Synopsis
Four months ago, Jessie was a corporate lawyer with a glamorous Manhattan life. Today, she is in dirty yoga pants, covered in breast milk, trying to comfort a screaming newborn. Isolated in a sleepy Long Island suburb while her commuter husband works long hours, Jessie is desperate to talk to anyone besides Food Network. So when she spies a fellow new mom and neighbor, Lina, at the local Stop & Shop, she vaults over the cantaloupe to introduce herself. Happy to have found each other, the two moms agree to meet for coffee during naptime in the sweet spot behind their adjoining yards where both their baby monitors get reception, and a fast friendship is born. Jessie and Lina may be from vastly different financial backgrounds—Jessie is Ivy-educated and of the manor born; Lina has a night-school nursing degree and terrible credit—but they have one huge thing in common: they’ve been cracked open by the love they feel for their newborns. One coffee quickly becomes a daily coffee, as Jessie and Lina laugh through the highs and lows of motherhood. But their intimacy is punctured when a stranger who lives in the mansion up on the cliff appears in the yard, asking if they would include his wife, a new mom who is having “a hard time,” in their coffee klatch. Reluctantly, the duo tries to become a trio, but with very mixed—and surprising—results. After all, this is a town where the haves and the have-nots live in very close company; up on the cliff is Sands Point, one of the most expensive Great Gatsby-esque neighborhoods in the whole country. How could that woman possibly be having a “hard time”? A comedy with dark edges, Cry It Out takes an honest look at the absurdities of being home with a baby, the power of female friendship, the dilemma of going back to work, and the effect class has on parenthood in America.
Notes
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Details
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Status
In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code CR7000
- Cast Size 4
- Min. Royalty Rate $110/perf
- Cost $11.95
- Approx. Run Time 90 min
Categories
- Target Audience College and Adult
- Performing Group College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre | Touring Group | Dinner Theatre
- Genre Comedy | Drama
- ISBN(13) 9781619591837
Customer Reviews
- "This show was a resounding hit with our audiences, touching parents and non-parents, the comedy sneaks the gravity of the character's lives well, and proved to be a fantastic, mission-fulfilling, process. "
- Review by Zach Stolz, Woodstock Arts, Woodstock, Ga.
- "This show is incredibly well written with great roles! We were able to perform it out side easily, since the setting is a backyard. "
- Review by Sydney Parks Smith, OpenStage Theatre & Company, Fort Collins, Colo.
- "I've had this show on my short list since it was published and audiences and critics alike absolutely LOVED it! It is a beautiful piece (you'll laugh, you'll cry) and can be produced pretty simply - just make sure you have actors who can handle the wide range of emotion throughout. (And we made sure to have disclaimers about the language so no one was surprised ... )"
- Review by Carol M. Rice, Rover Dramawerks, Plano, Texas
- "The script for this show is superb. The topic is relevant, and the audience responded to the topic in a truly positive and thoughtful way. The characters come to life, and by that I mean that the dialogue provides the actors with highly accessible characters. A tremendous show, one I would gladly direct again should the opportunity present itself."
- Review by Trent Sutton, Wild Imaginings, Robinson, Texas
- "It is such a great play and so well written! We got such great feedback from our audience on how relatable it is. The characters have great arcs. It's possible to produce it with a limited budget. The costume changes for Jessie are a bit tricky."
- Review by Verena Müller
Media Reviews
“A funny story that weaves together very different but highly meaningful stories from three new mothers.” —USA Today
“Whip smart.” —USA Today
“While the voices provide different colors, they harmonize well on subjects … including the American economy and women’s choices across the country.” —USA Today
“Comic gold. … Finely written.” —LEO Weekly
“A deeply felt topical drama that takes audiences on an emotional roller-coaster ride that whipsaws through laughs, poignant tears and moments of monumental rage.” —LEO Weekly
“In the course of discussing parenthood, postpartum depression, and gender roles, the play offers some extraordinary insights that will send you out of the theater with much to ponder.” —LEO Weekly
“Tender, revealing and incisive. … Cry it Out is consistently masterful in creating characters who feel real.” —WFPL Louisville
“Presents a more comprehensive picture of the challenges and triumphs of new motherhood.” —WFPL Louisville
“It would be a mistake to label Cry it Out as a ‘chick play’ for women. This play is about broader issues buried deep in our psyches, like parental bonding and self-realization. It’s about division of labor, relationships, resentment, and the disruption that a new family member—whether baby or mother-in-law—introduces into our lives.” —KONK Life
“I liked it so much I wanted to set up a daycare in the lobby.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“A special kind of show.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“Empathetic and enjoyable ... it all rings utterly true.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“What impressed me the most about Cry it Out was how compassionately it understands how much the decisions couples make together (or single parents make for themselves) in those early weeks affect the later footprint of their lives. You just don’t fully know that at the time.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
“Often funny, but it’s a very emotional show.” — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Stage Company | Sacramento | California | 5/1/2024 | 6/2/2024 |
| Sunset Playhouse | Elm Grove | Wisconsin | 5/3/2024 | 5/5/2024 |
| Bellingham Theatre Guild | Bellingham | Washington | 6/22/2024 | 6/22/2024 |
| California State Polytechnic University Pomona | Pomona | California | 12/3/2024 | 12/5/2024 |
| Chester Theatre Group | Chester | New Jersey | 9/7/2024 | 9/22/2024 |
| Virginia Repertory Theatre | Richmond | Virginia | 5/1/2025 | 5/17/2025 |
| Cone MAn Running Black Box | Houston | Texas | 9/12/2024 | 9/28/2024 |
Gallery
Actors Theatre of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Thiasus Productions, Wien,Austria
Rover Dramawerks, Plano, TX
OpenStage Theatre & Company, Fort Collins, Co.
inD Theatre, Bainbridge Island, WA
