Perfect Arrangement
- Full Length Play, Comedy, 1950s
- 3M, 4F
- ISBN: 9780573705083
Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the gay rights movement, Perfect Arrangement merges madcap sitcom-style laughs with provocative drama as two closeted U.S. State Department employees struggle to maintain their cover -- and their sanity -- in 1950s America.
Description
- Full Length Play
- Comedy
- 120 minutes
- Time Period: 1950s
- Target Audience: Adult
- Set Requirements: Interior Set
- Cautions: Alcohol
- Performance Group:
- College Theatre / Student, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre
Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two "All-American" couples are forced to stare down the closet door.
REVIEWS:
"[A] clever canapé of a comedy... Mr. Payne is a deft and witty writer."
The New York Times
"The best thing about Topher Payne’s fabulous Perfect Arrangement is its pitch-perfect capture of the 1950s comic voice, and its application to the dreadfully serious drama."
DC Theatre Scene
"Usually a playwright has to choose between writing a laugh-out-loud comedy and a very serious drama. Topher Payne has written both with Perfect Arrangement."
TheatreMania
"As hiding gets harder, pitch-perfect comedy ensues: slamming doors, strange disguises, preposterous excuses... Eventually, the four must decide whether face-saving domestic lies are worth it, or whether ostracism beats living in fear. In our own era of surveillance and paranoia, their mid-century problems don’t feel so far away."
The New Yorker
Characters
- Casting: 3M, 4F
- Casting Attributes: Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle), Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle)
MILLIE MARTINDALE - late 20s-30s, Bob's wife. Plays "The dizzy wife" when people are in the house, but actually very quick-witted and observant. Smart enough to maintain the act.
NORMA BAXTER - 30s, the knowing, efficient, classy dame. A secretary at the State Department who could just as easily be Secretary of State. A smart woman who's great with a wisecrack and level-headed in a bind.
JIM BAXTER - 20s-30s, Norma's husband. A prankster type, always ready with a comeback. A high school teacher with lots of energy. A little wired, good with a plan.
THEODORE SUNDERSON - 40s-50s, the boss. Bombastic, loud, a little overbearing. A patriotic windbag.
KITTY SUNDERSON - 40s, Ted's wife. Legitimately ditzy. Her brain seems to work on a totally different wavelength than the rest of the world. Very sweet, and very genuine. Just doesn't quite "get it".
BARBARA GRANT - 40s, a formidable opponent. No-nonsense, beautiful, brilliant, and a little scary.
Available Material
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Perfect Arrangement Script
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It's 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. To U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There's just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other's partners as a carefully constructed cover. |
$24.95 |
