Imaginary Friends

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Cast Size

6w, 3m
Target Audience

Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Accolades

Nominee: 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics

Details

Summary

Novelist Mary McCarthy's notorious statement on the Dick Cavett Show calling playwright Lillian Hellman a liar exploded into one of the most famous of all literary feuds. This surreal farce portrays these two literary lionesses battling it out in hell. It chronicles a compelling story of two women shaped by their different but equally unsettled childhoods, their looks (one was a beauty, one was not) and the men in their lives while it brilliantly examines to great comic effect the concept of truth in fiction: Who can you believe? Interspersed throughout are witty songs that enable the ensemble to comment on the action. The acclaimed Broadway production starred famed actresses Swoozie Kurtz and Cherry Jones.

History

Imaginary Friends premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 12, 2002. Directed by Jack O'Brien, the production starred Swoosie Kurtz and Cherry Jones.

Cast Attributes

Keywords

Performing Groups

LILLIAN HELLMAN
MARY McCARTHY
THE MAN
ABBY KAISER
LEO
MRS. STILLMAN
BEGUINE DANCER
FACT
FICTION
VIC
FIZZY
A WOMAN
OTHERS

Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
Setting A bare stage, later suggesting a few simple settings.
Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
Additional Features Play w/ Music
Cautions
- Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Highly theatrical and engaging.” – Curtain Up

“Highly theatrical and engaging... The songs... add considerably to the show's entertainment value... echoing the vaudevillian brouhaha of the headline-making feud.” – Curtain Up

Music

Act I

0a. Bracelets
1. “Fig Tree Rag” – Ensemble
1a. Fig Tree Rag Playoff
1b. Seattle
2. “A Smoke, A Drink & You – Part 1” – Bartenders
2a. “A Smoke, A Drink & You – Part 2” – Dashiell, Bartenders
2b. “A Smoke, A Drink & You – Part 3” – Mary, Bartenders
2c. “A Smoke, A Drink & You – Part 4” – Lillian, Bartenders
2d. “A Smoke, A Drink & You – Part 5” – Bartenders
2e. “A Smoke, A Drink & You – Part 6” – Bartenders
3. “Chorale, Part 1” – Women
3a. “Chorale, Part 2” – Ensemble
3b. “Chorale, Part 3” – Ensemble
3c. Bracelets (Reprise)

Act II

4. “Imaginary Friend” – Mary, Lillian, Dolls
4a. Imaginary Friend Playoff
4b. Minneapolis
5. “Fact and Fiction” – Fact & Fiction
5a. Fact and Fiction Playoff
6. “Smart Women” – Ensemble
6a. “Fig Tree Rag Deconstruction” – Ensemble
7. “I Would, But I Can’t” – Max
7a. “To Leave No Trace” – Soloist

Orchestra Size Piano Only

Licensing & Materials

Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Music Rentals

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10 Piano-Conductor Scores
1 Drums
1 Guitar-Banjo
1 Trombone
1 Trumpet
1 Woodwind

10 Piano-Conductor Scores

Scripts

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Authors

Nora Ephron

Nora Ephron (1941-2012) was educated at Wellesley College, Massachusetts. She was an acclaimed essayist (Crazy Salad, 1975), novelist (Heartburn, 1983), and had written screenplays for several popular films, all featuring strong female characters, such as anti-nuclear activis ...

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Craig Carnelia

Craig Carnelia grew up in Floral Park, New York. He was exposed to Broadway at the age of fourteen when he was inspired by the Richard Rodgers musical No Strings. He played guitar, was in a folksinging group and taught himself to play the piano. While attending Hofstra Univer ...

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Marvin Hamlisch

June 2, 1944—August 6, 2012

As composer, Marvin Hamlisch won virtually every major award that exists: three Oscars, four Grammys, four Emmys, a Tony, three Golden Globe awards and the Pulitzer Prize (won by A Chorus Line). Only Hamlisch and Richard Rodgers have won a “PEGOT” ( ...

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Imaginary Friends