The (Abridged) BRONXVILLE TRILOGY, or Marriages of Inconvenience.

by William Ivor Fowkes

FULL-LENGTH PLAY (2 HOURS, 50 MINUTES). This play condenses all three plays that constitute THE BRONXVILLE TRILOGY into one full-length play. It presents the stories of three married couples in Bronxville, NY, an affluent suburb of New York City in Westchester County. All three husbands are closeted gay men whose wives don’t know the truth of their situation. The play spans 30 years of sweeping social changes...

FULL-LENGTH PLAY (2 HOURS, 50 MINUTES). This play condenses all three plays that constitute THE BRONXVILLE TRILOGY into one full-length play. It presents the stories of three married couples in Bronxville, NY, an affluent suburb of New York City in Westchester County. All three husbands are closeted gay men whose wives don’t know the truth of their situation. The play spans 30 years of sweeping social changes for gay people.

Graham Walker and Dan Carlsen, two best friends and lovers since college, struggle with their desire to be together in a world where marriage to women is the unquestioned norm, and the AIDS epidemic makes living out of the closet a frightening option. Their solution is to marry women, start families, and live as next-door neighbors while continuing their relationship in private. This strategy works surprisingly well—until Dan dies in a plane crash. Meanwhile, neighbor Chip Miller secretly acts out in increasingly dangerous ways, ultimately almost dying after being attacked at a gay sex club. In the aftermath of their divorces, newly newly-out Graham and Chip embark on a relationship made all the more challenging by their very different histories and conflicting approaches to navigating their new gay lives.

A few vignettes sprinkled throughout the play depict other couples in similar circumstances, but different times.

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The (Abridged) BRONXVILLE TRILOGY, or Marriages of Inconvenience.

Character Information

7 actors (4 male, 3 female) playing 21 roles.
  • ACTOR #1: Graham Walker; William Walker
    Graham Walker – Investment banker from Westport, CT. Articulate and intense.
    William Walker – Graham Walker’s great-grandson.
    Character Age
    Graham Walker – ages from 19 to 48. William Walker – 38.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • ACTOR #2: Richard Hamlin; Harold Nicolson; Chip Miller; Abraham Lincoln; Maitre 'D.
    Richard Hamlin – Yale professor. Flamboyant.
    Harold Nicolson – British writer and diplomat.
    Chip Miller – Senior executive at a packaged goods company. Handsome.
    Abraham Lincoln – President of the United States.
    Maitre D’ – at Café des Artistes.
    Character Age
    Richard Hamlin – 30, then 36. Harold Nicolson – 51. Chip Miller – ages from 19 to 42. Abraham Lincoln – 53. Maitre 'D – any age.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • ACTOR #3: Dan Carlsen; White House Guard; TV Announcer (Voice)
    Dan Carlsen - Lawyer from Fargo, ND. Athletic and boyish.
    White House Guard
    TV Announcer (Voice)
    Character Age
    Dan Carlsen – ages from 19 to 44. White House Guard – Any age.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • ACTOR #4: Kitty Walker; Vita Sackville-West.
    Kitty Walker - A book editor, then a stay-at-home mom. Attractive and shy.
    Vita Sackville-West – British writer
    Character Age
    Kitty Walker – Character ages from 28 to 44. Vita Sackville-West – 45.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • ACTOR #5: Debbie Klein Carlsen
    Debbie Carlsen - Advertising account exec, then a stay-at-home mom. Preppy. Funny & chatty.
    Character Age
    Debbie Carlsen - ages from 28 to 44
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • ACTOR #6: Jenny North; Lipo Suction; Sally Miller.
    Jenny North - Maine widow
    Lipo Suction - Drag queen (but played by a woman).
    Sally Miller - Chip’s wife. Good at taking charge of things.
    Character Age
    Jenny North - 45. Lipo Suction - Indeterminate age. Sally Miller - ages from 28 to 39.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • ACTOR #7: Walter Morgan; Seth Regan; Emcee; Joshua Fry Speed; Doctor Manzone; Officer Johnson; James.
    Walter Morgan - Law professor.
    Seth Regan - PR writer. Sly and promiscuous.
    Emcee – At Elm Rock Country club.
    Joshua Fry Speed - Abraham Lincoln's lover.
    Doctor Manzone - Gay. Overworked.
    Officer Johnson. Police officer. Weary. Professional. Approachable.
    James - Flirtatious young gay man.
    Character Age
    Walter Morgan - 37. Seth Regan – 30. Emcee – Any age. Joshua Fry Speed - 48. Doctor Manzone - 36. Officer Johnson – 33. James – ages from 22 to 24.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race or Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Male