Qwerty: The Musical - Style and effects (page 1/2)

A chorus of silly sentences runs a surrealist course through the play. Whenever the ‘girls’ are typing, they shout out the words in a sing-song fashion.

Diana said killing in pain was a sin. Ian fails in singing, Gillian in hiking. Jack fled for his life on dirty dark roads. Idleness is foolish, learn a good skill. Dirty dense fog falls on hills and dales alike. The crazy paving was quickly fixed by the jolly gardener.

These are transformed in the final scene, in which the ‘girls’ bait Mrs Baslow:

The jolly girl is in a dreadful rage. Susan fumes while teacher stares. Susan fails at typing, jibes at sniping. Shorthand is foolish, learn to paint like Rembrandt. The class is cold and clammy. Dirty dense fog falls on desks and floor alike…