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The Idiot Box

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

Michael Elyanow

"Witty, audacious work succeeds brilliantly" - Variety
"...what begins as a clever, amusing parody darkens into a savage indictment of the way television sells us a make-believe cocoon to insulate ourselves from reality." - The Los Angeles Times

The Idiot Box

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

The Idiot Box is a comedy about what happens to six sitcom characters when Reality crashes into their lives.

History
The Idiot Box was first presented, in its World Premiere, by Naked Eye Theatre Company at The Theatre Building in Chicago, in 2003. It was directed by Jeremy B. Cohen.
Keywords
Performing Groups

MARK - the neuorotic New Yorker. He's a paramedic.
CHLOE - the a spoiled rich girl. She's a curtain desiginer.
BILLY - the sex-crazed dummy. He's a model.
FIONA - the new age hippie. She's an acupuncturist.
CONNOR - the cynical husband. He's an ad agency exec.
STEPHANIE - the controlling wife. She's a romance novelist.
HARVEY - He's a doctor in the naval reserves.
RAYMOND - He's a drag queen/cabaret singer.
VERONICA - She's an Australian dog shusherer.
OMAR - He's a non-Caucasian PhD student.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy, Stage Combat
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Drugs
    • Intense Adult Themes
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"Witty, audacious work succeeds brilliantly" - Variety

"...what begins as a clever, amusing parody darkens into a savage indictment of the way television sells us a make-believe cocoon to insulate ourselves from reality." - The Los Angeles Times

"Elyanow's intelligently crafted script is rife with humor and irony, and is superbly augmented by Jeremy B. Cohen's perceptive direction of the fine cast." - LA Weekly

"A supremely confident new play from Michael Elyanow..." - The Chicago Tribune

"...ambitious and serious...an onion-like, multi-layered work...with a few Pirandellovian surprises." - The Windy City Times

"...makes us laugh, makes us think, and leaves us talking about the role of art and entertainment in our lives." - ChicagoCritic.com

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Michael Elyanow

Michael Elyanow
Michael Elyanow is the author of over two dozen plays, screenplays, and television scripts. Recent theatre productions include LULLABY at Theater Latte Da (2016), ROBYN IS HAPPY at The B Street Theatre (2013). THE CHILDREN will be produced in fall 2016 at Pillsbury House Thea ...
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