Doonesbury
by Elizabeth Swados, Garry Trudeau

Name: Doonesbury
Brand: Elizabeth Swados
SKU: 9780573681080
Rating: 3 (1 reviews)

Doonesbury Book Cover — Doonesbury Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins 1980s Ensemble Cast Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award

Nominee: Four 1984 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Book and Lyrics

Synopsis

Zonker, Mike Doonesbury, J.J., Boopsie, B.D. and Joanie are all present and happily accounted for in this delightful romp of a show based on Garry Trudeau’s famous comic strip.

While they try to make it through commencement, the Walden crowd must fend off Zonker’s Uncle Duke, who wants to bulldoze their off-campus house and replace it with condos.

Mike Doonesbury steadfastly pursues the feisty and lovely J.J. while J.J. tries to come to terms with her long-lost mother, Joanie Caucus.

Press Reviews

"The qualities that have made Garry Trudeau’s comic strip Doonesbury a national treasure are all present. You'll hear the offhand dialogue that snares the self-contradictions of college kids of the 60s. You'll find sly political jokes. Best of all, you’ll notice that the tone of Mr. Trudeau’s work is intact."
— The New York Times

"A larkish lampoon of an entertainment, sometimes sweet and often very funny. The score ranges from rock and calypso to tender ballad and boogie woogie – a lively assortment of solos, duets and ensembles."
— Christian Science Monitor

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
ROLAND	—	—	—
MIKE DOONESBURY	—	—	—
MARK	—	—	—
B.D.	—	—	—
BOOPSIE	—	—	—
ZONKER	—	—	—
DUKE	—	—	—
HONEY	—	—	—
J.J.	—	—	—
JOANIE	—	—	—
PROVOST	—	—	—
MIKE is Walden’s Everyman, revered for his abiding sense of decency and ridiculed for his awesome social gracelessness by, among others, his roommate	male	—	is Walden’s Everyman, revered for his abiding sense of decency and ridiculed for his awesome social gracelessness by, among others, his roommate
MARK , an unreconstructed activist. Sensing that there was nothing wrong in Jimmy Carter’s America that hasn’t become even more deplorable in Ronald Reagan’s, Mark worries, with some justification, that graduation will place his soul in mortal peril. No such troubling thoughts cloud the perfectly placid mind of	male	—	, an unreconstructed activist. Sensing that there was nothing wrong in Jimmy Carter’s America that hasn’t become even more deplorable in Ronald Reagan’s, Mark worries, with some justification, that graduation will place his soul in mortal peril. No such troubling thoughts cloud the perfectly placid mind of
B.D. , a minor gridiron legend who takes life entirely on face value, thereby failing to comprehend most of what is uttered by his nemesis,	male	—	, a minor gridiron legend who takes life entirely on face value, thereby failing to comprehend most of what is uttered by his nemesis,
ZONKER . Zonker is Walden’s Peter Pan, which is to say, he refuses to grow up and he doesn’t spend a lot of time on terra firma. He is, however, the very picture of normalcy when compared to his uncle,	male	—	. Zonker is Walden’s Peter Pan, which is to say, he refuses to grow up and he doesn’t spend a lot of time on terra firma. He is, however, the very picture of normalcy when compared to his uncle,
DUKE , Doonesbury’s High Lord of Inner Space. Duke’s numerous schemes of self-aggrandizement are usually sabotaged by his own overreaching, and the only person standing between him and permanent incarceration is his devoted Gal Friday,	male	—	, Doonesbury’s High Lord of Inner Space. Duke’s numerous schemes of self-aggrandizement are usually sabotaged by his own overreaching, and the only person standing between him and permanent incarceration is his devoted Gal Friday,
HONEY . Formerly Duke’s translator during his tenure as Ambassador to China, Honey has surrendered herself, mind and body, to the thankless task of protecting her imagined paramour from himself. Another mitigating presence on the scene is Walden Commune’s erstwhile den mother,	female	—	. Formerly Duke’s translator during his tenure as Ambassador to China, Honey has surrendered herself, mind and body, to the thankless task of protecting her imagined paramour from himself. Another mitigating presence on the scene is Walden Commune’s erstwhile den mother,
JOANIE , a veteran of the feminist wars and mother of the bitter and willful	female	—	, a veteran of the feminist wars and mother of the bitter and willful
J.J. Mike’s intended fiancée, J.J. is as complicated as B.D.’s girlfriend	female	—	Mike’s intended fiancée, J.J. is as complicated as B.D.’s girlfriend
BOOPSIE is simple. Neither woman faces the future with a surplus of talent, but the Divine Miss B has the advantage of a boundless faith in the star system. On hand to record all of the above goings-on is the supercilious	female	—	is simple. Neither woman faces the future with a surplus of talent, but the Divine Miss B has the advantage of a boundless faith in the star system. On hand to record all of the above goings-on is the supercilious
ROLAND , a correspondent for ABC Wide World of News. A man of many talents, none of them of any use to a journalist, Roland nonetheless creates suspense every time he goes on the air.	male	—	, a correspondent for ABC Wide World of News. A man of many talents, none of them of any use to a journalist, Roland nonetheless creates suspense every time he goes on the air.