A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Rhapsodies

Collection / Anthology, Comedy  /  1w, 1m

Two short plays by celebrated author Rosary O'Neill: Wings of Madness and Turtle Soup.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    10 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Not Applicable
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior

Details

Summary
Two short plays by celebrated author Rosary O'Neill: Wings of Madness and Turtle Soup.

The Wings of Madness was heralded by Northshore Theatre in Mandeville, La. and the Columbia University writer Joyce Griffen. You can't go wrong when you combine the elements of a tacky funeral parlor on a highway outside New Orleans, a murdered beauty who taunts the audience while explaining why she was murdered and a coffin sitting in the audience (optional). Be prepared for a very Gothic evening. The bare stage and opening effect of a corpse coming alive create exciting visual opportunities.

Turtle Soup is a short play that builds tension between a 'dying' uncle (or aunt) and a young niece who is after the family inheritance. A tirade occurs over Turtle Soup and ends in the spilling of soup and the breaking of the secret as the old invalid guffaws about a joke being played on that day, April first - All Fools Day. NOTE: the role of the old uncle may be cast with a female playing it as an aunt. The bedroom setting in an old New Orleans mansion creates an evocative sense of place.
History


Can also be done with a cast of 2 women or a cast of 2 women and one man (for Turtle Soup)

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Features Fantasy Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 10 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $55 per performance
    $90 with other plays in collection

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Authors

Rosary Hartel O'Neill

Rosary Hartel O’Neill is the author of 25 plays, 18 published by Samuel French, Inc., and four books of nonfiction. The fourth edition of her text The Actor’s Checklist is used in schools nationwide.

Her book New Orleans Voodoo: A Cultural History (co-written with Rory Schmi ...

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