Monkey

by Shail Modi

Kai, a young poet, has a monkey on his back. He thinks maybe completing his late mother's final rites might lift that weight, and figures returning to India for his father's remarriage to a nice man named Mike is a meaningful and proper time to do so. Things get complicated when his mom's ashes get lost in transit, and his dad seems to have other priorities.

Kai, a young poet, has a monkey on his back. He thinks maybe completing his late mother's final rites might lift that weight, and figures returning to India for his father's remarriage to a nice man named Mike is a meaningful and proper time to do so. Things get complicated when his mom's ashes get lost in transit, and his dad seems to have other priorities.

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Monkey

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  • Alex Kingsley: Monkey by Shail Modi
    “

    Hilarious and poignant, MONKEY is a deliciously metatextual play about the weight of family expectations, the persistence and distortion of childhood memories, and what happens if you put human remains in your checked luggage. Modi's dialogue manages to be sharp and witty while also feeling honest and true to life. Deeply intimate and laugh-out-loud funny, MONKEY is one of the best scripts I've seen in a long time. (And I see a lot of scripts!)

    Hilarious and poignant, MONKEY is a deliciously metatextual play about the weight of family expectations, the persistence and distortion of childhood memories, and what happens if you put human remains in your checked luggage. Modi's dialogue manages to be sharp and witty while also feeling honest and true to life. Deeply intimate and laugh-out-loud funny, MONKEY is one of the best scripts I've seen in a long time. (And I see a lot of scripts!)

    ”
Kai : M, 28-32, South Asian
Veer: Kai's Dad/Mike's Fiancé, M, 56-62, South Asian
Mike: Veer's Fiancé, M, 56-62, South Asian
Pundit/Josh: M, 28-32, South Asian
Passenger/Aunt/Person-in-Line: F, 50-55, South Asian
Airport-Front-Desk/Tailor/Pundit#2: M/F/NB, 60s, South Asian
Monkey: M/F/NB, South Asian

Development History

  • Workshop, The Workshop Theater, 2023 Writer's Intensive