The play, Fleabag, premiered at the Soho Theatre in London in 2016. It was a one-woman show, written for and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The play's success led to the development of a television series, which aired on BBC Three in 2016 and Amazon Prime in 2017.
While the script is famously funny, its true engine is grief. The play is haunted by the ghost of Boo, Fleabag’s best friend. In the written text, the pacing of information regarding Boo’s death is expert. Waller-Bridge uses humor as a weapon of distraction, leading the audience through a series of hilarious vignettes about guinea pig-themed cafes and disastrous dates, only to pull the rug out in the final act. The script reveals that the protagonist’s "fleabag" persona—the hyper-sexualized, cynical mask—is a direct response to the unbearable weight of her own guilt. From Stage to Screen: Structural Evolution fleabag script play pdf
Unlike screenplays, stage directions in Fleabag are psychological. The most famous recurring direction is simply: She looks at us. In the TV show, this is a smirk to camera. On stage, it is a suspension of time. The PDF will show you how Waller-Bridge uses colons and line breaks to control the actor’s breathing. The play, Fleabag, premiered at the Soho Theatre