Diff'rent

About the show

Setting: The parlor of home on a side street of a seaport village in New England in 1890. Emma is engaged to an older man, a sea captain named Caleb. She discovers that he was briefly unfaithful while at sea and calls off the wedding. In the seaport village, the women tended to accept the promiscuity of the men who work at sea. Emma however, expected her future husband to be of different nature than the sailors in the village. Setting: The same location in 1920. 30 years go by, but the ageing sea captain still hopes that he can marry his former fiancé from 1890, Emma. Caleb's sister Harriet and her husband, Alfred, have raised their son Benny, who has now returned to the seaside from a tour of duty in World War I, where he had been stationed in France. Benny becomes good friends with Emma, who he sometimes calls Aunt Emma. On the stage, the audience sees that Benny is having various financial problems and has hatched a plan. However, the audience does not know what it is. Emma does not know that Benny was actually a grifter and charlatan. Caleb later arrives and notices how her home has changed. Emma explains that in the last two weeks, the "gloomy and old-timey" look of the house started to bother her so changed the style to "light and airy and young-looking". Caleb explains to Emma Benny's real character, his dishonesty and so on. Caleb also points out that he, however, has always been honest with her, especially after expressing regret for the unfortunate act. Emma declares that she is going to marry Benny. Caleb, clearly upset, tells Emma that he would rather pay Benny to cancel the wedding than see Emma suffer with a terrible mistake. Caleb tells Emma that he had always thought she was "diff'rent" than the rest of the people in the village. However, he now finds her the same as everyone else, but just more mentally ill. After Caleb leaves, Benny returns. Benny tells Emma that he will take the bribe from Caleb to not marry her. Benny was using Emma as if she were property that he could negotiate with. Emma is overwhelmed with shock of Benny explaining this to her. Emma later learns of Caleb's suicide, and she begins to exit, intending to join Caleb.