The Groundling
by Marc Palmieri

The Groundling Book Cover
The Groundling Cover

Highlights

90 mins Present Day Strong Role for Leading Man (Star Vehicle) Role(s) for Senior Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American Adaptation Comedy

Synopsis

After stumbling upon an outdoor production of a Shakespeare play in Manhattan, Long Island landscaper Bob Malone returns home inspired to write a play about his troubled marriage.

He hires two reluctant New York theatre professionals to spend a week at his home and stage the play in his garage, with a cast of colorful locals.

THE GROUNDLING is a comedy exploring the meaning of the final moments of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, and how the power of theatre can affect the most unsuspecting, and perhaps most deserving, of us all.

Press Reviews

"The Groundling is half comedy and half tragedy, half verse and half prose. Though it begins as a formulaic showbiz farce, it takes an unexpected swerve toward heartbreak… Borrowing a neat trick from Shakespeare, Palmieri tops off this saccharine comedy with a nicely bittersweet finish. Plenty of audience members were dabbing eyes with sleeves and tissues as the lights came up."

— The New York Times

"A thoroughly modern, breathlessly comical, arrestingly poignant story of a man trying desperately to make sense of love and loss… exuberant comedy with seven well-defined characters… strong writing keeps the play consistently comical when it wants to be and moving when it needs to be. At a crackling 90 minutes, the ending sneaks up on you like a pickpocket and takes the play in an unexpected direction, just as does Love’s Labour’s Lost. With gut-busting laughs and a moving story, The Groundling is one of the surprise downtown gems of the season."

— TheaterMania

"The play has a lot to say about the power of theatre to touch hearts and minds, and to give voice to feelings that cannot be expressed in any other way. The Groundling has all the markings of a solidly written romantic comedy, with plenty of heart and lots of laughs to go around. Yet, the work veers in unexpected and emotionally moving directions."

— Talkin’ Broadway

Characters

Character
Karen Malone

Late 30s

Frank

70s

Dodd

30s–50s

Victoria

Around 30

Pete

Mid-20s

Ally

Around 20

Bob Malone

40s

Publication

Year 2015
Pages 61
Language English
ISBN-13 9780822233473
ISBN-10 0822233479
LCC PS3616.A35 G76 2015

The Groundling is a American adaptation play written by Marc Palmieri and published by Dramatists Play Service (2015).

Community Reviews

No community reviews yet

Rating

4.3

9 ratings · 3 reviews

Review

Buy Play

Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur & Professional
Fee: Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Restrictions: Major Markets Plus (US) / Standard Plus Add'l Postcodes (UK)

Apply for Rights

Similar Plays

Plays with similar themes, style, and content.

More from Marc Palmieri

More plays from Marc Palmieri that we think you'll enjoy.