alphabetical author index

Nightingales, The

  • Peter Quilter
  • Full Length Play, Drama, 1950s
  • 2M, 3F
  • ISBN: 9780573113499

"A heartwarming play, effervescent and witty, yet also with depth ... The highlight of the season."

The Epoch Times

"Comedy, satire, and a happy ending that pulls out all the stops."

The Express

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1950s
  • Target Audience: Adult, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18), Appropriate for all audiences, Senior
  • Set Requirements: Interior Set

  • Performance Group:
  • Large Stage, Dinner Theatre, Community Theatre, Professional Theatre, Reader's Theatre, Senior Theatre
It is the 1950s and this charming comedy introduces the Nightingales, members of a theatrical family who perform more at home than they do on the stage. 

Jack is a cabaret star, as in love with his piano as he is with his silk dressing gowns. His parents, Charlie and Beatrice, are old Music Hall stars, full of hilarious tales of life on the road. Maggie performs with Jack in the evenings and regularly visits his house to rehearse, drink tea, and tell the sorry tale of her latest romantic disaster. If only she and Jack realized that their true love was right in front of them. The sudden arrival of Charlie and Beatrice, asking to stay with Jack for a few days, throws his and Maggie's lives into chaos. They promise to be gone by Christmas, but this provides little comfort given that it is only January 7th!

Jack's housekeeper Geraldine copes masterfully with the ensuing disruption, but then Beatrice unexpectedly disappears. It seems that this was not a simple visit, but an opportunity for her to leave Charlie and run off to another liaison in France. The question is, will anyone find their true love? Are there such things as happy endings? And what do performers do once the spotlight goes out? This is a very funny, touching showbusiness comedy, bursting with one-liners and lovable characters.

REVIEWS:

A heartwarming play, effervescent and witty, yet also with depth ... The highlight of the season

The Epoch Times

Comedy, satire, and a happy ending that pulls out all the stops

The Express
Premiere Production: Premiere in Bonn, Germany December 2011, followed by productions in the UK, Australia, USA, and Canada.
  • Casting: 2M, 3F
  • Casting Attributes: Parts for Senior Actors, Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle), Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle)

JACK - 40s/50s
MAGGIE - 40s/50s
CHARLIE - Jack's father, 60s/70s
BEATRICE - Jack's mother, 60s/70s
GERALDINE - Jack's housekeeper, 30s/40s

Name Price
Nightingales,The Script Order Now

It is the 1950s and this charming comedy introduces the Nightingales, members of a theatrical family who perform more at home than they do on the stage. Jack is a cabaret star, as in love with his piano as he is with his silk dressing gowns. His parents, Charlie and Beatrice, are old Music Hall stars, full of hilarious tales of life on the road. Maggie performs with Jack in the evenings and regularly visits his house to rehearse, drink tea, and tell the sorry tale of her latest romantic disaster. If only she and Jack realized that their true love was right in front of them. The sudden arrival of Charlie and Beatrice, asking to stay with Jack for a few days, throws his and Maggie's lives into chaos. They promise to be gone by Christmas, but this provides little comfort given that it is only January 7th!
Jack's housekeeper Geraldine copes masterfully with the ensuing disruption, but then Beatrice unexpectedly disappears. It seems that this was not a simple visit, but an opportunity for her to leave Charlie and run off to another liaison in France. The question is, will anyone find their true love? Are there such things as happy endings? And what do performers do once the spotlight goes out? This is a very funny, touching showbusiness comedy, bursting with one-liners and lovable characters.

$24.95