Imaginary Friends
by Marvin Hamlisch, Craig Carnelia, Nora Ephron

Imaginary Friends Book Cover
Imaginary Friends Cover

Highlights

Present DayExpandable CastingInterior SetContemporary Costumes/Street ClothesAmerican

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award

Nominee: 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics

What readers are saying

Readers have mixed feelings about the play, with many enjoying its clever dialogue and creative staging. Some find the exploration of the relationship between two literary figures intriguing, while others are less engaged, feeling that the concept does not fully succeed. The overall reception is positive, particularly for those familiar with Ephron's work, but a few voices express disappointment in its execution or pacing.

Clever and snappy dialogueCreative stagingIntriguing concept about literary figuresPacing issues with songs

Synopsis

Although Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy probably only met once in their lives, their names will be linked forever in the history of American literary feuds: they were legendary enemies, especially after McCarthy famously announced to the world that every word Hellman wrote was a lie, "including 'and' and 'the.'" The public battle, and the legal squabbling, that ensued ended, unsatisfactorily for all, with Hellman's death.

In Imaginary Friends," Nora Ephron brilliantly and hilariously resuscitates these two bigger-than-life women to give them a post-mortem second act, and the chance to really air their differences.

Press Reviews

"Highly theatrical and engaging... The songs... add considerably to the show's entertainment value... echoing the vaudevillian brouhaha of the headline-making feud."

— Curtain Up

Characters

Character
Mary Mccarthy
The Man
Abby Kaiser
Leo
Mrs. Stillman
Beguine Dancer
Fact
Fiction
Vic
Fizzy
A Woman
Others
Lillian Hellman

Publication

PublisherSamuel French
Year2006
BindingPaperback
Pages80
PlaceNew York
LanguageEnglish
ISBN-139780573632655
ISBN-100573632650
LCCN2007541219
LCCPS3555.P5 I45 2006

Imaginary Friends is a American play written by Marvin Hamlisch and published by Samuel French in New York (2006).

Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle.

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Rating

3.5

326 ratings·31 reviews

Review

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Paperback

Samuel French · 2006 · 80 pp

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Performance Rights

Available for Licensing
Amateur Only
Fee:Licensing fees and rental materials quoted upon application.

Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)

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