Love/sick
by John Cariani
Highlights
What readers are saying
Readers appreciate the clever and interlocking vignettes in the play, enjoying its blend of dark comedy and tragedy. Many find it a suitable follow-up to 'Almost, Maine', expressing enthusiasm for potential productions and directorial opportunities.
Synopsis
Love/Sick is a one-act, nine-or-ten-play cycle about love and loss – but mostly loss.
Each play has its own arc and tells the story of a couple at a crossroads in their relationship.
Since each relationship is more advanced than the previous relationship, a larger arc emerges, and the individual plays work together to create a satisfying whole – one that chronicles the life cycle of a typical relationship from meeting through to divorce… and afterwards.
Full of imperfect lovers and dreamers, Love/Sick is an unromantic comedy for the romantic in everyone.
Press Reviews
"Whimsical romantic comedy. In the nine vignettes that make up [the] play, couples meet… or break apart or learn to love each other more.... jokes here are easygoing and snark-free."
— The New York Times
"Sometimes playwright John Cariani looks at the world – actually the worlds of love and relationships – through rose-colored glasses. Just as often he views those worlds through lenses tinted a middling-to-dark gray or maybe a jaundiced yellow… While poking fun at the happily-ever-after notion by means of a strong dose of happily-never-after, Cariani shoots his cockeyed valentines with a quiver full of funny lines. He knows how to keep audiences laughing while passing along disappointing news."
— The Huffington Post
Characters
| Character |
|---|
WOMAN and a |
MAN who fall in love at first sight. 2. The Singing Telegram An inexperienced |
SINGING TELEGRAM MAN who delivers a life-changing singing telegram to an optimistic woman, |
LOUISE OVERBEE . 3. What?!? |
BEN , a sweet guy who is surprised that he has fallen in love, and |
ANDY , the sweet guy he has fallen in love with. 4. The Answer |
KEITH and |
CELIA , a groom and bride. 5. Uh-Oh |
SARAH , a woman who wants to have some fun with her husband, |
BILL . 6. Lunch and Dinner |
KELLY and |
MARK , a successful, seemingly happily married couple. Bonus Scene: Chicken |
JASON , a man who has some doubts, and |
MADDIE , a woman who now also has some doubts. 7. Forgot |
JILL , a woman who wants more than she has, and |
KEVIN , her husband, who is happy with what he has. 8. Sick of This |
ABBIE , a hard-working stay-at-home mom, and |
LIZ , her hard-working wife. 9. Destiny |
JAKE , a recently divorced man, and |
EMILY , a recently divorced woman. |
Videos
Love/Sick – Portland Stage
Publication
Love/sick is a American comedy play written by John Cariani and published by Dramatists Play Service in New York, NY (2026).
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Performance Rights
Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)
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