VARIED LIVES, a MERRY WIVES of WINDSOR for six men, features Milwaukee brewing magnate Mr. Donald John Falstaff, striving for more than just a quiet weekend in the country, & throwing Mr. Fenton Philip Ford's estate, Ford Farms, and its all male cast of characters into chaos. Set in a time when gay marriage wasn’t even a topic for discussion and adoption the only legal recourse, VARIED LIVES examines...
VARIED LIVES, a MERRY WIVES of WINDSOR for six men, features Milwaukee brewing magnate Mr. Donald John Falstaff, striving for more than just a quiet weekend in the country, & throwing Mr. Fenton Philip Ford's estate, Ford Farms, and its all male cast of characters into chaos. Set in a time when gay marriage wasn’t even a topic for discussion and adoption the only legal recourse, VARIED LIVES examines the relationships of 6 men who opt for the only solutions available to them. "Modelled" upon Shakespeare’s MERRY WIVES of WINDSOR, VARIED LIVES is set in the 1930s American Midwest and loosely based on the life & times of American philanthropist Robert Allerton and Allerton Park.
SETTING: A country estate’s kitchen in the American Heartland
TIME FRAME: Autumn 1930
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes in 3 acts with no intermissions
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Characters 6 men
Modell ‘Moddy’ Tyrone Smith – 20’s
Mr. Teddy Turner – the butler – 40’s/50’s
Satchel Jefferson– 20’s
Mr. Fenton Philip Ford – 40s/50’s
Mr. Princeton Percival Page – 40s/50’s
Mr. Donald John Falstaff – a brewer from Milwaukee – 40’s/50’s
Off stage characters/voices – Cook, Gardener, Knockers, Pullman, Poolman, Nickels, Knuckles
Gay male overseeing the inner workings of Ford Farms
Can be played by:
Age:
30s, 40s, 50s
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Male
Modell ‘Moddy’ Tyrone Smith
20s,
Any
,
Male
Young gay male of any color including white pursued by by older white gay male
Can be played by:
Age:
20s
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Male
Mr. Fenton Philip Ford
40s,50s,
White
,
Male
Older gay white male pursuing younger gay male
Can be played by:
Age:
40s, 50s
Race/Ethnicity:
White
Gender:
Male
Satchel Jefferson
20s,
BIPOC
,
Male
Young gay man of color pursued by older gay male
Can be played by:
Age:
20s
Race/Ethnicity:
Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Black, African, Caribbean, or African American, Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American, Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
Gender:
Male
Mr. Princeton Percival Page – 40s/50’s
40s,50s,
Any
,
Male
Closeted older gay male possibly of color pursuing younger gay male of color
Can be played by:
Age:
40s, 50s
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Male
Mr. Donald John Falstaff – a brewer from St Louis
40s,50s,60s,
Any (but probably white)
,
Male
Large Falstaffian gay male pursuing young men
Can be played by:
Age:
40s, 50s, 60s
Race/Ethnicity:
Black, African, Caribbean, or African American, White
Gender:
Male
Development History
Reading
,
Shetler Studios NYC Sept 22, 2019, Direction: Patrick Aran with *David Palmer Brown as Falstaff; *Steven Hauck as Ford; *Drew Bolander as Moddy; *C.K. Allen as Page; Jordan Tierney as Satchell and *ptmc as Teddy Turner the Butler *Members AEA
,
2019
Reading
,
At BGSQD First Reading March 1, 2015 at BGSQD Bookstore in the LGBTQ Center W13th St,NYC Cast: RobertMeksin,DavidBrown,RonNummi,BradyCudmore,TimothyConnell,ColinCramer
,
2015
Reading
,
At TAI Second reading October 2015 at The Actor's Institute,TAI,W.30th St,NYC CAST: EricJohnson,JeanBrassard,DrewMoore,DrewBolander,CameronMoser,MickBleyer