A Weekend in the Country Act One
Look, ma'am, an invitation
Here, ma'am, delivered by hand
And, ma'am, I notice the station-
Ary's engraved and very grand

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--

We're invited?
What a horrible plot!
A weekend in the country--

I'm excited!

No, you're not

A weekend in the country, just imagine--

It's completely depraved

A weekend in the country!

It's insulting

It's engraved

It's that woman, it's that Armfeldt!

Oh, the actress?

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
How insulting!

And I've nothing to wear

A weekend in the country--

Here! The last place I'm going is there

Guess what? An invitation!

Guess who? Begins with an "A."
"Armfeldt"--is that a relation
To the decrepit Desiree?

Out of the blue isn't it strange

Well but it's true we need a change

Oh, no!

A weekend in the country
Would be charming
And the air would be fresh

A weekend with that woman?
In the country--

In the flesh

A weekend in the country
Smelling jasmine
Watching little thing grow
A weekend in the country
My darling, we'll simply say no

Oh

A weekend!

How very amusing

A weekend!

But also inept

A weekend; of course we're refusing

Au contraire! You must accept!

Oh, no!

A weekend in the country--

But it's frightful!

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

We'll accept it!

I'd a feeling you would

A weekend in the country--

Yes, it's only polite that we should

Good

Well?

I've an intriguing little social item--

What?

Out of the Armfeldt family manse

Well, what?

Merely a weekend, still, I thought it might am-
Use you to know
Who's invited to go
This time with his pants

You don't mean...

I'll give you three guesses

She wouldn't...

Reduce it to two

It can't be...

It nevertheless is

Egerman!

Right! Score one for you

A-ha!

A-ha!

A-ha...

A-ha?

A weekend in the country
We should try it

How I wish we'd been asked

A weekend in the country
Peace and quiet--

We'll go masked

A weekend in the country...

Uninvited?
They'll consider it odd

A weekend in the country
I'm delighted

Oh, my god

And the shooting should be pleasant
If the weather's not too rough
Happy birthday, it's your present

But--

You haven't been getting out nearly enough
And a weekend in the country--

It's perverted!

Pack my quiver and bow

A weekend in the country--

At exactly 2: 30, we go

We can't

We shall!

We shan't!

I'm getting the car
And we're motoring down

Yes, I'm certain you are
And I'm staying in town

Go and pack my suits! We'll go
I won't
My boots! We will?
Pack everything I own that shoots!
We should
No! Pack everything white
Charlotte! Ma'am, it's wonderful news!
I'm thinking it out. Are you sure it's all right?
Charlotte! We'd be rude to refuse
We are?
Charlotte!
We'll take the car!
All right, then--
We'll bring champagne and caviar!

We're off on our way
What a beautiful day
For a weekend in the country
Taking rambles
Having leisurely chats
A weekend in the country
With the brambles
And the gnats!
A weekend in the country
Full of craning to see? in their nests
A weekend in the country
Entertaining other guests

I'll recieve them in the red room
Then impress them with a feast
Then retire to my bedroom
Where I am planning to stay
Until monday a least!

A weekend in the country
Rising early to go out and lie down
A weekend in the country
Where--

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

Charlotte! We're off! A weekend in the country
The bees
In their hives...
I'm thinking We are?
It out
We'll take
Charlotte! The car
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
Champagne
And caviar...
We're off on our way
What a beautiful day
We're laying our plans We're off on The bees in
While we're playing croquet, Our way, Their hives...
With riotous laughter we quietly suffer
The season in town, which is reason enough for
A weekend in the country
A refresher for the body and mind
A weekend in the country
With the pressure far behind
A weekend in the country
Gently gliding over manicured lawns
A weekend in the country
Gently hiding little yawns...

With the pheasants in the thickets
And the peasants mowing hay
In the presence of the crickets
We'll be laying our plans while we're playing croquet
A weekend in the country
With umbrellas to avoid getting brown
A weekend in the country
Where

Twice as upset as in...
Are you sure?
We're going!

Town!