GREEN EYES

Green Eyes is my adaptation of The Girl With The Green Eyes, by Clyde Fitch. Jinny Tillman is "Green Eyes" and this refers to her intense jealous nature. The play begins right after her wedding to John Austin when it is revealed that her brother, Geoffrey, had married the maid Maggie when he was in college. However, now that he has entered society, he wants respectability. He's chosen Ruth, Jinny's friend, and bridesmaid, to be his wife. Being stupid, he marries Ruth as well, secretly in a Brooklyn church. This is bigamy of course and Maggie gets word of it and blackmails Geoffrey. Before John and Jinny go off on the Grand Tour for their honeymoon, Geoffrey asks John to help him with his problem. But before they leave Jinny becomes slightly jealous when she sees John speaking with Ruth.
The second act is set at the Vatican and opens with tourists admiring the Apollo Belvedere. Jinny and John are having a jolly time, until Ruth arrives. John had sent for her so Geoffrey could go to South Dakota to get a no-fault divorce from Maggie in secret. Ruth's arrival stokes Jinny's suspicions. John warns Jinny that her jealousy is unwarranted and may ruin their relationship if it isn't put in check. They leave Europe early to set up house in New York.
In act three, Jinny is bored and lonely, because her friends are still vacationing in the country and in Europe. Maggie is now working for John and Jinny, so John can keep an eye on her. Being alone allows Jinny to stew in her Jealousy. She begins rifling through John's papers. She finds various letters from Ruth which she mistakes for love letters. This leads to a domestic quarrel. Jinny tries to make up to him by buying him tickets to the theater for his birthday. That falls through when John arrives home late from work. Jinny decides to entertain him by reciting a monologue, dancing, and singing to him. Ruth shows up and Jinny is at the height of her jealousy. John can't take it and tells her he's leaving her, which he does.