Radio Free Emerson
by Paul Grellong

Name: Radio Free Emerson
Brand: Paul Grellong
SKU: 9780822223665
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)

Radio Free Emerson Book Cover — Radio Free Emerson Cover

Highlights

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90 mins Unit Set/Multiple Settings

Synopsis

THE STORY: When a beloved Rhode Island radio talk-show host dies, his estranged son, Al Gregory, returns home for the funeral.

Hijacking the farewell broadcast of his father's show, Al ignites the airwaves as he begins preaching his morally questionable philosophy based on a warped reading of Ralph Waldo Emerson's “Self-Reliance.”

Al quickly develops a rabid following.

His old friend Henry Dale, an architect, is his most dedicated acolyte, while Henry's wife, Gina, the former object of Al's desire, is his reluctant producer at the station.

Henry risks both marriage and career putting Al's teachings into practice.

Soon dark and long-buried family secrets are uncovered, threatening the foundation of every relationship onstage.

Loosely based on Ibsen's The Wild Duck , RADIO FREE EMERSON examines the funny, dark and sometimes violent consequences of following desires unchecked.

Press Reviews

"Crackles with humor, insight…a sharp, funny, and telling play…if the basic setup—loose cannon in a sound booth—recalls Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio, rest assured that Grellong has created a uniquely abrasive and compelling character of his own, and one who lives in his own messy but sharply realized world.“ —Boston Globe. ”Grellong proves himself a master of the comic touch.“ —Providence Journal. ”Entertaining…brilliant…a moving and original insight into the American character.“ —Providence Phoenix. ”Quick, witty, well-paced, heavy on words-per-minute and stuffed full of black humor."
— Broadway World