Real Realism
video design by Steven Bell and Evan O’Sullivan
The Factory Theatre, Boston
May 30-June 8, 2013
Reviews
“Whatever they’re doing, the actors do it extremely well; they take to the dialogue as if they were making it up on the spot. . . I look forward to the rest of this reality check.”
~ Jeffrey Gantz, The Boston Globe
“Because the piece was so unpredictable, it was incredibly engaging, and I often found myself laughing at the absurdity of it, only to immediately be hit with a moment of poignancy.”
~ Alexandra Lonati, Broadway World
“The world Meehan has constructed is not only compelling – it’s very connected. We watch these five frazzled, complex souls bounce off of each other like particles in Brownian motion.”
~ Nicola McEldowney, New England Theatre Geek
(l-r) Andrew Tung, Alex Dhima, Jennifer Welsh,
Veronica Wiseman, James Barton
(l-r) Alex Dhima, Jennifer Welsh, Veronica Wiseman,
James Barton, Andrew Tung
(l-r) Alex Dhima, Jennifer Welsh, James Barton,
Andrew Tung, Veronica Wiseman
Excerpt
Nobody knows anything.
I’m taking up knitting.
(beat)
Knitting can be relied on.
I’m knitting a sock.
A
(laughs cynically)
A sock. That’s ridiculous.
D
(to E, supportively)
One thing at a time is what I always say.
C
Enough with the platitudes.
Platitudes are what landed us on our asses.
D
Honey, please —
B
I’ll tell you about platitudes.
I had a life full of them.
It was nice while it lasted.
E
You? That’s not surprising, I guess.
You’ve got that air of superiority.
(beat)
The kind that stinks up a whole room.
B
What you need is a kick in the ass.
A
Now. Now.
No two people are exactly alike.
D
Yes. I think we can all appreciate that.
(Long pause. Some confusion.)
A
(as if coming out of a haze)
How much are oranges?
D
I don’t know. I like plums.
B
I’m a banana man myself.
E
Grapes.
C
Apples were the fruit that spawned Newton’s theory of gravity.
D
I love Galileo.
A
I like Gucci.
The premiere of Real Realism marked the occasion of Sleeping Weazel’s first production of one of my plays in Boston. I am grateful to Vanessa Gilbert for bringing the play to light so successfully, to Wheaton College for a Mellon summer faculty fellowship to support the production, to Sleeping Weazel’s Board of Directors, and to my research assistant, 2012 Wheaton graduate Jessica Flori, for helping me to gather source material I used in developing the play.
Poster design: Jessica Kuszaj
Photo credits: David Marshall