Girl Talk
by Dori Appel, Carolyn L. Myers

Name: Girl Talk
Brand: Dori Appel
SKU: 9780573693274
Rating: 3.83 (7 reviews)

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

105 mins Present Day All Women Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American Comedy

Why we like it

"'Girl Talk' by Dori Appel and Carolyn Myers celebrates the candid and often humorous conversations that define female friendships, highlighting the power of shared experiences."

From: Plays Centered on Friendship

Synopsis

Seven funny and often poignant scenes provide a fast moving comedy about women's friendships.

It begins with twelve-year-old girls separated by puberty and ends with octogenarian socialists plotting their escape froma convalescent home.

Also included are bosom buddies in their mid thirties confronting the biological clok, a woman, in her late forties exploring the impact of her closets friendships over more than two decards, and a jilted wife's discovery that she misses her husband less than the best friend he abandoned her for.

Two historical scenes involve a little known incident in the friendship of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas and two turn of the century Philadelphia ladies who risk adventure in the wild west.

This play is replete with the lively monologue and scene material, and it can be staged very simply.

Press Reviews

"Women friends at differerent periods in their lives— from young adolescence to mid-adulthood to old age, with each step as hilarious, invigorating and touching as the last."
— Mills College, Oakland, California

"For women a journey of recognition, for men a journey of discovery."
— Daily Tidings , Ashland, Oregon

"Funny and powerful."
— Southern Oregon University. Ashland, Oregon

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Georgie Jenny's best friend, also twelve. She appears younger than Jenny, and is somewhat tomboyish in manner. She is conspicuously less than delighted by Jenny's important news.	female	—	Jenny's best friend, also twelve. She appears younger than Jenny, and is somewhat tomboyish in manner. She is conspicuously less than delighted by Jenny's important news.
Grace a slightly disheveled, agitated, well-read feminist, around thrity years-old. She has a sense of humor.	female	—	a slightly disheveled, agitated, well-read feminist, around thrity years-old. She has a sense of humor.
Mabel Reed an unmarried Philadelphia lady, about twenty-four years-old. Mabel is sturdy, adventurous, and chaffing at the bond which she feels Philadelphia society places upon her.	female	—	an unmarried Philadelphia lady, about twenty-four years-old. Mabel is sturdy, adventurous, and chaffing at the bond which she feels Philadelphia society places upon her.
Mary Endicott Arnold Mabel's best friend, also in her mid-twenties. Mary is a young society matron. She is a wife, a mother of young children, an artist, and an embracer of life, both past and present.	female	—	Mabel's best friend, also in her mid-twenties. Mary is a young society matron. She is a wife, a mother of young children, an artist, and an embracer of life, both past and present.
Judy a woman thirty-six years-old. She seems depressed and has a "space-y," distracted manner. She is given to self dramatizing and fanciful imagery.	female	—	a woman thirty-six years-old. She seems depressed and has a "space-y," distracted manner. She is given to self dramatizing and fanciful imagery.
Liz Judy's best friend, a little older. She is sensible and practical in manner, and obviously used to being Judy's helpful support, though we can imagine their roles being reversed on another day.	female	—	Judy's best friend, a little older. She is sensible and practical in manner, and obviously used to being Judy's helpful support, though we can imagine their roles being reversed on another day.
Leila A woman almost forty-seven years-old. She is graceful, intelligent, and humorous, and her present concerns should be presented as an unusual disruption to a generally confident and secure sense of self.	female	—	A woman almost forty-seven years-old. She is graceful, intelligent, and humorous, and her present concerns should be presented as an unusual disruption to a generally confident and secure sense of self.
Alice B. Toklas also in her sixties. She is considerably smaller in stature than Gertrude, somewhat fussy, quietly vigilant, and has a slightly acerbic wit. She clearly adores Gertrude.	female	—	also in her sixties. She is considerably smaller in stature than Gertrude, somewhat fussy, quietly vigilant, and has a slightly acerbic wit. She clearly adores Gertrude.
Rosa Lowenstein in her eighties, a widow, and determined to achieve peaceful senility, Rose has just this very day signed into the senior home. Rosa works hard to maintain her thin veneer of sweet-little-old-ladyhood, but right beneath the surface she is a feisty, sarcastic, and clever New Yorker with decades of radical political action behind her.	female	—	in her eighties, a widow, and determined to achieve peaceful senility, Rose has just this very day signed into the senior home. Rosa works hard to maintain her thin veneer of sweet-little-old-ladyhood, but right beneath the surface she is a feisty, sarcastic, and clever New Yorker with decades of radical political action behind her.
Emma Vandevere Rosa's comrade and sometimes leader, Emma, is at least eighty, blind, a longtime widow, and always a schemer. She has been in the senior home for some time, and is very discontented. Emma combined her political views with a love of risk-taking and a ribald sense of humor.	female	—	Rosa's comrade and sometimes leader, Emma, is at least eighty, blind, a longtime widow, and always a schemer. She has been in the senior home for some time, and is very discontented. Emma combined her political views with a love of risk-taking and a ribald sense of humor.
Jenny a twelve year-old girl. She is energetic, self-absorbed, and very focused on her budding physical development.	female	—	a twelve year-old girl. She is energetic, self-absorbed, and very focused on her budding physical development.