About the Play:

21A is a full-length comedy by Kevin Kling. Meet 8 characters on a bus bound for Hilarity! Characters include the tough driver, an odd lady, a religious proselytizer, a drunk with a 12 pack over his head, a business man who is not Dave no matter how fervently the drunk insists he is, and a mysterious intruder. Climb aboard Bus 21A for a "Tour of Life" that is truly a crazy ride!

21A is named for a bus route. The 21A bus travels down Lake Street from Minneapolis to St. Paul, Minnesota, carrying eight quirky characters. Structured as a series of monologues in which events occur simultaneously, this imaginative show originally starred the author as the driver and seven passengers. The objects of interest are not passing urban landmarks but the unique collection of customers who make their appearance en route between the Minnesota Twin Cities suburbia. The cast of casuals begins with driver Ron Huber, whose lingo is earthy but who knows (for crossword puzzle purposes) that a ''fichu'' is a lady's triangular scarf. Leading off the passengers is Gladys, a regular carrying two huge shopping bags filled mainly with cat food. Among other things, Gladys discourses on husband Big Bob, who can name every city in the world with a K-Mart store. Other featured players include a minister of ''Democratic Progression'' from Boston, a student, a character who insists he is Not Dave, and Captain Twelve Pack, a verbally florid vagrant who wears a cut-out beer carton for a helmet. All of these folk are garrulous. Most are gregarious. Believably written, 21A is a lively bus tour-de-force.

21A premiered in 1984 at the Quicksilver Stage in Minneapolis. This hilarious and decidedly different work had them rolling in the aisles at Actors Theatre of Louisville's famed Festival of New American Plays in 1986, with the author playing all eight roles, winning the Heideman Award for Best Short Play. Since then the play has been produced widely at theatres across the US, including off-Broadway in 1986 at Westside Arts Theater, in Sweden, Australia, Scotland and in the Czech Republic, and has been mounted by high schools, fringe festival groups, colleges, and community theatres.

Cast: 1 male (alternate casting 3 female, 5 male)

What people say:

"It's sort of an urban Lake Wobegon, only a lot crazier." — New York Times

"Stunning." — U.S.A. Today

"Astonishing." — Newsweek

"21A is a Minnesota bus where all sorts of shenanigans go on... Playwright Kling ... plays all the roles in a manner reminiscent of Eric Peterson in Billy Bishop Goes to War. 21A is cleverly written. — Los Angeles Times

About the Playwright:

Kevin Kling is a well-known American playwright and storyteller living in Minneapolis. After earning a degree in theatre at Gustavus Adolphus College in southern Minnesota, He came back to Minneapolis and penned 21A, a very successful one-man play that he took all the way to Off-Broadway. Best known for his popular commentaries on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, his plays and adaptations have been performed around the world.