PETRA:
Look, ma’am, an invitation
Here, ma’am, delivered by hand
And, ma’am, I notice the station-
Ary’s engraved and very grand
ANNE:
Petra, how too exciting!
Just when I need it!
Petra, such elegant writing
So chic you hardly can read it!
What do you think?
Who can it be?
Even the ink–
No, here, let me…
“Your presence”–just think of it, Petra!
“Is kindly”–it’s at a chateau!
“Requested”–etcet’ra, etcet’ra
“Madame Leonora Armf–” Oh, no!
A weekend in the country–
PETRA:
We’re invited?
ANNE:
What a horrible plot!
A weekend in the country–
PETRA:
I’m excited!
ANNE:
No, you’re not
PETRA:
A weekend in the country, just imagine–
ANNE:
It’s completely depraved
PETRA:
A weekend in the country!
ANNE:
It’s insulting
PETRA:
It’s engraved
ANNE:
It’s that woman, it’s that Armfeldt!
PETRA:
Oh, the actress?
ANNE:
No, the ghoul!
She may hope to make her charm felt
But she’s mad if she thinks I would be such a fool
As to weekend in the country
PETRA:
How insulting!
ANNE:
And I’ve nothing to wear
ANNE & PETRA:
A weekend in the country–
ANNE [hands the invitation back to Petra]:
Here! The last place I’m going is there
[Later]
PETRA [to Fredrik]:
Guess what? An invitation!
ANNE:
Guess who? Begins with an “A.”
“Armfeldt”–is that a relation
To the decrepit Desiree?
PETRA:
Guess when we’re asked to go, sir?
See, sir, the date there
Guess where? A fancy chateau, sir!
ANNE:
Guess, too, who’s lying in wait there
Setting her traps
Fixing her face–
FREDRIK:
Darling, perhaps
A change of pace–
ANNE:
Oh, no!
FREDRIK:
A weekend in the country
Would be charming
And the air would be fresh
ANNE:
A weekend with that woman?
FREDRIK:
In the country–
ANNE:
In the flesh
FREDRIK:
I’ve some business with her mother
PETRA:
See, it’s business
ANNE:
Oh, no doubt!
But the business with her mother
Would be hardly the business I’d worry about
FREDRIK & PETRA:
Just a weekend in the country–
FREDRIK:
Smelling jasmine–
ANNE:
Watching little things grow
FREDRIK & PETRA:
A weekend in the country
ANNE:
Go!
FREDRIK:
My darling, we’ll simply say no
ANNE:
Oh
[Later]
ANNE [to Charlotte]:
A weekend!
CHARLOTTE:
How very amusing
ANNE:
A weekend!
CHARLOTTE:
But also inept
ANNE:
A weekend; of course we’re refusing
CHARLOTTE:
Au contraire! You must accept!
ANNE:
Oh, no!
CHARLOTTE:
A weekend in the country–
ANNE:
But it’s frightful!
CHARLOTTE:
No, you don’t understand
A weekend in the country
Is delightful
If it’s planned
Wear your hair down, and a flower
Don’t use makeup, dress in white
She’ll grow older by the hour
And be hopelessly shattered by Saturday night
Spend a weekend in the country
ANNE:
We’ll accept it!
CHARLOTTE:
I’d a feeling you would
ANNE & CHARLOTTE:
A weekend in the country–
ANNE:
Yes, it’s only polite that we should
CHARLOTTE:
Good
[Later]
CARL-MAGNUS:
Well?
CHARLOTTE:
I’ve an intriguing little social item–
CARL-MAGNUS:
Well?
CHARLOTTE:
Out of the Armfeldt family manse
CARL-MAGNUS:
Well, what?
CHARLOTTE:
Merely a weekend, still, I thought it might am-
Use you to know
Who’s invited to go
This time with his pants
CARL-MAGNUS:
You don’t mean…
CHARLOTTE:
I’ll give you three guesses
CARL-MAGNUS:
She wouldn’t…
CHARLOTTE:
Reduce it to two
CARL-MAGNUS:
It can’t be…
CHARLOTTE:
It nevertheless is
CARL-MAGNUS:
Egerman!
CHARLOTTE:
Right! Score one for you
CARL-MAGNUS:
A-ha!
CHARLOTTE:
A-ha!
CARL-MAGNUS:
A-ha…
CHARLOTTE:
A-ha?
CARL-MAGNUS:
A weekend in the country
We should try it
CHARLOTTE:
How I wish we’d been asked
CARL-MAGNUS:
A weekend in the country
Peace and quiet–
CHARLOTTE:
We’ll go masked
CARL-MAGNUS:
A weekend in the country…
CHARLOTTE:
Uninvited?
