Today Is My Birthday
by Susan Soon He Stanton

Name: Today Is My Birthday
Brand: Susan Soon He Stanton
SKU: 9780573709722
Rating: 3.83 (12 reviews)

Today Is My Birthday Book Cover — Today Is My Birthday Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins Present Day Role(s) for Asian Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

Emily, a would-be writer, retreats home to O’ahu after Manhattan finally gets the best of her.

Trading one island for another doesn’t help, though, and when she stumbles into a gig as an actor on a shock-jock radio dating show, she finds herself strangely determined to turn fantasy into reality.

Told through a playful mixture of phone calls, voicemails, and live radio spots, Today Is My Birthday is a comedy about loneliness in the age of connection.

Press Reviews

"[A] charming dramedy... great humor and poetry... Abetted by depersonalizing technology, [Emily] can maintain a semblance of normal intimacy while actually shutting down. Ms. Stanton dramatizes this cleverly. Thanks to all those voice messages and quick cellphone check-ins, we never see Emily fully interact with anyone."
— The New York Times

"Unconventional... Emily's clamorous world is an apt metaphor for an age in which we're constantly hammered by the deafening racket of technology, information, and countless ringtones... the play's continuous stream of voices adds to the alienating hurly-burly of sound that gives Today Is My Birthday its resonance."
— Theatermania

"Susan Soon He Stanton’s hilarious, intricate new comedy... Today Is My Birthday is a gift. Most playwrights today get our phone-obsessed, zero-contact reality wrong, but Stanton nails it with a modernization of the epistolary play... It’s a rollicking show—you’ll laugh and laugh—but it’s bitter underneath. In call after call, Emily reaches out and fails to touch anyone at all."
— Time Out NY

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
EMILY a temp	—	—	a temp
MOM Emily’s Mother	female	—	Emily’s Mother
MRS. KOBAYASHI Receptionist	female	—	Receptionist
ALYSSA Bill Tapia’s manager	male	—	Bill Tapia’s manager
JOYCE Public radio hostess	—	—	Public radio hostess
MRS. ASUNCION Landon’s mother and editor for newspaper	female	—	Landon’s mother and editor for newspaper
DAD Emily’s Father	male	—	Emily’s Father
BILL TAPIA 103-year-old ukulele player, world’s oldest performing musician	—	10	103-year-old ukulele player, world’s oldest performing musician
KURT Artistic Director of Hawai'i Repertory Theatre	—	—	Artistic Director of Hawai'i Repertory Theatre
RICHARD Emily’s Boss	—	—	Emily’s Boss
SEBASTIAN Emily’s ex-boyfriend	—	—	Emily’s ex-boyfriend
KEONI/JONATHAN/FRANKLIN Emily’s on-air love interest	—	—	Emily’s on-air love interest
DJ LOKI FM DJ	—	—	FM DJ
GRANDPA Z Caricature grandpa performed by DJ Loki	—	—	Caricature grandpa performed by DJ Loki
DR. JOHANNNES CONNECTION German Radio Shrink performed by DJ Loki	male	—	German Radio Shrink performed by DJ Loki
LANDON Emily’s high school friend	—	—	Emily’s high school friend
AMAZINGPRESENCE83 A phone helpline volunteer	—	—	A phone helpline volunteer
MARCUS Emily’s ex-boyfriend	—	—	Emily’s ex-boyfriend
HALIMA Emily’s best friend	—	—	Emily’s best friend
DJ SOLANGE FM DJ	—	—	FM DJ
GODDESS SWEET LEILANI Advice Guru performed by DJ Solange	—	—	Advice Guru performed by DJ Solange
HOSTESS Works at Doraku Restaurant	—	—	Works at Doraku Restaurant
GENERIC FEMALE VOICE	—	—	—