About
Merciful Delusions Productions, LLC presents 4-one act plays by Tennessee Williams; Moony’s Kid Don’t Cry, The Lady of Larkspur Lotion, The Case of the Crushed Petunias, Hello From Bertha.
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Directed by Tony Award Nominee Lorraine Serabian, this will be the 5th production where we delve into the fantasy world of Tennessee Williams’ Merciful Delusions (after which our production company is named.)
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Delusions of grandeur is a common theme throughout these 4-one act plays. You will see a stargazing would-be lumberjack trapped in a life with a sickly woman and child, a surreal look at the world through the eyes of a dreamer, a delusional romantic writer falling in-love with the precursor of Streetcar’s Blanche and finally a dying prostitute with a fantasy love interest.
Seeking
*a role that we are casting both the role and its understudy
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The Case of The Crushed Petunias
is a surreal and humorous play about a young woman who was comfortable about leading a dull and dreary life. One night, her flower bed is trampled and she confronts the suspect of the deed. Her life is then turned around by this mysterious stranger.
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Seeking:
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*YOUNG MAN: Very mysterious. Age range 25-35. Has a James Bond flair to him.
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The following role(s) have been cast but we are seeking an understudy:
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MS. SIMPLE: “A New England maiden of twenty-six, who is physically very attractive but has barricaded her house and her heart behind a double row of petunias.” Age Range: mid 20’s – early 30’s.
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Moony’s Kid Don’t Cry
Moony a star-gazer. He misses the life of being a woodcutter in the northern woods of Canada. Moony has settled down in a large American industrial city with his wife Jane who is sickly, and their child. Yet his dreams of freedom and being a woodcutter continue to bother him and he yearns for something more than the life he leads.
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The following role(s) have been cast but we are seeking an understudy:
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MOONY: “ A strongly built young working man of about 25 years old.” Dreams of being a lumberjack in Canada. Wants to be free.
Age range: mid 20’s – early 30’s.
JANE: Young slender woman, burdened by life way too early. Mid 20’s.
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The Lady of Larkspur Lotion
Mrs. Hardwicke-Moore is a long-time tenant in a cockroach-infested boarding house. She lives in another world and is convinced that she owns a Brazilian rubber plantation. The landlady, Mrs. Wire, is fed up by her not being able to pay the rent. Mrs. Hardwicke Moore is paid a visit by another tenant, a writer, who comes to her rescue.
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Seeking:
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*MRS. HARDWICKE-MOORE: 40’S – Precursor of “Blanche Dubois” in STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE. Age range: mid 30’s to 40’s.
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*THE WRITER: Alcoholic, dreamer. Speaks like he is reciting Shakespeare.
Age range: 40’s to 60’s.
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The following role(s) have been cast but we are seeking an understudy:
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MRS. WIRE: “A heavy slovenly woman of 50.”
Age range: 50’s to 70’s.
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Hello From Bertha
is a gut-wrenching play about the eviction of a dying prostitute, Bertha, from “The Valley” which is a run-down brothel in the notorious section of East St. Louis. Incapable of working, Bertha is confronted by the Madam, of where she is going to go while suffering from her illness.
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The following role(s) have been cast but we are seeking an understudy:
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BERTHA: Dying prostitute. Large woman of around 50. Still dreams about her former lover: Charlie.
Age range: 45-55.
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GOLDIE: Madam of the Brothel. Has been around. Street smarts, but has a compassionate side.
Age range 30’s to 40’s.
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LENA: Young prostitute. Sexy and slender. Has an air of innocence about her.
Age range: 20’s.
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PIMP: (non-speaking) A menacing figure. Big presence.
Age range: flexible.
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Additional Roles:
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Seeking:
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3 Female Understudies
2 Male Understudies
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