A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Tangled Skirt

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  1w, 1m

Steve Braunstein

A Whistle Stop Noir by Steve Braunstein

Two strangers await the last bus out of town, as small talk turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse and both seek advantage, trapped in their own secrets and lies, to be the last one standing. As the bus barrels toward the station, Bailey and Rhonda, torn by passion and greed, must confront each other, and themselves, as fate closes in.

The Tangled Skirt

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences, Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee! Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award, Best Play

Details

Summary
Breathless from running and staggered by a startling incident, Bailey Bryce dashes into a deserted bus depot in the dead of night desperately clutching a travel bag. He’s glad to be alone; to think fast, to collect himself, to figure things out before it’s too late. But he won’t be alone for long. Enter Rhonda Claire, a stunning stranger tightly gripping her own travel bag and frantically looking over her shoulder. She’s clearly unnerved by Bailey, harmless though he may appear. How can she trust anyone in this God-forsaken place? And sure enough, as both anxiously await the last bus out of town, for their very own different reasons, small talk turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse as both seek advantage, trapped in their own secrets and lies, to be the last one standing when that clunker of a bus finally pulls in. As sirens wail in the distance, Bailey becomes convinced that this woman to die for has committed a terrible crime. And Rhonda, cool as the steel of a pistol, suspects Bailey, so comically naïve at times, has done worse. As the bus barrels toward the station, Bailey and Rhonda, torn by passion and greed, must confront each other, and themselves, as fate closes in.
History

The Tangled Skirt was first presented at The New Jersey Repertory Company on December 4, 2010.

Keywords
Performing Groups
BAILEY BRYCE – enigmatic, small town denizen; mid 30s-early 40s.
RHONDA CLAIRE – a stranger in town, to die for; in her 30s.
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting A small town bus depot. 12:30am. The play occurs in real time with no intermission.
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

REVIEWS:

"All the steam and suspense of a classic film noir. The laws of attraction and survival clash through surprising revelations and dangerous switchbacks neither one - or an audience - could predict" - Broadway World

"Braunstein's taut script - sharply written - offers up plenty of quotable lines, tense, caffeinated energy (and) a sleepless dynamic so on the money for the genre in its night-owl world" - Asbury Park Press

"Noir infused intrigue...steamy...deftly mannered...twists and turns. An elegant homage to the noir genre by Mr. Braunstein." - The New York Times

"Braunstein doesn't parody or plagiarize the genre. His characters, dialogue, and setting smack of originality. The audience is hooked from the start." - Two Rivers Times

"Stylish, hard-boiled pulp fiction. Given that this is a two-character play, it is amazing that there are so many twists, turns, and genuine surprises to which Braunstein delightfully treats us. You are bound to have a really good time." - Talkin' Broadway

"Excellent dialogue that could be Wilder and Chandler, and some wonderfully paradoxical eyebrow-raising lines." - NYTheatre.com

"Steve Braunstein is one of the few playwrights around who can write a cracking good mystery." - Backstage

RELATED ARTICLES ON BREAKING CHARACTER:

Night Beat: The Heart of Noir
by Steve Braunstein
September 10, 2013

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Steve Braunstein

Steve Braunstein

Steve Braunstein has received productions of his plays at theatres across the country and around the world. His noir drama The Tangled Skirt (NJ Rep debut) received an Edgar Award Nomination for Best Play from The Mystery Writers of America and has since been produced in Engl ...

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