A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Hogwash

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  4w, 3m

Louie Baxter is an incorrigible troublemaker and Mary Baxter doesn't know where to turn when Louie is expelled from the Sunny Hill Day Care Center for a variety of behavioral offenses, not the least of which is smoking in the bathroom and setting off false fire alarms...

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior

Details

Summary
Louie Baxter is an incorrigible troublemaker and Mary Baxter doesn't know where to turn when Louie is expelled from the Sunny Hill Day Care Center for a variety of behavioral offenses, not the least of which is smoking in the bathroom and setting off false fire alarms. With her husband out of town, Mary has no alternative but to take Louie to work on the most important day of her professional career. Called out of her office for an emergency meeting, Mary returns only to find that the office building has caught on fire and Louie has disappeared. In the corporate world, it may be appropriate on occasion to take one's child to work. However, Mary learns the hard way that it is probably best to leave her elderly mother-in-law, Mary Louise “Louie” Baxter at home. All's well that end's well. Not only does she save Mary's professional career as an up and coming advertising and marketing executive, Louie also manages to snag a beau, star in a TV commercial, solve a manufacturing quality control crisis and receive an all-expense paid vacation to San Juan. All in an afternoon's work. Although a comedy, this play focuses on serious issues involving care for the elderly.
History

HOGWASH! was first produced by The Old Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in November 2005. Since then, HOGWASH! has been performed in theaters around the country and beyond.

MARY LOUISE "LOUIE" BAXTER - a fesity and rambunctious octogenarian. 
MARY BAXTER - Louie's daughter-in-law. 
MRS. HALL - Principal of Sunny Hill (Adult) Day Care Center. 
KAREN - Mary's assistant. 
ASHLEY MANSFIELD - Senior Vice President, Mansfield Consumer Products Company. 
BRADFORD MANSFIELD - Ashley's Grandfather and CEO of Mansfield Consumer Products Company. 
WAITER/DELIVERY BOY

There is opportunity for "extras" in the cafe scene. In lieu of "extras", the actress playing Karen can double as a girl at the bar and the actress playing Mrs. Hall can double as a lunch patron.

Louie's character may be portrayed with an optional Irish brogue. 

  • Time Period Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

"Hogwash combines uproarous comedy with a sensitive, touching look into the world of Alzheimer's disease....After the raucous comedy of the first three scenes, the last scene creeps into the consciousness. Even as the play ends, it slowly dawns on the audience they have just witnessed something special - perhaps a revelation."
The Review, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

"HOGWASH! Oreland's Barbara Pease Weber is at it again - finding humor in unlikely places."
- Ticket, Montgomery Newspapers, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Add-Ons

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Authors

Barbara Pease Weber

Barbara Pease Weber has been acting on and off since she was a teenager in the 1970s and has appeared in theatrical productions in the Philadelphia area over a span of 40+ years. Ms. Weber has also authored six comedies, Delval Divas, HOGWASH!, Seniors of the Sahara, A Crock ...

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