Publisher's Synopsis
MATES IN PARADISE is a comedy about two men who, through their growing friendship, find the courage to trust in themselves and to begin to flourish in the real world. The play begins with Whittler and Evans hanging from their makeshift crosses-trying to decide if they should kill themselves. They resolve to get themselves released from the institution-to enter the real world-and to work together as a team. But it isn't easy. First they have to get out. And to do that, they have to convince Head Nurse Sullivan (and her minion, Irene the Scream) that they are no longer "almost crazy." They talk, they "practice," they fight, they laugh and they cry. They try their hands at practicing for various occupations: tax consultants, baby doctors, sailors, soldier and race-car drivers. They decide that they should open a coffee shop on the outside: The Paradise Cafe. But-what if only one of them can leave? That's the dilemma that marks the end of Act One. They manage to figure it all out-in a manner of speaking. It takes a few stories from Whittler and one remarkably long story from Evans. It takes some false starts, many doubts, and a lot of soul searching. Mostly, though, it takes courage. The ending, which comes as a bit of a surprise to them, leaves them poised on the edge of their new frontier. MATES IN PARADISE is the second play of my MATES TRILOGY. Each play stands alone - but, collectively, they follow the two main characters' lives for six consecutive hours - from "seven past seven" until "seven past one" of a very fateful day. The three plays explore the meaning of friendship, courage and success. The other plays are MATES (winner of the nationwide Wykeham Rise playwrighting contest and produced off-off-Broadway at Lolly's Folly in 1973; and again at the Melfi Repertory in Binghamton, NY, in 1993); and MATES AT LAST (premiered at the Melfi in September, 1995). MATES IN PARADISE premiered at the 250-seat Melfi Repertory in Binghamton, NY, in 1994. It was then produced, twice, at the 450-seat Orpheum Repertory in Foxborough, Mass., in 1995. (Where I was named playwright-in-residence.)
