

Lillian (Luce)
William Luce


Awards & Recognition
Nominee: 2003 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics
What readers are saying
Readers have mixed feelings about the play, with many enjoying its clever dialogue and creative staging. Some find the exploration of the relationship between two literary figures intriguing, while others are less engaged, feeling that the concept does not fully succeed. The overall reception is positive, particularly for those familiar with Ephron's work, but a few voices express disappointment in its execution or pacing.
Although Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy probably only met once in their lives, their names will be linked forever in the history of American literary feuds: they were legendary enemies, especially after McCarthy famously announced to the world that every word Hellman wrote was a lie, "including 'and' and 'the.'" The public battle, and the legal squabbling, that ensued ended, unsatisfactorily for all, with Hellman's death.
In Imaginary Friends," Nora Ephron brilliantly and hilariously resuscitates these two bigger-than-life women to give them a post-mortem second act, and the chance to really air their differences.
"Highly theatrical and engaging... The songs... add considerably to the show's entertainment value... echoing the vaudevillian brouhaha of the headline-making feud."
— Curtain Up
| Character |
|---|
Mary Mccarthy |
The Man |
Abby Kaiser |
Leo |
Mrs. Stillman |
Beguine Dancer |
Fact |
Fiction |
Vic |
Fizzy |
A Woman |
Others |
Lillian Hellman |
Imaginary Friends is a American play written by Marvin Hamlisch and published by Samuel French in New York (2006).
Digital editions available on Amazon Kindle.
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Paperback
Samuel French · 2006 · 80 pp
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Restrictions: Major Markets Only (US) / Standard Restriction (UK)
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