Men of Tortuga
by Jason Wells

Name: Men of Tortuga
Brand: Jason Wells
SKU: 9780573696480
Rating: 4.14 (7 reviews)

Men of Tortuga Book Cover — Men of Tortuga Cover

Highlights

Male

90 mins Present Day All Men Bare Stage/Simple Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

Four men conspire to defeat a despised opponent by firing a missile into a crowded conference room on the day of an important meeting.

Maxwell, a hero of the old guard, volunteers to sacrifice himself for the plan.

Then Maxwell meets Fletcher, an idealist with a "Compromise Proposal" designed to resolve all conflicts.

Maxwell regards the Compromise as hopeless, but he develops a liking for Fletcher - a distressing fact when Maxwell learns that, if the conspiracy proceeds, young Fletcher will be among the dead.

As the scheme spins wildly into complication, the plotters descend into suspicion, bloodlust, and raucous infighting; while Fletcher is drawn, inexorably, into the lions' den.

Press Reviews

"Jason Wells isn't giving everything away in his captivating new play Men of Tortuga. In addressing some serious contemporary issues, he creates a scenario where the audience has only a rough idea of what's going on. And that's just about the way it should be. In a crackling world premiere at the Asolo Repertory Theater, Wells tells a story of corporate greed, power, surveillance and the secrecy that increasingly pervades our daily lives. Wells and the Asolo cast grab the audience from the start...The play pulses with energy..."
— Variety

"...Gripping...You'll be hearing more about Men of Tortuga, a blistering new play about corporate and government malfeasance from a Chicago actor named Jason Wells (who turned in the best piece of writing all year from a playwright.)...On one level, Jason Wells' elliptical drama Men of Tortuga is a genre-based thriller a la James Bond or Quentin Tarantino. But Wells is sufficiently skilled to dig deeper than that....taut sophistication...It’s a thriller and it’s thrilling."
— Chicago Tribune

"...a highly original work...some of the sharpest humor you will see this season...both entertaining and thought-provoking....a must-see."
— Chicagocritic.com

"...distinguishing itself from its genre [not just] by the author's concise skewering of fundamentally humane civil servants' progress from metaphorical warfare to primitive tribalism, but also through his clever employment of stichomythic dialogue delivered at Mametian warp-speed."
— Windy City Times

"...the testosterone-rich quintet ripping apart the stage (literally) in Men of Tortuga makes the lads of Glengarry Glen Ross look like delicate hothouse flowers...brutally hilarious thriller...this twisted tale escalates to deliriously wonderful heights of violence and absurdity....Wells parcels out the story sparingly, keeping the audience on a need-to-know basis. It's a method that works perfectly in creating an environment that's at once profoundly ominous and patently ridiculous."
— Examiner.com

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Taggart 40s. Self-taught military scholar. His self-confidence and sense of authority are convincing for a while, but may not withstand scrutiny.	male	40s	40s. Self-taught military scholar. His self-confidence and sense of authority are convincing for a while, but may not withstand scrutiny.
Jeff Kling 45-55. Aggressive and excitable, sure, but it's worked for him so far.	—	45-55	45-55. Aggressive and excitable, sure, but it's worked for him so far.
Kit Maxwell 70s. A stern, old-fashioned aristocrat. A long, cynical life has made him sullen and insular.	—	70s	70s. A stern, old-fashioned aristocrat. A long, cynical life has made him sullen and insular.
Allan Fletcher 25-35. Smart, dedicated, and very polite. But then, he's selling something.	—	25-35	25-35. Smart, dedicated, and very polite. But then, he's selling something.
Tom Avery 50s or 60s. Subscribes to a benign, somewhat detached managerial style; but may have hidden reserves of ferocity.	—	50s	50s or 60s. Subscribes to a benign, somewhat detached managerial style; but may have hidden reserves of ferocity.