A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Don't Call Back

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 5m

Russell O'Neil

"I had, before the middle of act one, worked myself into a nice little state of bone chilling nervousness." - WWD

Don't Call Back

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior

Details

Summary
This suspenseful drama contains all the necessary ingredients of tension and
intrigue. The story begins with the return home of a famous actress and TV
personality, Miriam Croydon, who discovers her pampered son is harboring
three new friends wanted for murder, and the trio plan to hide out until
they’re forgotten. In the meantime, holding Miriam and her secretary hostage, they
search in vain for stories in the newspapers and on television. The discovery of
money and a gun in the apartment adds a new and uglier dimension involving
kidnapping, ransom, and hijacking and a chance for the gang to make it big.

History
Don't Call Back first appeared at the Helen Hayes Theater in New York City on March 18th, 1975. It was directed by Len Cariou.
Keywords
Performing Groups
MIRIAM CROYDON - an actress and television personality. She is forty-five, beautiful, poised, warm, outgoing and strong. In her private life, as well as in her public life, she is appealing to almost everyone.
JASON - Miriam's teenaged son. He is brilliant, cerebral and physically attractive. Just beneat the controlled exterior, there is a very nervous quality.
CLARENCE - black, handsome, utterly physical, eighteen. Although he is playing "leader," there is a desperate quality about him. He is constantly afraid that Miriam will outwit him. His answer to this problem is violence.
TRUCKER - he is a stocky, almost arrogant Puerto Rican. Although he is part of the gange, he realized that his Hispanicness makes him unique. He is about seventeen.
CROWBAR - white and a loner. He is unique without quite knowing it. He has spent the last seven years (since he was ten) living in abandoned buildings. As a result, he is crudely aloof from all the others.
CLAIRE - Miriam's secretary, confidant and friendly. She is attractive and in her thirties.
GREG - Miriam's current leading man. He is about Miriam's age, conceivably a bit younger. He is modestly handsome, virile and sufficiently rugged that the suggestion of an affair between him and Miriam is believable.
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting Spring. The living room of a duplex apartment on Park Avenue in New York City.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Intense Adult Themes
    • Strong Language

Media

"I had, before the middle of act one, worked myself into a nice little state of bone chilling nervousness." - WWD

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Author

Russell O'Neil

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