MARVEL-OUS MONICA; IN WHICH MONICA LEWINSKY IS A SUPERHERO HELL-BENT ON REVENGE by Sarah Tuft

Developed at The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference... As Monica Lewinsky rehearses for her Talk, her PTSD keeps getting in the way, sending her spinning, literally, into an alternate universe. Will Marvel-ous Monica rescue The Pretty Young Coed from the Lecherous Professor? Will she learn the secret of Nasty-Woman, the mighty matriarchal superhero? And finally, will Monica be able to give her Talk by...
Developed at The O’Neill National Playwrights Conference... As Monica Lewinsky rehearses for her Talk, her PTSD keeps getting in the way, sending her spinning, literally, into an alternate universe. Will Marvel-ous Monica rescue The Pretty Young Coed from the Lecherous Professor? Will she learn the secret of Nasty-Woman, the mighty matriarchal superhero? And finally, will Monica be able to give her Talk by making peace with her traumatic past? Combining humor, fantasy and verbatim theater, MARVEL-OUS MONICA offers an overdue #MeToo look at the slut-shamed young woman at the center of a notorious political scandal.
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MARVEL-OUS MONICA; IN WHICH MONICA LEWINSKY IS A SUPERHERO HELL-BENT ON REVENGE

Recommended by

  • Diana Burbano:
    19 Oct. 2021
    “ This play hits so deeply, especially for those of us who were young women who made what we thought were good decisions about men. I know the bones of the history, but to delve into it in this tight, funny and female-centric way, I came away with a real reminder of the way the patriarchy seeks to divide us. Here's to Monica and to Sarah and to all of us. ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    3 Aug. 2020
    “ Sometimes you have no choice but to be a superhero when you're a woman. Constantly needing to defend yourself against villains with sheer courage and tenacity. Fantastic work! ”
  • Nick Malakhow:
    13 Jan. 2020
    “ A magnificent tour-de-force whose brazen theatricality is its biggest strength. At turns hilarious, informative, exciting, and heartbreaking, Tuft succeeds in both creating a parable about the ways women are silenced, abused, and oppressed, while also telling the very human story of Monica Lewinsky. Monica, in all of her permutations--superhero, TED talk presenter, and represented by a young college student--is a well-rounded, sympathetic, and compelling hero for us to root for. I really do hope to see this play produced far and wide in the near future. ”
View all 17 recommendations

Character Information

Eight (5 F/ 3 M) actors play all 26 characters. Non-traditional, non-historically-accurate, diverse casting is recommended. Double-casting is central to the play's themes, which are best supported with the following division of roles:
ACTOR A: MONICA LEWINSKY, MARVEL-OUS MONICA
ACTOR B: STAGE MANAGER
ACTOR C: PRETTY YOUNG COED, YOUNG MONICA
ACTOR D: BERNIE LEWINSKY, BILL CLINTON, THE PROFESSOR, AGENT IRONS, REPORTER #1, JUROR #1
ACTOR E: MARCIA LEWIS, THE WIFE, REPORTER #2, NASTY-WOMAN, JUROR #2
ACTOR F: NEW YORK SUPERGAL FROM 1998, LINDA TRIPP, REPORTER #3, JUROR #3, TRICKY TRIPPSTER
ACTOR G: ASSOCIATE COUNSEL MIKE EMMICK, ANDY BLEILER
ACTOR H: ASSOCIATE COUNSEL KARIN IMMERGUT, KATE BLEILER, BLUE DRESS
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  • MONICA LEWINSKY
    41 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, smart and poised, warm and witty, her practiced confidence belies years of shame and pain, suffers from PTSD flashbacks and fantasies
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • STAGE MANAGER
    30 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, single-minded, focused, not easily flustered but slightly impatient, a perfectionist who takes his job seriously
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • MARVEL-OUS MONICA
    41 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A female superhero, fierce and fearless, smart and sassy, powerful and protective of young women
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • PRETTY YOUNG COED
    College age,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A young woman, naïve, needy, in love, doesn’t realize she gives off sexy vibe when she really wants love
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • BERNIE LEWINSKY
    Late 40s to early 50s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, Monica Lewinsky’s father, Salvadoran-born radiation oncologist and researcher, protective of his daughter but also emotionally limited
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • MARCIA LEWINSKY
    Early to late 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, Monica Lewinsky’s mother, author, progressive, intelligent and wise with tendencies towards cynicism and bitterness
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • BILL CLINTON
    52 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, Arkansan… 42nd President of the United States
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • THE PROFESSOR
    Early 50s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, a pompous, privileged Narcissist, self-importance belies a lack of self-worth, a weak man, capable of cruelty but cowardly, emotionally limited
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • THE WIFE
    Late 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, progressive, intelligent and wise with tendencies towards cynicism
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • NEW YORK SUPERGAL FROM 1998
    Mid-50s or older,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, author known for 1970s novels about female sexuality and liberation
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • YOUNG MONICA
    22-25 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A young woman, naïve, needy, in love, doesn’t realize she gives off sexy vibe when she really wants love
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • LINDA TRIPP
    47-49 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, a moralist who believes herself to be on the side of righteousness, issues around money, the only thing she has faith in is that she will never get her fair share
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • ASSOCIATE COUNSEL MIKE EMMICK
    45 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, lead prosecutor for Office of the Independent Counsel, ambitious, believes in his pursuit of justice
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • AGENT IRONS
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, a hardcore company man, doesn’t see anything wrong with bending the rules to get the job done (his name is historically accurate and some behaviors have been reported)
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • REPORTER #1
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Any gender identity
    driven
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • REPORTER #2
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Any gender identity
    persistent
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • REPORTER #3
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Any gender identity
    aggressive
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender
  • NASTY-WOMAN
    67 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A female superhero, regal and fierce but forever radioactive due to her husband’s character flaws… powerful, inspiring and dazzling, but also compassionate and wise
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • ASSOCIATE COUNSEL KARIN IMMERGUT
    38 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, humorless, intolerant of weakness and ambitious, not loyal to any one political party but to her career instead
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • JUROR #1
    40s-60s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, wants to root out the truth as it is explained to him
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • JUROR #2
    40s-50s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, African-American or Southern accent in keeping with cadence of dialogue… a religious woman trying to fulfill her duty but uncomfortable with what it demands of her
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • JUROR #3
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, thoughtful
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • THE BLUE DRESS
    Any age,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A female, romantically inclined, devoted, loyal, heartbroken
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • ANDY BLEILER
    32 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis male
    A man, an obsequious, privileged Narcissist, “good guy” act belies a lack of self-worth, a weak man, capable of cruelty but cowardly, emotionally limited
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • KATE BLEILER
    Late 30s,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A woman, a moralist who believes herself to be on the side of righteousness, issues around money, the only thing she has faith in is that she will never get her fair share
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • TRICKY TRIPPSTER
    47-49 years old,
    Any
    ,
    Cis female
    A female supervillian, the worst friend and most hated villainess of all time, a bitch witch cunt hag like so many cultural stereotypes of older woman
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Workshop, The O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Valdez Last Frontier Theatre Conference PlayLab
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    IAMA Theatre Company
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    The Women in The Arts Coalition & 365 Women A Year "Untold Stories of Jewish Women"
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Antaeus Playwrights Lab
    ,
    2017

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
NAP Seies
,
Normal Ave
,
2018
Semi-Finalist
,
Playwrighting Competition
,
Austin Film Festival
,
2017