About Alice
by Charles Laurence

Name: About Alice
Brand: Charles Laurence
SKU: 9780573626326
Rating: 3 (2 reviews)

About Alice Book Cover — About Alice Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

120 minsExpandable CastingAmerican

What readers are saying

Readers enjoy the engaging and relevant discussions around sex in the play, appreciating the candidness between older characters. The plot's development helps to contextualize these discussions, leading to a refreshing experience overall.

Engaging discussions on sexualityCandid portrayal of older charactersInitial gratuity in character dialogues

Synopsis

Genre: Drama Characters: 2 males and 2 females Scenery : Interior Alice Hogan the widow and favorite model of renowned American sculptor Matthew Hogan is having a bad birthday.

In London she has attended her best friend's funeral with Ned an old friend who is critical of the way she devoted her life to her husband's genius.

To make matters worse she has to deal with Peggy the manipulative representative of an American publisher interested in compiling a biography of the famous sculptor and a delightful hustler from New York.

Peggy has a hidden agenda; she maneuvers Alice into revealing secrets from her younger days.

Ned who is left to pick up the pieces of a shattered Alice is driven to indulge his own insatiable curiosity.

Peggy and Alice realize that facing the future will require some fundamental adjustments.

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
MORRIS BRUMMELL 30s-40s; fairly well built; a man of physical strength who hasn’t quite figured out how to use it to his advantage. Although he is far from being classically handsome, Morris’ looks are appealing and he possesses a warm, inviting smile and “mensch”-like presence. Even though he lives with his mother, he should not be a typical “mama’s boy.” Kit unleashes a darker, more ambitious side to Morris’ personality, but one should be careful not to go too far: after all, Morris is the hero of the show.	female	30s	30s-40s; fairly well built; a man of physical strength who hasn’t quite figured out how to use it to his advantage. Although he is far from being classically handsome, Morris’ looks are appealing and he possesses a warm, inviting smile and “mensch”-like presence. Even though he lives with his mother, he should not be a typical “mama’s boy.” Kit unleashes a darker, more ambitious side to Morris’ personality, but one should be careful not to go too far: after all, Morris is the hero of the show.
CHRISTOPHER “KIT” GILL 30s-40s; Kit is athletic and agile with exceptionally strong hands. His youthful, almost angelic face masks his demonic tendencies. For Kit, murder is the ultimate performance and not a gruesome exercise. An actor oozing with charm is essential if the audience is to be seduced along with his victims. Kit is all about style and panache - like John Barrymore. Everything he knows about life is as a result of watching theatre. His performance should demonstrate he is a musical comedy performer gone awry.	male	30s	30s-40s; Kit is athletic and agile with exceptionally strong hands. His youthful, almost angelic face masks his demonic tendencies. For Kit, murder is the ultimate performance and not a gruesome exercise. An actor oozing with charm is essential if the audience is to be seduced along with his victims. Kit is all about style and panache - like John Barrymore. Everything he knows about life is as a result of watching theatre. His performance should demonstrate he is a musical comedy performer gone awry.
SARAH STONE 30s; svelte; attractive; sunny; funny; sophisticated. She is a modern-day Carole Lombard. Sarah, on the surface, has led a “charmed” existence, but on closer examination one can read the painful lessons of the past.	female	30s	30s; svelte; attractive; sunny; funny; sophisticated. She is a modern-day Carole Lombard. Sarah, on the surface, has led a “charmed” existence, but on closer examination one can read the painful lessons of the past.
FLORA BRUMMELL/VICTIMS (ALEXANDRA GILL, CARMELLA, SADIE, MRS. SULLIVAN) More than sharing an obvious physical resemblance, these women are all mature, strong and maternal. Yet in the case of Flora and Alexandra, their “maternal” instincts are sometimes questionable. Alexandra is guilty of giving Kit too little love (the theatre is her one and only love), while Flora is guilty of lavishing too much attention on Morris. Both women at times belittle their sons, robbing them of their pride and self-confidence. Flora does this for self-preservation: if Morris continues to depend on her, she will never be alone. (The actress playing these roles need not be mature as long as she is able to project maturity.) This role has been successfully divided into two roles in both United Kingdom productions: One actress plays FLORA and the other portrays ALEXANDRA and the three victims.	female	—	More than sharing an obvious physical resemblance, these women are all mature, strong and maternal. Yet in the case of Flora and Alexandra, their “maternal” instincts are sometimes questionable. Alexandra is guilty of giving Kit too little love (the theatre is her one and only love), while Flora is guilty of lavishing too much attention on Morris. Both women at times belittle their sons, robbing them of their pride and self-confidence. Flora does this for self-preservation: if Morris continues to depend on her, she will never be alone. (The actress playing these roles need not be mature as long as she is able to project maturity.) This role has been successfully divided into two roles in both United Kingdom productions: One actress plays FLORA and the other portrays ALEXANDRA and the three victims.