A DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE TITLE

And Things That Go Bump in the Night

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 4m

The play is about fear and negation. Ruby is its hero, Sigfrid and Gra…

And Things That Go Bump in the Night

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)

Details

Summary
THE STORY: The play is about fear and negation. Ruby is its hero, Sigfrid and Grandpa its conscience, Clarence and Lakme its victims. It is also a play about choice: the choice of evil, which is a constant, over chaos, which is not necessarily a good. It is a tragedy of intelligence. Ruby perceives too clearly many truths but does not see the basic one: We cannot destroy everything without destroying ourselves. Her error is her negation of all links with mankind. Her way of life must end as it does, in a colossal suicide. Her Message to the World has come true. For herself, for Sigfrid, for all of them. But she does not flinch before the steady trend of her approaching fate. She will not grovel. She cannot beg. She meets it head-on and defiant, like a female Prometheus.
Keywords
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

Bizarre in style, yet filled with an arresting immediacy and perceptiveness, the brilliant and highly imaginative play deals with a strange, intriguing family which has barricaded itself away in a cellar, seeking sanctuary from the fearsome, sinister world “outside.” Led by Ruby, the mother, they lure others to their lair to be seduced and taunted and ultimately destroyed—just as they, in turning so violently from life, must inevitably bring on their own destruction as well.

“…the most impressive new American play I have seen this season…” —Village Voice.

“…serious, ambitious, daring, often verbally brilliant…” —Minneapolis Tribune.

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Terrence McNally

Terrence McNally (1938-2020) was the recipient of the 2019 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement, the 2019 Dramatist Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2019 Lucille Lortel Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. ...

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