME ALL I CARED FOR THAT DAY
CRY FOR ME
ALL I NEED FROM YOU ARE TEARS
CRY FOR ME
I AM BEGGING, DON’T YOU SEE?
AFTER CENTURIES I’LL BE ABLE TO REST IN PEACE

VIRGINIA
I AM HERE
BUT I THINK THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
I AM HERE
THAT I’M NOT THE ONE YOU THINK YOU’RE WAITING FOR
YOUR LIFE WAS TORN APART IN A DAY
SO MUCH INJUSTICE ONLY LEADS TO PAIN
I’LL CRY FOR YOU
IT’S THE ONE THING I CAN DO
THE SORROW YOU ENDURED, I CAN FEEL IT TOO
BOTH
I/YOU WAS/WERE BETRAYED AND THEN THEY LOCKED ME/YOU AWAY!
MY/YOUR LIFE WAS TORN APART IN A DAY
NO TEAR’S UNFIT TO HEAL A BROKEN HEART
AFTER THE RAIN THERE’S ALWAYS LIGHT
NO CHAIN CAN HOLD YOU BACK FOREVER
IF WE’RE TOGETHER IN THIS FIGHT
CRY FOR ME
 Scene 5 (Track 6)

(Hall. Otis, visibly nervous, dishevelled, looking like he hasn’t slept for
days, drinking alcohol, spinning plates with Cecil’s equipment desperately.
The machine emits the chain sound).

OTIS
Virginia! Virginia! Can you hear me? Give me a sign! Virginia, God damn it!! (He hits
the machine, some static is heard) Cecil!! Come on, answer me! Answer me!!

(Lord Canterville enters)

LORD CANTERVILLE
Hey! Hey, calm down! Breaking the equipment won’t solve anything! On the
contrary!

OTIS
My daughter is in this house! She is here, I can feel it! Where have you hidden her,
you damn trickster! Where is she? Give me my daughter back!

(He hits him, Lord Canterville hits him back and they start a fight, although
the Lord is just trying to calm him down).

LORD CANTERVILLE
Enough! Enough! I do not have your daughter! Don’t you understand it is not me?!

OTIS
You lie! Damn you!!

(They fight again, but this time Cecil enters and stops them).

CECIL
Enough! Have you gone mad? Virginia is lost somewhere in this house and you’re
fighting like kids!

OTIS
He has her! God-damned impostor!

LORD CANTERVILLE
I have done nothing! The ghost did!

CECIL
Stop it! I’ve been talking to the police.

OTIS
The police! Are you mad?

LORD CANTERVILLE
We cannot call the police. Are they coming? Time to go.
CECIL
Easy, it was a bluff. Anyway they wouldn’t believe me. You can’t report a
kidnapping by a ghost.

OTIS
Why are you running from the police? Damn impostor! Your cuff links! The Pope’s
emblem! You’re not who you said! Who are you!?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Alright! Alright! I am not Lord Canterville. My name is John. Just... John. For God’s
sake! Check things out before you take a job! Lord Canterville is about eighty years old
and he’s doddering in an institution. I pretended to be a caretaker, it was a piece of cake to
get him to talk about the house and he gave me the keys.

OTIS
Impostor!

LORD CANTERVILLE
I’m an impostor? What about you? Renowned American parapsychologists! Ha!
You’re only treasure hunters undercover; not even one of the cases in your books is real!
Not one! But everybody knows you have made a fortune selling antiques from allegedly
“haunted houses”.

OTIS
Why did you call us? What do you want from us?

LORD CANTERVILLE
The same thing you want! The Bloody Heart.

OTIS
Jesus Christ! Where is my daughter!?

LORD CANTERVILLE
I don’t know! Don’t you get it? All I wanted was the heart! The old man told me
about it, and the ghost! He said the ghost had the heart hidden and no Canterville had
found it for centuries, and I thought he was just doddering! I got the keys and I came to
this house looking for the heart.

OTIS
So?

LORD CANTERVILLE
I couldn’t. That damn ghost. It’s real! I was scared! I heard about you and I phoned
you! That’s all. I thought you would do the hard work.

OTIS
Ghosts don’t exist!

LORD CANTERVILLE
This one does.
OTIS
And what do you know about this ghost?

LORD CANTERVILLE
I know nothing about him or the history of this house. You know more than I do.

CECIL
Okay. Let’s open our minds. Try to think that the ghost kidnapped Virginia.

