The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!

by Deb Hiett

"Top Ten World Premiere Plays 2016-2017" -- StageSceneLA
"Ingenious..." -- The Los Angeles Times
"Undeniably hilarious, unexpectedly moving, and utterly unique..." -- StageSceneLA

For Mags Eagleton, the world has become a scary place kept fiercely at bay by the confines of her well-worn recliner. When her loving husband Erns surprises her by renting their late son's bedroom to a very modern kid who is visiting their rural Texas town for a three-day desert music festival, things take a turn for the trippy. This rollicking comedy explores the risks of desperate love, the exemplary form of the 1970s game show, and the psychedelic side effects of fear your doctor may not have warned you about.

The Rogue Machine Theatre Production (World Premiere) opened November 2016, was "Ovation Recommended" (L.A. Stage Alliance), voted "Top World Premieres of 2016/2017" by StageSceneLA, and was extended twice by popular demand.

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The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!

Recommended by

Richard Kuhlman: The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! by Deb Hiett

“

When is a Game Show suddenly a crazy-great play? You care so much for our heroes as your laughs outnumber your tears, but they are joyful tears. So simple in it's premise and execution but elaborate in it's successful outcome. And who doesn't love that title? Great roles for comic actors.

When is a Game Show suddenly a crazy-great play? You care so much for our heroes as your laughs outnumber your tears, but they are joyful tears. So simple in it's premise and execution but elaborate in it's successful outcome. And who doesn't love that title? Great roles for comic actors.

”
Austin Tichenor: The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! by Deb Hiett

“

Deb Hiett is a master of Tone: Her ability to make plays about pain and loss so effortlessly funny leaves me in awe. Moments of great power and emotion are mixed together with hysterical lines that stop the show. The reviews are telling the truth. Highly recommended!!

Deb Hiett is a master of Tone: Her ability to make plays about pain and loss so effortlessly funny leaves me in awe. Moments of great power and emotion are mixed together with hysterical lines that stop the show. The reviews are telling the truth. Highly recommended!!

”
Cheryl Bear: The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! by Deb Hiett

“

A beautiful story that gives the inexplicable grief of losing a child a comedic healing. Well done!

A beautiful story that gives the inexplicable grief of losing a child a comedic healing. Well done!

”

View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

Dolores

mail carrier, possibly magical

Character Age

30s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Latina

Character Gender Identity

Female
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  20s,
  
  30s,
  
  40s
- Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
  
  Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
- Actor Gender Identity
  
  Female
Chrz

a brilliant young concert-goer and joy-mongerer, also possibly magical

Character Age

20s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

Any

Character Gender Identity

Any
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  Teens,
  
  20s,
  
  30s
Erns

yearns to be younger than he is

Character Age

60s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

White

Character Gender Identity

Male
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  50s,
  
  60s,
  
  70s+
- Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
  
  White
- Actor Gender Identity
  
  Male
Mags

already older than her age, in many ways

Character Age

60s

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

White

Character Gender Identity

Female
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  50s,
  
  60s,
  
  70s+
- Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
  
  White
- Actor Gender Identity
  
  Female

Development History

Type Reading, Organization Playwrights Union "First Peek" Series, Year 2016

Production History

Type Fringe, Organization Orlando Fringe Festival (Jouska Productions), Year 2019
Type Professional, Year 2016

Awards

Reva Shiner Comedy Award

Finalist

2017

Genre

comedy,

dark comedy

Subject Matter Keywords

family,

love,

androgyny

Length

60-90 minutes

Cast Size

Age of Intended Audience

ages 18 and up

Narrative Attributes

Centers Characters of Color,

Centers Female Characters

Supporting Materials

Script Sample

SVMBR_10_page_excerpt_2021.pdf

Reviews

The Los Angeles Times

“
Deb Hiett’s quirky new culture war satire [is] an amusing and ingenious avenue of self-exploration that for some in the audience will hold a measure of hope in a time of jeopardy.
”
ShowMag.com

“
In 80-quick minutes, Hiett touches on many hot button issues: racism, sexual identity, and the lingering despair that haunts the lives of so many disenfranchised people in our country. The Super Variety Match Bonus Round! doesn’t claim to answer these problems, but its spirit urges us to endure.
”
Stage Raw

“
RECOMMENDED: A lively comedy... hardy laughs... the dialogue is clever!
”
Orlando Weekly

“
By using the trappings of a wacky, campy fantasy, this play addresses sensitive real-life issues with more empathy than many so-called serious shows, and manages to inject a surprising amount of heart along the way.
”
Paul Myrvold's Theatre Notes

“
Deb Hiett’s new play is a seventy-five minute wonder... a delicious, face-paced comedy with a soft, touching heart that comes around full circle—a classic necessity—to a very satisfying conclusion.
”
Stage Scene LA

“
Deb Hiett’s comedy gem will have you laughing out loud, wiping away tears, and standing up to cheer. I can’t think of better theatrical medicine to help heal wounds and bring us together this fall than The Super Variety Match Bonus Round!
”