Thinner Than Water
by Melissa Ross

Thinner Than Water Book Cover
Thinner Than Water Cover

Highlights

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

Synopsis

When their father Martin falls ill, three estranged half-siblings reunite.

As the world around them crumbles, they argue with each other and with everyone around them in a desperate struggle to do the right thing and mend their rapidly deteriorating lives.

Renee, the eldest child, is a married mother of two, filled with resentment at being the child always called upon first; her younger sister Cassie is a mess and cannot hold down a job – and caught between them both is Gary, who lives in his mother’s garage.

Thinner Than Water is a blood-raw, wicked comedy-drama about fighting through the thick and thin of family.

Press Reviews

"Engaging… intelligently wrought… Shrewdly sidestepping the bog of exposition and instead allowing the audience to connect the dots of her characters’ collective history, Ms. Ross opens midargument… the writing is pithy yet sensitive… In her debut, Ms. Ross shows a deft balance of generosity and toughness toward her characters, tempering the raw moments with humor."

— The New York Times

"Throbs with the messiness of life. All of the characters, even the minor ones, feel vividly real, while the dialogue is acidly funny… surprisingly cathartic."

— The New York Post

"Unstinting, sometimes funny, yet pervasively melancholy… what makes Thinner Than Water so compelling is the unflagging accuracy of the many confrontations that make up its story… To her great credit, in the last few minutes Ross first makes you think she is going to reconcile all these lives, cable-drama style, only to throw us a loop. Whether it’s a sunny interval or just a continuation of the downpour of life remains an open question."

— The Chicago Tribune

Characters

Character
Gary

Mid-thirties. Martin’s only son.

Cassie

Late twenties. Martin’s youngest child.

Gwen

Early fifties. Quite possibly Martin’s true love. The Others

Angela

Mid-twenties. A really great mom of a really great kid.

Henry

Mid-thirties. Cassie’s boyfriend.

Benjy

Mid-twenties. Gary’s coworker.

Mark

Mid-forties. Renee’s husband.

Renee

Early forties. Martin’s oldest daughter.

Publication

ISBN-13 9780822232193
ISBN-10 0822232197

Thinner Than Water is a comedy play written by Melissa Ross and published by Dramatists Play Service .

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Rating

3.5

6 ratings · 9 reviews

Review

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Performance Rights

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

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

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