Happy Birthday, Girl
Molly Ann Mullin
Today Is My Birthday
by Susan Soon He Stanton
Highlights
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 |
|---|
| EMILY a temp |
| MOM Emily’s Mother |
| MRS. KOBAYASHI Receptionist |
| ALYSSA Bill Tapia’s manager |
| JOYCE Public radio hostess |
| MRS. ASUNCION Landon’s mother and editor for newspaper |
| DAD Emily’s Father |
| BILL TAPIA 103-year-old ukulele player, world’s oldest performing musician |
| KURT Artistic Director of Hawai'i Repertory Theatre |
| RICHARD Emily’s Boss |
| SEBASTIAN Emily’s ex-boyfriend |
| KEONI/JONATHAN/FRANKLIN Emily’s on-air love interest |
| DJ LOKI FM DJ |
| GRANDPA Z Caricature grandpa performed by DJ Loki |
| DR. JOHANNNES CONNECTION German Radio Shrink performed by DJ Loki |
| LANDON Emily’s high school friend |
| AMAZINGPRESENCE83 A phone helpline volunteer |
| MARCUS Emily’s ex-boyfriend |
| HALIMA Emily’s best friend |
| DJ SOLANGE FM DJ |
| GODDESS SWEET LEILANI Advice Guru performed by DJ Solange |
| HOSTESS Works at Doraku Restaurant |
| GENERIC FEMALE VOICE |
Videos
Sundance Theatre Lab: The Sound Design of Today Is My Birthday
Publication
Today Is My Birthday is a comedy play written by Susan Soon He Stanton and published by Samuel French .
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Performance Rights
Available for Licensing
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