About the Play:
Lives Of The Saints contains seven one-act plays by David
Ives, one of the contemporary theatre's brightest comic
playwrights. Generally quirky comedies, ranging from a little weird
to ridiculous to sublime, they use clever language twists and
situations to always amuse and occasionally enlighten. These plays
may be performed separately or as an evening of entertainment.
Enigma Variations: Zany hijinks as a pair of lookalikes
named Bebe W.W. Doppel-gängler solve an identity crisis with the
help of Dr. William W. Williams and his nurse Fifi, who may or may
not be Aphrodite the Goddess of Love. Or is she a male gym-teacher in
a dress? (Cast: 2 women, 3 men)
The Mystery At Twicknam Vicarage: A body on the carpet,
three ridiculous Masterpiece Theatre-style suspects and a bumbling
Scotland Yard detective solve philosophical quandaries as they
investigate: Who killed Jeremy Thumpington-Fffienes? (Cast: 2 women,
3 men)
Babel's In Arms: Two blue-collar Mesopotamian construction
workers are handed a provocative task: Build the Tower of Babel—or
else. How many stones does it take to get to heaven, anyway? (Cast: 2
women, 3 men)
Soap Opera: A washing-machine repairman falls in love with
a picture-perfect washer. Should he tell his girlfriend Mabel? Is the
washer two-timing him with a dryer? Stay tuned. (Cast: 2 women, 3
men)
Lives Of The Saints: A tender and gently comic meditation.
Two women preparing a funeral breakfast in a church basement muse on
life, death, and the meaning of Polish jokes — and along the way
achieve a kind of sanctity. (Cast: 2 women, 3 men)
Arabian Nights: Utterly normal Norman walks into utterly
ordinary Flora's shop looking for a souvenir of his travels and
together they find whirlwind romance, spurred on by a wacky
translator. (Cast: 1 man and either 2 women or 2 men)
Captive Audience: A cautionary fable tells how Rob and
Laura face a menace in their living room: a television that talks
back to them and threatens to swallow them whole. (Cast: 2 women, 2
men)
Lives Of The Saints premiered in 1999 at Philadelphia
Theatre Company and was subsequently performed at the Berkshire
Theater Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
What people say:
"Sometimes it's nice to go out
for an evening of tapas rather than a big three-course meal. In that
spirit, David Ives has served up some
scrumptious theatrical morsels with Lives of the Saints...
Much like a tasting menu, there's something in this collection of
one-acts to satisfy every theatergoing palate." —
TheaterMania
About the Playwright:
David Ives is an American playwright, screenwriter, and
novelist who was born in Chicago and educated at Northwestern
University and Yale School of Drama. He is perhaps best known for his
evenings of comic one-act comedies, a reputation which resulted in
the The New York Times referring to him as the "maestro
of the short form". A former Guggenheim Fellow in playwriting,
he has also written dramatic plays, narrative stories, and
screenplays. He lives in New York City.