flp91: Sibling Rivalry by Jim Gustavson
Scroll down for the synopsis and cast of characters
Summary Performance History
None
None
Genre
Adult Comedy
Adult Comedy
Script Notes
Synopsis
Redmond Hunter and wife Amanda Hawkins are both best seller authors. He writes crime novels and she is the "Queen of Romance Writers." They face a dilemma however. As they create characters for their novels the characters literally "come to life and live with Redmond and Amanda" until the book is published. Upon publication the characters move out to reside in the minds of the readers. Redmond’s characters have been marooned at their home in a sort of literary purgatory while his attention has been diverted with a series of short stories. Meanwhile Amanda’s characters cause envy and friction as they come and go with her quickly completing book after book. Since Redmond and Amanda write in different genres the characters are polar opposites. Consequently everyone lives in a strained but generally congenial co-existence.However, all that is about to change when Amanda steps away from romance to venture into crime writing. Her first mystery novel is about two young women in the Witness Relocation Program hiding from the mob. Unfortunately it gets stalled when Amanda runs out of ideas. At that point Redmond’s characters come to her rescue with their knowledge of the criminal world.
The Cast List
- Redmond Hunter
- Late forties/early fifties. Best selling mystery/crime writer
- Amanda Hawkins-Hunter
- Late twenties/early thirties. Best selling romance writer
- Dutch Van Dyke
- Around 40. Hard boiled Private Eye. Always in wide-brim hat, slacks with suspenders, wrinkled white shirt with his tie eschew and a shoulder holster.
- Gino Rotelli
- Thirties. Hyper-active clueless mobster. Always in an ill-fitting suit and tie
- Pomeroy Smith
- Fifties... Rotund, pompous lawyer. Always meticulously dressed
- Sheriff Barlow
- Fifties. In western garb with Stetson, badge, boots and gun in holster
- Becky
- Barlow’s daughter. Teen. In jeans, boots, Stetson, flannel shirt, and gun in holster
- Maddie
- Barlow’s niece. Teen. In jeans, boots, Stetson, flannel shirt, and gun in holster.
- Fran Dinkler (Act one)/Julie Hatfield (Act Two).
- Earlier twenties. Fran is plain and mousy. Julie is beautiful and fashionable
- Ellie Stonesypher (Act one)/ Rikki Taylor (Act Two)
- Earlier twenties. Ellie is cheap and sleazy. Rikki is beautiful and fashionable.
- Oliver Wessel
- Forties... By-The-Book FBI agent on loan to the U.S. Marshal’s office. Very up-tight and formal. Always in a suit.
- Knuckles Malone
- Any age... Mob Kingpin, Capo dei capi -Boss of Bosses”
- Small Parts (Most can be doubled)
- David
- Twenties, handsome
- Desiree
- Twenties... Beautiful
- Rob
- Twenties, handsome (Could double with David)
- Hilma and Hilder Folkerson
- Elderly sisters. Kind of ditzy/flighty
- Historical Characters (Walk Ons) –
- Note: All of these characters can be the same actors because each group is on the stage alone and there is plenty of time for costume changes.
- Dough boys
- Any age can be one, two or three... WWI uniforms
- Gertrude the nurse
- Twenties. WWI Nurse Uniform. Attractive. A German Spy/Assassin
- Minute Men
- Any age. Two or three in Colonial costumes with muskets
- Michelangelo
- Twenties. Handsome in paint covered Renaissance clothes
- Leonardo DaVinci
- Elderly with long white hair and beard in paint covered Renaissance clothes
- Pirate One
- Any age. In pirate attire
- Pirate Two
- Any age. In pirate attire
