“The ravages of maternal ambivalence achieve heights of gothic terror in “Baby Ruby,” an intriguing and impressively assured writing-directing debut from playwright Bess Wohl.”
The tightly scripted world of a vlogger and influencer unravels after she becomes a mother, in noted playwright Bess Wohl's feature debut.
“A sweet, sweet delight... It’s carefully made, beautifully acted, and extremely funny, while also asking a few tart questions about comedy itself.”
Bill and Nancy have spent fifty full years as husband and wife. They practically breathe in unison, and can anticipate each other's every sigh, snore and sneeze. But just as they settle comfortably into their new home in Grand Horizons, the unthinkable happens: Nancy suddenly wants out. As their two adult sons struggle to cope with the shocking news, they are forced to question everything they assumed about the people they thought they knew best. By turns funny, shocking and painfully honest, the play explores a family turned upside-down and takes an intimate look at the wild, unpredictable, and enduring nature of love.
“The sound of silence onstage has rarely made such sweet music… a play that leaves you moved, refreshed and, yes, maybe even a little enlightened.”
In the overwhelming quiet of the woods, six runaways from city life embark on a silent retreat. As these strangers confront internal demons both profound and absurd, their vows of silence collide with the achingly human need to connect. Filled with awkward and insightful humor, this unique and compassionate new play asks how we address life’s biggest questions when words fail us.
“A fascinating and artfully written story with stranger-than-fiction reality at its heart.”
During a golden summer at the real-life Camp Siegfried, a picturesque campground on Long Island, two teenagers find themselves on a collision course with youthful passion and unbridled extremism. Are they falling in love or falling for something more sinister? Set on the cusp of World War II, this boy-meets- girl-meets-cautionary tale about the seductive nature of fascism reveals a shocking part of America’s past and reminds us how easily darkness can sneak up on us.
“Make Believe is a rich and moving contemporary drama — the kind that builds itself from fragments that could just as easily fail to bind…. a profound delight.”
When does real life collide with make believe? For the four Conlee kids, ages 5 to 10, playing house is no longer a game when their parents inexplicably disappear. Thirty-two years later, their search for answers continues. A look inside the minds of children, their parents and the mysteries of childhood that haunt us.
“Smart, funny, deeply sad …The power of Continuity is that it lets these questions proliferate without, as a piece of theater, becoming either strident or floppy and overwhelmed. It’s got a huge sadness and a huge terror inside it—it’s walking gut-twistingly close to despair—but it’s also got integrity, vitality, and compassion for its characters.”
A sheet of ice sits in the desert of New Mexico. A mad eco-terrorist plants a bomb in order to save humankind. A beleaguered film crew tries to get in one last shot before losing the light. In Continuity, storytelling and science collide with hilarious and devastating consequences. The play asks, “How do we keep going when hope can seem as fictional as a Hollywood ending?” and also, “What’s for lunch?”
“The production’s 90 minutes reel by quickly, with a couple of central themes, and a central couple, standing out from the often bawdy proceedings …The result, depicted with admirable sympathy by the creators and performers, has complicated repercussions.”
Inspired by a tradition of classic musicals about show business, Pretty Filthy is the untold showbiz musical, based on interviews with adult entertainers. Armed with their notepads and recorders, Ms. Wohl and The Civilians crossed the mountain range that divides Hollywood from the "other Hollywood"—the San Fernando Valley, world capital of porn. Pretty Filthy is ultimately a story about trying to make a life and a living in an ever-changing world—a task that's all the more complicated when your work is so intimately tied to customer "satisfaction." Book by Bess Wohl, Music/lyrics by Michael Friedman. Directed by Steve Cosson. Produced by The Civilians.
“Barcelona, a wiley two-character drama by Bess Wohl, never becomes the play you think it’s going to become. The playwright stays one step ahead of theatergoers – not to trick them, but to hold out for deeper truth.”
Late night in Barcelona. A drunk American woman goes home with a tall, dark stranger—an older Spanish man. What begins as a carefree, one-night stand becomes an invitation to danger, as the personal and political intertwine. Over the course of a single night – by turns funny, sexy and surprising – BARCELONA explores the gap between the fantasy of who we pretend to be and the truth of who we are.
“The highlight of the evening comes from the inimitable Bess Wohl, whose self-titled take on Lust is an absolute gem that makes the most of the constraints and the possibilities of this unique theatrical experience.”
Produced by Tectonic Theatre Project and Madison Wells Live as part of SEVEN DEADLY SINS, a collection of seven short plays.
“Three losers working in a Subway-type sandwich franchise may not sound like promising material for brilliant comedy and cutting social satire, but Bess Wohl has achieved both sensationally in her new play, American Hero… You can only marvel at how Wohl gets the heartbreaking human damage these characters suffer so right, and yet, because you come to admire their gallows humor, courage, decency, and true grit, you leave the theater walking on air.”
Three ounces of meat. Two ounces of cheese. Four ounces of lettuce. Seventeen-year-old Sheri and her co-workers at a new submarine sandwich franchise have honed their skills making everything from the Turkey Torpedo to the Big Kahuna Tuna exactly as specified in the corporate manual. But when the franchise owner mysteriously disappears, they are forced to improvise, and Sheri takes charge of the ragtag band of “sandwich artists.” See just how far they’ll go to keep their shop afloat in this tale of the struggle for optimism in tough times, the power of sandwiches, and the messy American Dream.
“Not to pussyfoot around, but Cats Talk Back is a winner. Structured as a panel discussion with five purported ex-cast members of a certain long-running musical, the work is, in fact, a tightly-written play by Bess Wohl.”
A mock talk back with five former cast members of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s CATS, this Waiting For Guffman style parody reveals the secrets behind the making of the legendary musical, and the dark side of the Great White Way.
“An accomplished new play from a very promising playwright.”
Kay loves her older sister Emma. Or is it Christina? Christine? Matilda? After spending eight years institutionalized and medicated, Emma has changed more than just her name. Determined to get back the brilliant sister she remembers, Kay rents a cabin in the woods and she and her boyfriend Billy hide the sharp objects, from butcher knife to cheese grater. Perhaps quality time with loved ones, some home-cooked meals and games of Scrabble will succeed in restoring Emma to health where her psychiatrists have failed.