Glassheart

by Reina Hardy

FULL LENGTH (3f 1m): Beauty never showed up. After centuries under the curse, the Beast and his one remaining magical servant have moved into a shabby apartment near a 7-11, hoping for a lower cost of living and better luck with girls. Their building manager, a fellow immigrant with a taste for gingerbread and children, offers help in navigating this threatening, impossible, completely mundane world, but all...

FULL LENGTH (3f 1m): Beauty never showed up. After centuries under the curse, the Beast and his one remaining magical servant have moved into a shabby apartment near a 7-11, hoping for a lower cost of living and better luck with girls. Their building manager, a fellow immigrant with a taste for gingerbread and children, offers help in navigating this threatening, impossible, completely mundane world, but all her gifts come with a price. When an eligible maiden moves into the second floor apartment, the servant (a relentlessly cheery lamp) colludes with the landlady to kidnap the girl. The servant finds herself assimilating the girl’s identity, her name, and bookstore job. As she becomes increasingly human, and the Beast becomes increasingly lost, she discovers what– and who– must be sacrificed for an ordinary life.

“…an offbeat, mature riff on the classic “Beauty and the Beast” fairy tale… Reina Hardy’s updating of the fairy tale is a charming and thought-provoking success.” –DC Theatre Scene

“Reina Hardy’s eerie, melancholy Glassheart sets itself apart … more than just a love story… seductive and dangerous.” –the Washingtonian

“Hardy has a flair for off-key insights… funky, poetic… the romantic “Glassheart” certainly has music in its voice.” –the Washingon Post

“Reina Hardy… has created a text featuring a beautiful matrimony between contemporary dialect and snippets of heightened language. The play drips with heart and ingenuity without being overly sappy or sentimental. Hardy has a gift for telling a story through a feminist and current lens minus beating social commentary over the head.” –Theatre Pizzaz

“Fans of speculative fiction will appreciate the simple question at the core of Glassheart,.. Hardy’s take on the fairy tale is intriguing and seems to relish in its own magic.”- Austin Chronicle

“Hardy retells the familiar tale with a feminist slant: it’s the desire of the women that drives the story… Glassheart is a study of opposites, tracing the fine line between the ordinary and extraordinary… the language is lyrical and conversational. The Beast waxes poetic about despair one minute, while Only describes an infomercial the next.” –Theater is Easy

“Hardy’s moving, clever writing is a delight… The dialogue moves fast and includes some brilliant one-liners—allowing the women in this story to own both the comic relief and the cathartic struggles behind it. … you’ll feel the emotions and existential questions raised by the play for days afterward. What’s in a name? What makes a life? What makes us human?” –MD Theatre Guide

For reviews and pictures: http://www.reinahardy.com/glassheart

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Glassheart

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: Glassheart

    A marvelous adaptation of a beloved fairy tale that is a true delight! Bravo!

    A marvelous adaptation of a beloved fairy tale that is a true delight! Bravo!

  • Owen Hopper: Glassheart

    Glassheart takes the typical story of "Beaeuty and the Beast" and makes a complete one-eighty. Glassheart takes the reader on an adventure as the Beast finds his Beauty. From the first lines the reader is laughing out loud and by the end they are crying of laughter. This play gives every person in theatre a moment to shine. From the actors on stage to the designers. Transforming the classic fairy tale into a one in a million experience. Extraordinary play!

    Glassheart takes the typical story of "Beaeuty and the Beast" and makes a complete one-eighty. Glassheart takes the reader on an adventure as the Beast finds his Beauty. From the first lines the reader is laughing out loud and by the end they are crying of laughter. This play gives every person in theatre a moment to shine. From the actors on stage to the designers. Transforming the classic fairy tale into a one in a million experience. Extraordinary play!

  • Maggie Lou Rader: Glassheart

    A stunning piece of theatre. A play of survival and heart and identity and love. We are all in this beautiful story. Reina pulls on our heartstrings and mind with this stunning, actor challenging, technical dream, story of beasts and things; you know, humans.

    A stunning piece of theatre. A play of survival and heart and identity and love. We are all in this beautiful story. Reina pulls on our heartstrings and mind with this stunning, actor challenging, technical dream, story of beasts and things; you know, humans.

View all 18 recommendations

Character Information

Casting is very flexible, and there is no doubling.

Only, the Beast and Aiofe should feel roughly the same age, or within a decade of each other.

The Witch should feel like the oldest of the four.
  • Only
    Cheerful, spry. A lamp.
    Character Age
    489
  • The Beast
    Cultured. Brooding. Ridiculous. Dangerous. A beast, you know?
    Character Age
    About the same age as Only
  • The Witch
    A smooth motherly air.
    Character Age
    Older than everyone else.
  • Aiofe
    Talkative, troubled.
    Character Age
    20s
    Character Gender Identity
    Female

Production History

  • Type University, Organization Moraine Valley Community College, Year 2023
  • Type University, Organization Lewis-Clark State College, Year 2021
  • Type Fringe, Organization Everyday Inferno, New York City, Year 2017
  • Type Professional, Organization Rorschach Theatre, Year 2014
  • Type Professional, Organization Shrewd Productions, Year 2013

Awards

  • Terrence McNally Prize
    Finalist
  • Holland New Voices Award
    Great Plains Theater Conference
    Winner