A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Ghost on Fire

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  5w, 7m

Michael Weller

"A poignant play suffused with humor.... A witty and rueful elegy for a generation weaned on such high idealism, learning that there are limitations to life." - New York Times

"We don't have a more fluent playwright than Michael Weller." - LA Times

Ghost on Fire

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 7m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Director Dan Rittman showed dazzling promise in school, but the Hollywood scene proves much more challenging. Dan suffers a breakdown and eventually quits film-making, when the hilarious and irreverent cameraman, Neil Toomie, approaches Dan with a horror film to direct. Neil is unaware that he has a brain tumor, and Dan does not recognize how abandoning his dreams has poisoned his life. Together, the two embark on a journey to make a low-budget movie, which ultimately brings them to a moment of reckoning and reconciliation.

History
La Jolla Playhouse, 1985. Directed by Timothy Near.
Keywords
Performing Groups

DANIEL RITTMAN - a teacher, late 30's

LAUREL - a graduate student, early 20's

NEIL TOOMIE - a camera operator, late 30's

JULIA RITTMAN - Dan's wife, mid-30's

TOM COOPER - soap opera star, late 30's

RALPH - dissolute English doctor/poet, 40's

ADEN PALTZ - philosopher, early 40's

MICHELLE-MARIE - Neil's wife, mid-20's

GINA - Avram's comapanion

AVRAM SCHENKER - Israeli millionaire, 40's

NATHAN BERGER - rural black man, mid-70's

NURSE (may double with Gina)

  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"A poignant play suffused with humor.... A witty and rueful elegy for a generation weaned on such high idealism, learning that there are limitations to life." - N.Y. Times.

"We don't have a more fluent playwright than Michael Weller." - L.A. Times.

"Weller manages to cry out from deep inside his generation's soul." - Chicago Tribune.

"Exhilarating." - Chicago Daily Herald.

"Weller's work, one suspects, will outlast most of his more voguish contemporaries." - Variety.

Music

Song Samples

Michael Weller's interview for Dave's Gone By
  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Michael Weller

Michael Weller

Michael Weller studied music composition at Brandeis University, then worked as a jazz pianist before taking his graduate degree in theater at the University of Manchester, England. His best-known plays are Moonchildren, Fishing, Loose Ends and Spoils Of War. His films includ ...

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