The Consul, The Tramp, and America's Sweetheart

On the eve of World War II, the German consul to Hollywood tries to stop production on Charlie Chaplin's first talkie, The Great Dictator. The result is a comedy based on a true story about the powers of art, politics, commerce, and what it means to be American.
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

The Consul, The Tramp, and America's Sweetheart

Recommended by

  • Aleks Merilo:
    25 Jan. 2019
    Often hysterical and at times tender, Morogiello has created a farcical narrative on the place of the artist in the face of world conflict. Full of wonderful homages to the genius of Chaplin (my personal favorite it the recreation of the famous boxing scene from "City Lights", this play surely has many more successful productions to come.
  • Claudia Barnett:
    28 Apr. 2017
    THE CONSUL, THE TRAMP, AND AMERICA'S SWEETHEART is so damn SMART. And funny. And timely. It's also deceptively simple, so it's a great lesson in playwriting. And it's super political ... in the most endearing ways. Three of the four characters are historical, and they'll stay with you, but the fourth, the fictional Miss Hollombe, will break your heart,
  • Jared Strange:
    1 Oct. 2015
    Got to read this play and then see it at the Dayton Playhouse FutureFest. Much of the story is well-known to Chaplin fans, but it is told in such an imaginative and sometimes incisive way that it feels new. It pays homage to the rapid-fire wit of Golden Age Hollywood and gives Chaplin a chance to strut, but it doesn't shy away from examining trickier subjects, like the changing (or maybe unchanging) role of women in the workplace, and whether or not Chaplin's famous speech at the end of his film is just schmaltz. Funny and smart in equal measure.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Spotlighters Theatre
    ,
    2016
  • Reading
    ,
    New Jersey Rep
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre, Denver
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    Luna Stage, West Orange, NJ
    ,
    2015
  • Workshop
    ,
    Dayton Playhouse Futurefest
    ,
    2015

Production History

  • Community Theater
    ,
    Dayton Playhouse
    ,
    2021
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Ben Bard Players - Jerusalem Kahn Theatre
    ,
    2021
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Olympia Little Theatre
    ,
    2019
  • Professional
    ,
    Best Medicine Rep
    ,
    2018
  • Professional
    ,
    Oldcastle Theatre Company
    ,
    2016
  • Professional
    ,
    Theatre 40
    ,
    2016

Awards

Winner
,
Individual Artist Award
,
Maryland State Arts Council
,
2018
Winner
,
Julie Harris Playwright Award Competition
,
Beverly Hills Theatre Guild
,
2015
Winner
,
Dayton Playhouse FutureFest
,
Dayton Playhouse
,
2015
Finalist
,
Christopher Brian Wolk Award
,
Abingdon Theatre Company
,
2015