A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Last Cigarette

Short Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  1w, 1m

Steven Fechter

In the last smoking bar in Santa Monica a beautiful woman in a green evening dress sits alone, smoking and drinking martinis. She has a past, a secret and no future. Watching her from the bar while he drinks doubles is a man with little to lose who will stop at nothing to win her.

The Last Cigarette

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    40 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! Samuel French Off Off Broadway Festival

Details

Summary

In the last smoking bar in Santa Monica a beautiful woman in a green evening dress sits alone, smoking and drinking martinis. She has a past, a secret and no future. Watching her from the bar while he drinks doubles is a man with little to lose who will stop at nothing to win her. Drinks are downed, stories are told, strangers dance and kiss. As they are leaving together, she reveals her secret. This funny, heartbreaking tale is told in the evocative language of film noir.

Published in Off Off Broadway Festival Plays, 24th Series.

History
The Last Cigarette was first produced in the Samuel French Off-Off-Broadway Festival in 1999, New York City, directed by Larry Geddes. The producing organization was he Tuesday Group.
Keywords
Performing Groups

ANGELA - early 30s
HOWARD - late 30s

  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting A bar in Santa Monica, California
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 40 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Smoking

Media

"In this darkishly delicious slice of life, staged in film-noir wrappings, we are privy to a chance meeting of two lost and wanting souls, about to collide like two sinking ships passing in the night... Steven Fechter's understated tensions... make it impossible to presume the final outcome of this union till the play's last seconds." - Backstage West

"The banter that ensues is so witty and well delivered that it rivals Nick and Nora's clever chatter in The Thin Man. Still, there is more to this play than playwright Steven Fechter's crackling dialogue.... A darkness lurks beneath the shiny surface of this charming flirtation, a darkness that subtly and accurately reveals the potency of human desire." - LA Weekly

"The Last Cigarette is a brooding, moody and tantalizing exploration into the motives of why people say and do the things they do when playing the mating game." - Reviewplays.com

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $65 per performance
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Authors

Steven Fechter

Steven Fechter
Steven Fechter is a playwright and screenwriter. As a screenwriter he co-wrote the script for The Woodsman, based on his play published by Samuel French. As a playwright his work has been produced throughout North America and Europe. In 2011 Resonance Ensemble produced his co ...
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