Niagara Falls

by Justin Maxwell

Niagara Falls is a broken play for a broken city. A three hundred year old boy (and former British soldier) leaves his home at the bottom of the Niagara River and wanders through the rust belt dereliction of the city, dripping wet and asking everyone: “do you know why there are so many bodies in the whirlpool?” The answers are elliptical, given by a host of foils. The corrupt mayor is more interested in his five...

Niagara Falls is a broken play for a broken city. A three hundred year old boy (and former British soldier) leaves his home at the bottom of the Niagara River and wanders through the rust belt dereliction of the city, dripping wet and asking everyone: “do you know why there are so many bodies in the whirlpool?” The answers are elliptical, given by a host of foils. The corrupt mayor is more interested in his five thousand and five dollars; the mayor’s mistress is obsessed with Canada; the mayor’s wives only care to leave him (and the city by extension), and the owner of a Seneca casino wants a casual revenge. Driven by imagist poetics, it is the city itself that is the protagonist, quickly approaching the end of its dramatic arc. The boy’s question begs the larger question: how, with good resources, location, and one of the seven wonders of the natural world, can an American city die?

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Niagara Falls

Characters:

BOY—A British drummer boy, of Gage’s Light Infantry, the 80th Regiment of Foot, more importantly he’s a survivor of the 1763 Seneca Massacre; although he’s still 15 years old. He has been at the bottom of the whirlpool caring for his dead comrades ever since. Male, 15/258 years old.

MAYOR—A gratuitously corrupt, pretend optimist, elected to run the city of Niagara Falls. He is corrupt and upbeat in a strangely charming way. Male, early 50’s.

WIFE—The MAYOR’s “wife.” She’s a different woman/character every time she’s on stage; although played by the same actress each time she’s seen she should be seen as a different woman. Female, late 40’s

MISTRESS—The MAYOR’s mistress and a sometimes-prostitute. She’s desperate to get out of Niagara Falls, desperate for anything better. Female, any age over 18.

CASINO OWNER—The Seneca Nation’s representative, responsible for bringing a casino to the slum of Niagara Falls. A happy nihilist, this play is his chance for revenge. Male, 30-50 years old.

Production History

  • Professional, The Theatre at St. Claude, 2017