A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

All Over

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  4w, 6m

Edward Albee

"A lovely, poignant and deeply felt play." - The New York Times
"Done with brilliance... Fascinating, chilling, unsettling and oh so eloquent drama." - Newsday
In an alcove of a town house a great man lay dying. In the anteroom,
awaiting his death are his wife, his mistress, his best friend, his
feckless son and daughter. They who stand the deathwatch
recollect past loves, rekindle old wars and await word that it is "all
over".

All Over

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 6m
  • Suggested Use
    • Monologues
    • Scene work
    • Competition or audition material

Details

Summary
In an alcove of a town house a great man lay dying. In the anteroom, awaiting his death are his wife, his mistress, his best friend, his feckless son and daughter. An elderly physician and a nurse ammend the family portrait, while newsmen eager for the latest updates and television crews clamour off stage. They who stand the deathwatch recollect past loves, rekindle old wars and await word that it is "all over". Colleen Dewhurst and Jessica Tandy led the Broadway cast.
Cast Attributes
THE WIFE  - 71, small-boned, not heavy, dresses well, gray-haired probably
THE MISTRESS - 61, auburn or dark blond hair, a great beauty fading some, more voluptuous than the wife, maybe a bit taller, given to soft pastel clothes
THE SON - 52, a heavyset man, soft features, dark hair, business clothes
THE DAUGHTER - 45, angular, once attractive, now a little ravaged, doesn't care much about how she dresses
THE BEST FRIEND - 73, a good-looking gray-haired man, poised, thin to middling, well-dressed, well-groomed
THE 2 PHOTOGRAPHERS
THE REPORTER - no matter, middle-aged, or whoever understudies the male principals
  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting A bed-sitting room, the present

Media

"It is a lovely, poignant and deeply felt play. In no way at all is it an easy play - this formal minuet of death, this symphony ironically celebrating death's dominion. It is not easy in its structure, a series of almost operatic arias demanding, in their precision, pin-point concentration from the audience, and it is certainly not easy in its subject matter." - The New York Times

"Done with brilliance... Fascinating, chilling, unsettling and oh so eloquent drama." - Newsday

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

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Authors

Edward Albee

Edward Albee

Edward Albee (1928-2016) was born on March 12, 1928, and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize a ...

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