OTIS
Alright. Virginia stayed in the library; she found those love letters and then that
guy’s portrait. Have you found anything about him, Cecil?

CECIL
Yes. In the local library. (He turns on the projector) His name was Anthony
Babington. A renowned English conspirator who was executed by Queen Elizabeth
I.

OTIS
Yes, I know the story. He was raised secretly as a Catholic. He conspired to murder
Queen Elizabeth I, so Mary Stuart, also a Catholic, could ascend to the throne.

CECIL
Indeed, his letters to Queen Mary proved his conspiracy, and so they were both
executed.

LORD CANTERVILLE
But all this has nothing to do with Simon of Canterville, has it?

CECIL
Philip II of Spain was also involved in this conspiracy.

LORD CANTERVILLE
So?

OTIS
Of course! Eleanor of Canterville’s birth name, it’s in the love letters!

CECIL
Eleanor Sandoval. Niece of the Duke of Lerma. One of Philip II’s trusted men.

LORD CANTERVILLE
I still don’t see the link.

OTIS
Eleanor of Canterville, born Sandoval, was another conspirator. She had some
relationship with Anthony Babington. They both were Catholics. Probably they were
lovers.

CECIL
And she married Simon of Canterville to…
OTIS
In order to take the Bloody Heart back and to give it to Mary Stuart. A Catholic heart
for a Catholic queen.

CECIL
Simon of Canterville catches them in the act and bang!

OTIS
He kills her!

CECIL
Then what happens to Simon?

LORD CANTERVILLE
Old Lord Canterville told me a story about Eleanor’s presumed lover.

CECIL
What are you waiting for? Tell us!

LORD CANTERVILLE
Come on, really? The old man’s doddering!

OTIS
My daughter is lost in that house. And the only explanation I have about it is that a
ghost took her. So give me any information you have, no matter how ridiculous it may be,
or I swear I’ll smash this projector on your head.

CECIL
Come on, Otis, calm down. Talk.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Well, according to the old man, Simon murdered his wife when he found out that
she had a lover, whose name remained unknown. They say that this lover took revenge
by putting Simon in chains somewhere in this house. That’s why his body was never
found.

CECIL
That’s why we heard that chain noise.

LORD CANTERVILLE
So there are two things lost in this house already. The Bloody Heart and Simon of
Canterville’s corpse.

OTIS
And my daughter. Three. And they’re probably all together. But where?

CECIL
Pffff… I think we’d better take a break.

(They take a short break. Cecil and Lord Canterville sit down by the table
thinking. Otis walks to the opposite side of the stage, exhausted but thinking
too).
LORD CANTERVILLE
Yes, much better. Oh, you found the tape recorder! I wanted to know if you knew
anything about the bloody heart. I’m sorry.

CECIL
Yeah, you must be stupid to erase my Supertramp tape.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Supertramp?

CECIL
Sure. How did you bring the recorder in and set it up without any of us noticing? We
all came together.

LORD CANTERVILLE
I put it there before. I came earlier and left it there recording.

CECIL
Ok…

OTIS
The recorder!

CECIL
There might be something.

OTIS
Let’s try.

LORD CANTERVILLE
What? What are you talking about?

OTIS
Psychophonies.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Psycho… what?

CECIL
It is believed that in places charged with paranormal activity sounds can be
recorded from another dimension.

OTIS
Rewind, it should be at the beginning of the tape.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Another dimension?

CECIL
You see, the chain noises appear to come from this house, but there’s no one else
in this house, not in this dimension.
OTIS
It’s possible that Simon of Canterville is right here, but not in this world, but in
another. And there’s a chance that we could find a gate in this house, a door that
communicates our world with this other world. The world of the dead.

CECIL
And since Virginia disappeared in the library, the door must be there.

LORD CANTERVILLE
And what are we doing with this tape?

CECIL
OTIS
We’re checking it!

CECIL
Shush! I hear something.

OTIS
Yes. Shush!

(We hear a low noise. The three of them remain silent for a while, so the
audience is listening too. When there’s absolute silence, a loud psychophony will
be heard with the ghost yelling ‘Traitor!’ The three characters are very
scared).

CECIL
Clearly there’s something in the library.

OTIS
Let’s go. We must perform a session there. If there’s a door to hell in there, let’s go
and open it. John? John?

CECIL
He’s white. John?

LORD CANTERVILLE
I quit, from the bottom of my heart. Everything. I just want to get out of here.

