About
the Play:
Passengers is a full-length dramatic comedy by Sam
Bobrick. You never know who you might meet during your travels!
In Sam Bobrick's a raucous comedy Passengers, life is a
bus station, and we're all caught between arrivals and departures.
From an over zealous security guard to a jovial homeless lady to a man who
quits smoking with socks, the play has scenes of humour, wit,
happiness, love, hope and despair.
Passengers take place one rainy, late winter day in a small
mid-western bus station. Four actors play seventeen characters in
eight short scenes that vary from comedic to poignant and segue
fluidly from one to another without stopping. As passengers move in
and out of the station, the audience witnesses new love interests,
arguments, broken relationships, dreams and friendships. While each
character and scene is different and unrelated, all of them share a
connection by looking far into their future and wondering what might
lay beyond, and are tied together in the last scene.
Scene 1 – Jane and Walter, a disillusioned man and woman, meet
in the station. As they converse, they are convinced they are dead.
Scene 2 – Frank, one of life's eternal losers, encouraged by his
wife Clara, plans to turn his life around by successfully robbing the
bus.
Scene 3 – Fred, a successful businessman, meets Maureen, an old
high school classmate of his, who is now a homeless lady. They have a
rousing time together recalling the good old days.
Scene 4 – Ernest, an innocent bystander, suffers outrageous
consequences when he refuses to get involved in a bogus incident that
was set up to reprimand people who refuse to get involved.
Scene 5 – Mrs. Evans, a recently widowed woman, whose husband
was accidentally killed while attending a circus out of town, awaits
his ashes. At the same time she is returning the body of the clown
that was sent to her by mistake.
Scene 6 – June, a not too bright young girl in a wedding dress,
who was just about to marry a man who can give her everything,
decides instead to run off with her old boyfriend, Bobby, who can
give her nothing. As they converse while waiting for the bus, June
realizes what a stupid thing she's done.
Scene 7 – Mace, a bus driver, asks Laura, the woman behind the
ticket counter to join him in his retirement. Although she knows they
would be perfect for each other, she has to turn him down.
Scene 8 – Four characters from the above scenes find themselves
waiting for the final bus of life.
Passengers offers flexible casting and has been performed
with 31 High School actors. The play has been performed in regional repertory, high school, college, and
community theatre productions.
Cast: 2 women, 2 men (preferably a man and woman in their
mid-forties to late fifties and another couple in their mid-late
twenties)
What people say:
"Tickling … bittersweet
twists … worth a ticket purchase." — Los Angeles
Times
"For a real adventure in
theatre, hop on board Passengers...[It] is a fresh, idiosyncratic,
irreverent comedy set in, of all places, a bus station. In eight
sketches, a series of characters meet in the bus station. The
encounters weave together a subtle but profound theme...Passengers is
a great script. The characters are good and the dialog witty and
sharp... Everything about this show is unexpected and
unconventional." — Niles Daily Times
"Deep revelations and gutsy
insights are gleaned from the plays dialogue and true to life
scenarios." — Tolucan Times
About the Playwright:
Sam Bobrick (1932-2019) was an American author, playwright,
television writer, and lyricist. He honed his craft writing for such
iconic television comedy shows as The Andy Griffith Show, Bewitched,
Get Smart, The Flintstones, and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. He
is best known for creating the short-lived syndicated TV series Good
Morning, Miss Bliss, which was resurrected by NBC as the
long-running hit show Saved By The Bell, and for his numerous
plays, many of which were co-authored with Ron Clark. He won
three Writers Guild of America Awards for his television work and was
nominated for an Emmy.