MARRIAGE by William Ivor Fowkes

FULL-LENGTH PLAY (90 MINUTES). On the verge of committing suicide, a college student who fears he might be gay decides to marry his girlfriend instead. Eight years later, Chip and Sally Miller seem to lead a perfect life in Manhattan, but a secretly tormented Chip considers walking out on their marriage until Sally announces that she’s pregnant and convinces him to have this baby with her and move out to...
FULL-LENGTH PLAY (90 MINUTES). On the verge of committing suicide, a college student who fears he might be gay decides to marry his girlfriend instead. Eight years later, Chip and Sally Miller seem to lead a perfect life in Manhattan, but a secretly tormented Chip considers walking out on their marriage until Sally announces that she’s pregnant and convinces him to have this baby with her and move out to Westchester, far away from the city’s temptations. As the Miller clan grows over the years, so do Chip’s despair and desperation as he secretly acts out in increasingly dangerous ways. This story is told in part through excerpts from the therapy sessions they attend when the marriage starts to fall apart.

MARRIAGE is a “standalone” play that may be performed on its own or together with the other two plays (ROOMMATES and AFTERMATH) that make up THE BRONXVILLE TRILOGY, or Marriages of Inconvenience. (MARRIAGE is the second play in the trilogy and includes a PROLOGUE when performed with the other two plays.)
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MARRIAGE

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Character Information

FOR A CAST OF 4:
(1) Chip Miller, male
(2) Sally Miller, female
(3) Actor # 3, male--5 roles: Franklin Mancuso, Will Dent, Dr. Devlin, Officer Johnson, Therapist (voice)
(4) Actor #4, male--4 roles: Leo, Tony, Mr. Miller, Bouncer
FOR A LARGER CAST: eliminate cast doubling. Maximum = 11

  • Chip Miller
    Starts at 19; ages to 38. ,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Male
    Sally’s husband. Amiable. Likes to please others. Easily manipulated by others. Sexually closeted and tormented by his secret. A successful executive at a major packaged goods company in Midtown Manhattan despite an apparent lack of ambition.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Sally Miller
    Starts at 19; ages to 38. ,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Female
    Chip’s wife. Smart and competent. A bit controlling. Successful Market Researcher before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Has definite ideas about the kind of upper-middle-class life she wants. Driven by her desire to rise above her working-class roots.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Actor #3
    33-48,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Male
    5 roles:
    • Franklin Mancuso. Age 35. Charming. Successful real estate agent. Openly gay. A bit deceptive. HIV-positive. Eventually has full-on AIDS.
    • Will Dent. Age 40. Chip’s work colleague. Unimaginative business executive focused solely on his job.
    • Dr. Devlin. Age 48. Chip’s junior high school principal. Uptight, formal, and articulate.
    • Officer Johnson. Age 33. Police officer. Weary. Professional. Approachable.
    • Therapist (voice)
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Actor #4
    32-44,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Male
    4 roles:
    • Leo. Age 40. Family man. Personable. Driven by his need for sex with men. Deceptive and sneaky.
    • Tony. Age 30. A rough but sexy man. In great shape. Proud of his body. A bit dumb.
    • Mr. Miller. Age 44. Chip’s father. Upper middle-class. White collar job. A guy’s guy. Looks down on effeminate men.
    • Bouncer. Age 32. A little intimidating. Compassionate, but mostly acts tough.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male