CECIL
Nothing will happen. It’s only a spiritist session. We’ll get in contact with the ghost
and we’ll ask him what he wants.

LORD CANTERVILLE
He’s… He’s coming for me…
(He points at the screen where there’s clearly Simon’s image floating).

CECIL
God! He’s there.
OTIS
Calm down, it’s not him. It’s just a memory captured on the screen. It’s like the
psychophony. It’s there but it isn’t. He can’t harm us.

LORD CANTERVILLE
Turn… Turn it down… please turn it down. I’m terrified. I quit, I don’t want the heart.
He’s coming for me.

CECIL
Calm down.
LORD CANTERVILLE
No… no… I must leave.

CECIL
Don’t worry.
(He rolls up the screen and behind it there’s the ghost in a cloak).

LORD CANTERVILLE
No… Nooooo!

(Dark).

Scene 6 (Track 7)

(Library, spiritist session. Otis and Cecil. Later Virginia and Simon).

CECIL
I’m worried about John. Maybe we should have taken him to town. I’m not sure he
was ready to drive.

OTIS
He’ll make it. We can’t waste any more time.

CECIL
But he was terrified.

OTIS
Not everyone is capable of getting in touch with paranormal beings. Are you?

CECIL
Are you kidding? I’ve been preparing for this my whole life, Mr. Otis. A real ghost.
Maybe we won’t have another chance like this.

OTIS
Get on with it. The Ouija will allow us to reach him. Did you bring the equipment?
The frequency meter?

CECIL
Everything’s here. With this we’ll notice if there’s any abnormal electromagnetic
source.
OTIS
The door.

CECIL
The door indeed.

OTIS
Ok, let’s do this.

CECIL
It’s moving, he’s talking to us.

(They sit in the middle front stage. Music starts and everything is sung from
here).
OUIJA SONG
OTIS
IS ANYBODY THERE?

CECIL
IS ANYBODY THERE?

OTIS
SHOW YOURSELF.

CECIL
SHOW YOURSELF.

OTIS
IS ANYBODY THERE?

CECIL
IS ANYBODY THERE?

OTIS
SHOW YOURSELF.

CECIL
SHOW YOURSELF.

CECIL (SPOKEN)
IT’S MOVING, HE’S TALKING TO US.

SIMON
I AM HERE. (APPEARING FROM ONE SIDE OF THE STAGE).
I AM AN ECHO OF THE PAST

OTIS
WHO ARE YOU?

CECIL
WHO ARE YOU?

SIMON
A MEMORY OF THE DEAD.

OTIS
WHERE ARE YOU?

CECIL
WHO ARE YOU?

SIMON
I AM HERE.

OTIS
WHERE ARE YOU?
IS ANYBODY THERE?

CECIL
HE IS AN ECHO OF THE PAST, A MEMORY OF THE DEAD.

SIMON
I LIVE IN THE SHADOWS, I AM THE DARKNESS.

VIRGINIA (APPEARING FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE STAGE)

I AM THE LIGHT.
I’LL BE YOUR GUIDE.

CECIL (SPOKEN)
IT’S VIRGINIA! SHE’S WITH HIM!

VIRGINIA
I AM THE PATH THAT WILL BRING YOU TO THE LIGHT.

OTIS
COME TO US.

CECIL
WHERE ARE YOU?

SIMON
THIS IS THE WORLD BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY.
YOU’LL BE MY GUIDE.

VIRGINIA
I’LL BE YOUR GUIDE .

OTIS
WHERE ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU?

SIMON

I AM AN ECHO OF THE PAST

A MEMORY OF THE DEAD.
I AM THE SUFFOCATED CRY
I AM TERROR, I AM DREAD

VIRGINIA
I AM THE LIGHT (X2)
I’LL BE YOUR GUIDE.
SIMON
I LIVE IN THE SHADOWS, I AM THE DARKNESS.

VIRGINIA
I’LL BE YOUR GUIDE.

VIRGINIA AND SIMON:

THIS IS THE WORL BETWEEN DREAMS AND REALITY

VIRGINIA
I’LL BE YOUR GUIDE.

SIMON
YOU’LL BE MY GUIDE

VIRGINIA
I found him. I saved him.

(Virginia faints in Cecil’s arms).

(Dark).

Scene 7 (Track 8)

(Final scene. Graveyard. Otis, Virginia, Cecil. Later John.

They are in the graveyard. There are different crosses and

gravestones. There’s a central cross. They carry shovels, as if
they had just dug a tomb. Low light).

