ISBN 978-0-573-63398-0

Sarah Ruhl

Comedy

1m, 4f

Interior, with inserts

Finalist for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
Winner! 2003-2004 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

After its acclaimed run at Yale Repertory Theatre, this extraordinary new play by an exciting new voice in the American drama was was done to equal acclaim at several major theatres coast to coast before winding up off Broadway at Lincoln Center, where it had an extended run. The play takes place in what the author describes as "metaphysical Connecticut", mostly in the home of a married couple who are both doctors. They have hired a housekeeper named Matilde, an aspiring comedian from Brazil who's more interested in coming up with the perfect joke than in house-cleaning. Lane, the lady of the house, has an eccentric sister named Virginia who's just nuts about house-cleaning. She and Matilde become fast friends, and Virginia takes over the cleaning while Matilde works on her jokes. Trouble comes when Lane's husband Charles reveals that he has found his soul mate, or "bashert" in a cancer patient named Anna, on whom he has operated. The actors who play Charles and Anna also play Matilde's parents in a series of dream-like memories, as we learn the story about how they literally killed each other with laughter, giving new meaning to the phrase, "I almost died laughing". This theatrical and wildly funny play is a whimsical and poignant look at class, comedy and the true nature of love.

"A rich work about big themes from a young playwright with an original and audacious voice." — Variety

"Casts a spell that had me hooked." — The New York Daily News

FEE: $125 per performance.
Performance licensing rights may be restricted in your area, please inquire for specific details and licensing availability.

Also by Sara Ruhl available from Samuel French:
Eurydice
Dead Man's Cell Phone
In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play
Passion Play