They’ll consider it odd
CARL-MAGNUS:
A weekend in the country
I’m delighted
CHARLOTTE:
Oh, my god
CARL-MAGNUS:
And the shooting should be pleasant
If the weather’s not too rough
Happy birthday, it’s your present
CHARLOTTE:
But–
CARL-MAGNUS:
You haven’t been getting out nearly enough
And a weekend in the country–
CHARLOTTE:
It’s perverted!
CARL-MAGNUS:
Pack my quiver and bow
CHARLOTTE & CARL-MAGNUS:
A weekend in the country–
CARL-MAGNUS:
At exactly 2:30, we go
CHARLOTTE:
We can’t
CARL-MAGNUS:
We shall!
CHARLOTTE:
We shan’t!
CARL-MAGNUS:
I’m getting the car
And we’re motoring down
CHARLOTTE:
Yes, I’m certain you are
And I’m staying in town
CARL-MAGNUS: ANNE:
Go and pack my suits! We’ll go
CHARLOTTE: PETRA:
I won’t! Oh, good!
CARL-MAGNUS: FREDRIK:
My boots! We will?
Pack everything I own that shoots!
ANNE:
CHARLOTTE: We should
No! Pack everything white
CARL-MAGNUS: PETRA:
Charlotte! Ma’am, it’s wonderful news!
CHARLOTTE: FREDRIK:
I’m thinking it out. Are you sure it’s all right?
CARL-MAGNUS: ANNE:
Charlotte! We’d be rude to refuse
CHARLOTTE: FREDRIK:
There’s no need to shout. Then we’re off!
CARL-MAGNUS: PETRA: We are?
Charlotte!
FREDRIK: We’ll take the car!
CHARLOTTE:
All right, then– ALL THREE:
We’ll bring champagne and caviar!
ALL:
We’re off on our way
What a beautiful day
For a weekend in the country
How amusing
How delightfully droll
A weekend in the country
While we’re losing
Our control
A weekend in the country
How enchanting
On the manicured lawns
A weekend in the country
With the panting
And the yawns
With the crickets and the pheasants
And the orchards and the hay
With the servants and the peasants
We’ll be laying our plans while we’re playing croquet
For a weekend in the country
So inactive
That one has to lie down
A weekend in the country
Where–
HENRIK:
A weekend in the country, the bees in their hives
The shallow worldly figures, the frivolous lives
The devil’s companions know not whom they serve
It might be instructive to observe
CARL-MAGNUS: FREDRIK: HENRIK:
Charlotte! We’re off! A weekend in the country
The bees
CHARLOTTE: PETRA: In their hives…
I’m thinking We are?
It out
FREDRIK & ANNE:
CARL-MAGNUS: We’ll take
Charlotte! The car
MRS. SEGSTROM & MRS
CHARLOTTE: FREDRIK, ANNE, PETRA: ANDERSSEN:
There’s no need We’ll bring champagne We’re off! We are?
To shout. And caviar! We’ll take the car!
We’ll bring
MRS. NORDSTROM, MR. CARL-MAGNUS, Champagne
ERLANSEN, MR. LINDQUIST: CHARLOTTE, And caviar…
We’re off on our way, FREDRIK
What a beautiful day, ANNE & PETRA: HENRIK:
We’re laying our plans We’re off on The bees in
While we’re playing croquet, Our way, Their hives…
Controlling ourselves What a
While strolling the lawns, Beautiful
Confiding our motives Day…
While hiding our yawns…
QUINTET: THE REST:
The weather is spectacular! We’re off on our way
What a beautiful day!
ALL:
With riotous laughter we quietly suffer
The season in town, which is reason enough for
A weekend in the country
How amusing
How delightfully droll
A weekend in the country
While we’re losing
Our control
A weekend in the country
How enchanting
On the manicured lawns
A weekend in the country
With the panting
And the yawns
With the crickets and the pheasants
And the orchards and the hay
With the servants and the peasants
We’ll be laying our plans while we’re playing croquet
For a weekend in the country
So inactive
That one has to lie down
A weekend in the country
Where
We’re twice as upset as in
Twice as upset as in
Twice as upset as in
Twice as upset as in…
CARL-MAGNUS: CHARLOTTE: ANNE, PETRA: FREDRIK: QUINTET:
Charlotte, We’re A weekend! Are you sure Twice as upset
We’re going! Uninvited! A weekend! You want to go? As in
Charlotte, We’re A weekend! Are you sure Twice as upset
We’re going! Uninvited! A weekend! You want to go? As in
Charlotte, We’re A weekend! Are you sure Twice as upset
We’re going! Uninvited! A weekend! You want to go As in
Charlotte, We’re A weekend! Away and leave, Twice as upset
We’re going! Uninvited! A weekend! Go and leave As in
We should A weekend! Twice as upset
Stay in… In As in
ALL:
Town!