Synopsis
Rick Jacobs is a playwright with a wild imagination—perhaps too wild! As he attempts to overcome a massive case of writer's block, the audience sees four figments of his imagination play out the opening scene of his next murder mystery. He—and they—are interrupted by the arrival of his neighbor, Loni, with whom Rick is secretly, and helplessly, in love. As Loni tells Rick about Matt, the man she is dating, and his attempts to speed the relationship toward the bedroom, the writer imagines the man as an eight-armed, human spider. Rick also conjures up doubles for himself and Loni, saying to each other the words he'd like them to exchange. The source of Rick's trouble with women, his domineering mother, arrives on the scene (along with her imagined double) carrying a burial urn with Mr. Jacobs' ashes inside. Pop pops in and out of Rick's thoughts (wearing a lifesize urn) to comment on his life with Mama and on the hereafter. Even the image of Rick's former ladylove, Sarah, comes around to encourage him to cut the old apron strings. As Rick's thoughts bounce between his frustrating love life and his play, the real people and the figments of Rick's imagination clash riotously with the fictional characters in his play. They enact their scenes tipsy when Rick has one too many, hung over like Rick the morning after, and even act out the scene as Mama would write it. If you've ever wondered what goes through a playwright's mind, this farcical comedy reveals all—hilariously.
Notes
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Details
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Status
In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code F20000
- Cast Size 14
- Min. Royalty Rate $90/perf
- Cost $10.95
- Approx. Run Time 100 min
Categories
- Target Audience High School | College and Adult
- Performing Group High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre
- Genre Comedy
- ISBN(13) 9780871295859
Customer Reviews
- "Fun play and lots of lively characters. I would recommend for any high school. We had lots of fun."
- Review by Shilind Wheaton, Murrieta Valley HS, Murrieta, Calif.
- "Our cast and crew had an AMAZING time working on this show. The audience loved it and we drew twice as many people as we did last year for our fall show. I would recommend anyone to do this who loves to laugh and do comedy."
- Review by Brian Ketcham, Keller High, Fort Worth, Texas
- "Figments is very funny, romantic comedy. The script carries the show with very creative wit. Figments offers both the audience and performers an evening of laughs and fun."
- Review by John Van Nest, Rockford East High School, Rockford, IL
- "A fast-paced, rollicking comedy about a playwright suffering from writer's block. Great, funny roles for both older and younger performers. A script that kept us laughing all through rehearsals and was a total audience pleaser. More Billy St. John plays, please!"
- Review by Jeff Zimmer, Elate, North Hollywood, CA
- "WHAT FUN! 22 years of directing and this was one of my favorites. We had a blast and got only positive feedback. I wish you could have seen it."
- Review by Donna Matney, Burleson High School, Burleson, Texas
- "This play was chosen unanimously by my theatre arts class at Gouverneur High School. We had a wonderful time getting the show ready for performance. After the show, it was said that no audience had laughed harder at a show in the 30 years we have been doing shows!"
- Review by Carol Amberg, Gouverneur High School, Gouverneur, N.Y.
- "This show is so much fun! My actors loved working on it and the audiences laughed hysterically."
- Review by Cyndi LeDoux, Henry E. Lackey High School, Indian Head, Md.
- "Figments is ideal for a company that can handle fast-paced action, tight dialogue and vocal variety, since several scenes are played several times onstage. All of the figments of Rick's imagination make this play a hilarious visual comedy. The more "extreme" the acting choices by the cast, the more fun the audience will have."
- Review by Julia Worthington, Western Hills High School, Fort Worth, Texas
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
- "I used unfired Urns and had Loni 2 smash a baseball bat into it as Loni 1 held the Urn.
Pops costume was made out of Foam.
We set it in the 1990s, which was fun.
" - Tip by Brain Ketcham, Keller High, Fort Worth, Texas
- "Establish the invisibility of the characters and doubles clearly and early."
- Tip by Carol Amberg, Gouverneur High School, Gouverneur, N.Y.
Gallery
Emmanuel Lutheran Actors Theatre Ensemble, N. Hollywood, CA
Lackey High School, Indian Head, MD
