Close Ties
by Elizabeth Diggs

Name: Close Ties
Brand: Elizabeth Diggs
SKU: 9780822202202
Rating: 2 (1 reviews)

Off-Broadway

Close Ties Book Cover — Close Ties Cover

Highlights

Medium Cast

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Role(s) for Teen(s) Role(s) for Senior Actor(s) Interior Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American

Synopsis

THE STORY: The scene is a country home in the Berkshire Mountains of New England, where three generations of the Whitaker/Frye family have gathered for the summer.

Josephine Whitaker, the matriarch of the family, still bustles about energetically t

Press Reviews

"Not only is the dialogue believable, it is immensely energetic. The substance of the play is serious, yet marvelously funny touches give the characters individuality and depth."
— The Bulletin

"Playwright Elizabeth Diggs treads familiar ground in her family drama Close Ties, including the problem of what to do with a failing aged parent, mother-daughter animosity and simmering sibling jealousies. But she populates her play with well-drawn characters and writes about them with palpable sympathy."
— Backstage

"This is really two plays rolled into one: first it’s a very timely problem play about dealing with a beloved family member’s rapidly escalating Alzheimer’s. It’s also a variation of the much done plot device that brings children now living their own lives back to the family vacation home long enough for everyone to unpack not just happy memories but long-simmering resentments."
— CurtainUp

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Bess Whitaker Frye Her daughter, mother of four, in her early 50s.	female	50s	Her daughter, mother of four, in her early 50s.
Watson Frye Bess's husband, a senior partner in a distinguished law firm.	male	—	Bess's husband, a senior partner in a distinguished law firm.
Anna Oldest of the four Frye children, age 30, married and lives in New York with her husband Clive and their two daughters.	female	—	Oldest of the four Frye children, age 30, married and lives in New York with her husband Clive and their two daughters.
Evelyn The second Frye daughter, two years younger than Anna. Divorced. A graduate student in history at Harvard.	female	—	The second Frye daughter, two years younger than Anna. Divorced. A graduate student in history at Harvard.
Connie The third Frye daughter, 23, a nursing student.	female	—	The third Frye daughter, 23, a nursing student.
Thayer The youngest child and only son, 16.	—	—	The youngest child and only son, 16.
Ira Bienstock Evelyn's friend, a graduate student in physics.	—	—	Evelyn's friend, a graduate student in physics.
Josephine Whitaker A grand dame of the old school, now 84 and widowed.	—	—	A grand dame of the old school, now 84 and widowed.