CECIL
It’s done.
VIRGINIA
Oh Lord. Forgive him and take him.
(Leaving a rose on the grave).

OTIS
Rest in peace, Simon of Canterville.

VIRGINIA
Do you think he’ll be able to rest?

OTIS
I hope so.

JOHN
Otis.

CECIL
John. I thought you’d be far from here.

JOHN
I tried. But I felt like an utter coward.

CECIL
We found him, John. We found his remains and buried them.

JOHN
Buried?

OTIS
That’s the reason why he was haunting the house. He wanted a proper burial. He
wanted us to know his story.

VIRGINIA
And his pain.
(She cries, Otis hugs her).

CECIL
I think our job at Canterville is done. We should leave. A storm is coming.

VIRGINIA
Leave me with him for a while.

CECIL
I’ll be loading the van with all the equipment. Help me, John.

JOHN
Sure. Mr. Otis, Virginia, I’m sorry about all this. I’ll go help Cecil.

OTIS
Thanks for everything. I’m sorry we didn’t find the Bloody Heart. It’s been three
hundred years, it was probably lost long ago.
JOHN
Don’t worry. It doesn’t seem so important to me anymore. Thank you. And goodbye.

(Cecil and John Leave).

VIRGINIA
I could feel his pain. Three hundred years of pain with no chance to rest. His wife’s
betrayal, the unfair accusation of murder, the torture he went through in chains, the
agony of a slow death… How can so much pain be possible?
(She cries).

OTIS
You helped him, Virginia. Thanks to you, he’s been relieved from that pain. He’s
free now. Wherever Simon of Canterville is now, he’ll thank you for your deed.

VIRGINIA
Not yet. There’s something else I must do for him.

OTIS
What?

VIRGINIA
(From inside her shirt, she draws the Bloody Heart).

OTIS
The Bloody Heart!! Virginia! Where did you find it?

VIRGINIA
He gave it to me.

OTIS
Oh my…! Daughter! Do you realize what…

VIRGINIA
No, dad. We can’t keep it.

OTIS
What? Are you crazy? Do you know the worth of…

VIRGINIA
Yes, dad. The worth of three hundred years of a tortured soul. No. We won’t keep it.
We’ll go to that institution and we’ll give it to the real Lord Canterville. It belongs to him,
not us.

OTIS
But…

VIRGINIA
Do you prefer to live with an angry ghost haunting you for the rest of your life?

OTIS
Alright. Old Canterville is over 80 years old and he’s rolling in it. I bet he’ll give us a
good reward for it.

VIRGINIA
Sure.

JOHN
Not so fast!
(Pointing a gun. The storm is upon them, first low but its intensity is growing
slowly).
The heart! Give me the heart!!

OTIS
John? What are you doing? Put the gun down, that’s unnecessary.

JOHN
Give me the heart, God damn it!

OTIS
John, I’m sure the true Lord Canterville will give us a good reward for this. We’ll
share the prize, easy!

JOHN
No! You give it to me!

VIRGINIA
You know it doesn’t belong to you. This heart belongs to the Cantervilles!

JOHN
And what would you know about it?! This jewel should never have fallen into
Protestant hands!

OTIS
What? Come on! Why would you care? What are you talking about, John?

JOHN
Babington! John Babington! Yes, I am descended from Anthony Babington! He was
murdered and humiliated by those filthy Protestants, the heart belongs to me.

VIRGINIA
Come on, John. That was three centuries ago!

JOHN
What do three centuries mean when your family has been executed and
dispossessed? When they’ve been treated as traitors and conspirators. That heart
belongs in Catholic hands. In Babington hands. I deserve it!

SIMON
Traitoooooor!!!

(Suddenly, with a flash of lightning, the ghost appears with his black cloak.
John turns around and shoots twice, but the ghost hits him with the shovel. With another
flash of lightning, the ghost vanishes, leaving John lying on the ground. Then Cecil enters).
CECIL
What happened? I heard shots and voices. They could be heard from the other side
of the street!

VIRGINIA
He killed him! He killed him!

OTIS
He’s not dead, he’ll live. But it will take him awhile to regain consciousness. Cecil,
call the police and an ambulance.
(We hear police sirens).

CECIL
Not needed, someone must have heard the shots.
(Suddenly a bright light lights up the actors’ faces).
What’s that?

OTIS
It’s a light.

VIRGINIA
Simon’s leaving, finally. He’s gone now.

(Dark).

The End.