The Scene (Paperback)

Theresa Rebeck

Drama

Characters: 2 male, 2 female

A young social climber leads an actor into an extra-marital affair, from which he then creates a full-on downward spiral into alcoholism and bummery. His wife runs off with his best friend, his girlfriend leaves, and he's left with ... nothing.

"Ms. Rebeck's dark-hued morality tale contains enough fresh insights into the cultural landscape to freshen what is essentially a classic boy-meets-bad-girl story...Ms. Rebeck is an established playwright who has also worked in television, and she clearly knows how the savage, mercurial economics of the entertainment industry can shatter the fragile ego and wreak havoc on domestic equilibrium." -New York Times

"Rebeck's wickedly scathing observations about the sort of self-obsessed New Yorkers who pursue their own interests at the cost of their morality and loyalty." -New York Post

"The Scene is utterly delightful in its comedic performances, and its slowly unraveling plot is thought-provoking and gut-wrenching." -Show Business Weekly

"On the surface, it may appear to be just a bubbly boulevard comedy. And, on the surface, that's what Theresa Rebeck's The Scene uproariously is. But underneath lurks something much darker, almost tragic. That is how great, double-bottomed comedies are: Think The Misanthrope, think Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?...Finally, though, it is the writing that triumphs in the all- important details. There are frantic sentence fragments, stammering reiterations, dragged-out burbles, and every current noncommunicative cliche sovereignly ridiculed. And let us not overlook Rebeck's ability to put sex onstage: erotically, farcically, and with clinical dissection. Laugh your way into this one." -Bloomberg.com