You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!
by Keiko Green

Name: You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!
Brand: Keiko Green
SKU: 9780573712241

You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! Cover

You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! Book Cover — You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World! Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

105 mins Present Day Ensemble Cast Role(s) for Non-Binary Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

M has always had a complicated relationship with their parents.

When Greg gets a terminal diagnosis, their small family feels the pressure of time running out.

Greg wants to expand his world and commits the rest of his life to fighting climate change, while his wife Viv wants nothing more than to savor every last minute together.

Meanwhile M, our emcee, searches desperately to find meaning in the chaos of their final year with their dad.

In this theatrical spectacle, M serves as a metatheatrical narrator, using the joy of dance and theatre to explore themes of grief, dying and our connection to the Earth.

After all, the world’s too big not to be kind of magical.

Press Reviews

"An inventive and head-tripping odyssey into environmental collapse, family trauma and impending death."
— Stage Raw

"This isn’t a slow descent into darkness – it’s a chaotic, shimmering freefall. The apocalypse is coming, and M, our sparkly emcee and emotional tether, is here to narrate, provoke and make sure we don’t look away… If the world really is ending, this might be the best last party you’ll ever crash."
— Stage and Cinema

"The play admirably intertwines themes of mortality, human kindness, our world’s continuing environmental crisis and loving but fractured familial bonds, delivered via a winning blend of humor, heart, and poignancy."
— BroadwayWorld Los Angeles

"Cordially may sound grim, but it’s surprisingly bouncy… Playwright Keiko Green invites audiences to party like it’s the apocalypse."
— Los Angeles Times

"[This play] shows us how wonderfully beautiful and complex this world can be with a modern visual feast that resembles an unhinged sitcom with lots and lots of facts and emotions, too."
— The Orange Curtain Review

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
GREG He/him, 40s-50s. M’s father. The earth. Clumsily making his way through this world. A terminal diagnosis brings out a complicated core of wants and desires and regrets. He’s been stuck in an office with fluorescent lights overhead and has never felt much of a purpose... until now.	male	40s	He/him, 40s-50s. M’s father. The earth. Clumsily making his way through this world. A terminal diagnosis brings out a complicated core of wants and desires and regrets. He’s been stuck in an office with fluorescent lights overhead and has never felt much of a purpose... until now.
VIV She/her, 40s-50s. M’s mother. The space between. Slightly neurotic and easy to get riled up, she wants with all her might to spend her last days with Greg, alone in a bed with M by their side. A bit of “I’d like to speak to the manager” energy. A bit of a ferocious tornado, ready to protect her family, wondering how the fuck she can fix this.	female	40s	She/her, 40s-50s. M’s mother. The space between. Slightly neurotic and easy to get riled up, she wants with all her might to spend her last days with Greg, alone in a bed with M by their side. A bit of “I’d like to speak to the manager” energy. A bit of a ferocious tornado, ready to protect her family, wondering how the fuck she can fix this.
LILA & OTHERS She/her, 20s-30s. Viv’s younger sister, a high-maintenance yoga gal, the center of her own universe. But she’s ride-or-die for family and can be a surprisingly great listener. Also plays:	female	20s	She/her, 20s-30s. Viv’s younger sister, a high-maintenance yoga gal, the center of her own universe. But she’s ride-or-die for family and can be a surprisingly great listener. Also plays:
GRETA Part-Greta Thunberg, part-Peter Pan, part-screaming-teenage-girl-at-a-Taylor-Swift-concert, part-Angel of Death; as well as	—	—	Part-Greta Thunberg, part-Peter Pan, part-screaming-teenage-girl-at-a-Taylor-Swift-concert, part-Angel of Death; as well as
GROCERY CLERK ,	—	—	,
SHELLY ,	—	—	,
KATHY and	—	—	and
ENSEMBLE A .	—	—	.
WILL & OTHERS He/him, 20s-30s. Good-natured and well-meaning but uncomfortable in social situations and too smart for his own good. M’s boyfriend. Also plays:	male	20s	He/him, 20s-30s. Good-natured and well-meaning but uncomfortable in social situations and too smart for his own good. M’s boyfriend. Also plays:
TV NARRATOR ,	—	—	,
FRANK ,	—	—	,
KEV ,	—	—	,
ARMY GUY ,	—	—	,
MELOMYS and	—	—	and
ENSEMBLE B.	—	—	—
JANET & OTHERS She/her, 60s. Dealing with her wife’s cancer diagnosis by at times lashing out, at times being the best older sister you could ever hope for. Blue collar. Also plays:	female	60s	She/her, 60s. Dealing with her wife’s cancer diagnosis by at times lashing out, at times being the best older sister you could ever hope for. Blue collar. Also plays:
DR. THOMAS Greg’s doctor with a near-robotic, perhaps excessively cold bedside manner;	male	—	Greg’s doctor with a near-robotic, perhaps excessively cold bedside manner;
TOAD A now extinct Golden Toad, a kind of washed-up rock star and quick to sob; as well as	—	—	A now extinct Golden Toad, a kind of washed-up rock star and quick to sob; as well as
DOORDASH GAL ,	—	—	,
SUZIE and	—	—	and
ENSEMBLE C .	—	—	.