The True
by Sharr White

Name: The True
Brand: Sharr White
SKU: 9780822239987
Rating: 3.33 (3 reviews)

Off-Broadway

Highlights

Female

Male

105 mins 1970s Strong Role for Leading Woman (Star Vehicle) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes

Synopsis

When it comes to Polly Noonan, there’s no fine line between the political and personal.

For her, it’s only personal.

Especially now that her hero, “mayor for life” Erastus Corning, is in a pitched battle for control of the Albany Democratic Party.

The True explores the bounds of love, loyalty and female power in the male-dominated world of 1977 machine politics.

Sharr White’s sharp exploration of the force and fury needed to survive in the dog-eat-dog world of politics presents a female trailblazer who strove to redefine the boundaries of power.

Press Reviews

"A damn good time. One of the themes Mr. White tries to pull from the historical record is the way a powerful woman like Polly was forced in those days, and perhaps even in our own, to operate within narrow tolerances for female behavior… The True is riveting."
— The New York Times

"In his laser-focused view, White shows us exactly how machine politics works without taking a moral position on the patronage system on which it’s based. Anyone who has ever been involved in a political campaign should find this play enthralling."
— Variety

"White’s stage version of Noonan [has] got smarts to spare, energy to burn, and that specific combination of verbal acrobatics and intriguing inner life that’s catnip to actors. White’s dialogue is audibly fun to speak and often peppered with political observations that feel meaty and real."
— New York Magazine

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Peter Noonan Married to Polly. Measured where Polly is passionate, reserved where Polly is bellicose, Peter is as much Polly’s foil as he is her anchor and her support system. More often than not, Peter finds himself bemused witness to the passionate friendship between Polly and Erastus.	female	—	Married to Polly. Measured where Polly is passionate, reserved where Polly is bellicose, Peter is as much Polly’s foil as he is her anchor and her support system. More often than not, Peter finds himself bemused witness to the passionate friendship between Polly and Erastus.
Erastus Corning Ii Mayor of Albany, New York. Married to Betty Corning. Mannered, erudite, charming and deeply reserved emotionally, Erastus has a profound affinity for Polly, his polar opposite. Ailing physically and besieged politically, Erastus is the alpha wolf sensing his pack beginning to turn on him.	male	—	Mayor of Albany, New York. Married to Betty Corning. Mannered, erudite, charming and deeply reserved emotionally, Erastus has a profound affinity for Polly, his polar opposite. Ailing physically and besieged politically, Erastus is the alpha wolf sensing his pack beginning to turn on him.
Howard C. “Howie” Nolan A popular state senator, Howie has been bristling for years at the corruption of the Democratic Party machine, and Erastus’ edicts meant to contain the young politician’s rise. Handsome, young, wealthy and possessing a well of integrity, Howie’s threat to Erastus’ power has suddenly become all too real.	—	—	A popular state senator, Howie has been bristling for years at the corruption of the Democratic Party machine, and Erastus’ edicts meant to contain the young politician’s rise. Handsome, young, wealthy and possessing a well of integrity, Howie’s threat to Erastus’ power has suddenly become all too real.
Charlie Ryan Brusque, tough, intelligent and resentful of Erastus’ stranglehold on Albany machine politics, Charlie has long sought an opening to challenge Erastus, and now has it with the death of Dan O’Connell, Erastus’ patron and the chairman of the Democratic Party in Albany.	—	—	Brusque, tough, intelligent and resentful of Erastus’ stranglehold on Albany machine politics, Charlie has long sought an opening to challenge Erastus, and now has it with the death of Dan O’Connell, Erastus’ patron and the chairman of the Democratic Party in Albany.
Bill Mccormick 27. A young colleague of Polly’s.	—	27	27. A young colleague of Polly’s.
Betty Corning The intensely private wife of Erastus Corning. (No dialogue.)	female	—	The intensely private wife of Erastus Corning. (No dialogue.)
Dorothea “Polly” Noonan The ultimate loyalist, Polly is charming, vociferous, cajoling, foulmouthed and pugnacious. Sexy in her youth, and always a force to reckoned with, she is single-minded in her drive to support Erastus and his endeavors.	female	—	The ultimate loyalist, Polly is charming, vociferous, cajoling, foulmouthed and pugnacious. Sexy in her youth, and always a force to reckoned with, she is single-minded in her drive to support Erastus and his endeavors.