About the Play:

Women of Manhattan has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Female Monologues and Female/Female Scenes.

Women of Manhattan is a full-length comedic drama by John Patrick Shanley. Described by the author as "an Upper West Side story," Women of Manhattan is a provocative, brilliantly stylized and often very funny play that delves into the lives of three upscale female best friends – two single and one married – whose financial success is counterbalanced by their unmet emotional needs.

Women of Manhattan is about the sensitivity, success, loyalty – and neurotic tendencies – of modern women living and working in New York City. Rhonda, Judy and Billie are having a casual dinner, over which they come to the harsh realization that, while their careers are flourishing, their emotional lives are a wreck. Rhonda has just been dumped by her live-in boyfriend, but she's not ready to move on – keeping his oversized sneakers in the doorway (just in case); Billie, though "happily married" for three years, can't stand the never-ending honeymoon that her husband is inflicting on her; and sexually frustrated Judy is forever unlucky in love. But then, in a series of sharply written, subtly revealing scenes, their situations change. Billie sets Judy up on a blind date with a very handsome executive who suggests they have sex right away instead of getting to know one another; Billie's husband gives her a black eye (which delights her because it finally proves that the honeymoon is over!); and Rhonda, still alone, summons up the courage to dispose of her boyfriend's sneakers. As the play ends, the three are hopeful about better times ahead but also painfully aware that the brittle, competitive Manhattan lifestyle disappoints as quickly as it rewards. Women of Manhattan is fast-paced look at three female friends who approach love very differently.

Women of Manhattan was first produced in 1986 off-Broadway by New York's celebrated Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) at the City Center Theater. The West Coast premiere was in 1988 by Progressive Theatre Co. at historic Old City Hall in San Diego followed by a remount in 1989 at the Tiffany Theatre in Los Angeles. With three interesting and strong leading female characters, the play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and has been performed in regional and fringe theatre productions.

Cast: 3 female, 2 male

What people say:

"...Women of Manhattan packs in a considerable amount of wit and wisdom... a very high quality drama about sexual politics that manages to combine humour with insight to great effect." — British Theatre Guide

"Shanley can do what many other male playwrights can't, and that is write dialogue for women accurately and affectionately." — Los Angeles Times

About the Playwright:

John Patrick Shanley is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is the author of numerous plays, including Doubt: A Parable which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award for Best Play. He has also written extensively for TV and film, and his credits include the teleplay for Live from Baghdad and screenplays for Five Corners and Moonstruck, for which he won an Academy Award for original screenplay.