Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts

L is a stoner with social anxiety, Harold is an aspiring ballerina, and their mother is a woman from another time. Driven by archaic dreams for her children, all Mamma wants is for a man to marry L to rescue the family from financial ruin. So when a big, burly traveler turns up at their doorstep, she thinks her prayers have been answered. But it is Harold, her tutu-wearing son, who seems most attracted to this...

L is a stoner with social anxiety, Harold is an aspiring ballerina, and their mother is a woman from another time. Driven by archaic dreams for her children, all Mamma wants is for a man to marry L to rescue the family from financial ruin. So when a big, burly traveler turns up at their doorstep, she thinks her prayers have been answered. But it is Harold, her tutu-wearing son, who seems most attracted to this strange man, while L, her chronically online “daughter,” doesn’t seem to want him – but wants to become him.

By turns raucous, poetic, touching, and dangerous, Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts riffs on Tennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie in this story of two queer siblings yearning to be understood.

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Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts

Recommended by

  • Simon J.O. Martin: Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts

    A dazzling and evocative that had me gagged! John Anthony's poetic language and keen sense of theatricality is whimsical and raw; it's one of the most unique theatergoing experiences I've had the pleasure of witnessing. The ballet sequence is worth the price of admission alone! John Anthony is a creative powerhouse that demands your attention!

    A dazzling and evocative that had me gagged! John Anthony's poetic language and keen sense of theatricality is whimsical and raw; it's one of the most unique theatergoing experiences I've had the pleasure of witnessing. The ballet sequence is worth the price of admission alone! John Anthony is a creative powerhouse that demands your attention!

  • Adam Hunter Howard: Frou-Frou: A Menagerie of Sorts

    I had the privilege of seeing this play produced at the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena. Balancing emulation with powerful originality, you are in for a treat.

    I had the privilege of seeing this play produced at the Boston Court Theatre in Pasadena. Balancing emulation with powerful originality, you are in for a treat.

Character Information

  • L
    A stoner with social anxiety.
    Character Age
    20-25
    Character Gender Identity
    Non-binary -- assigned female at birth,
    Trans or genderqueer,
    Transmasculine
  • Mamma
    A woman from another time.
    Character Age
    50s
    Character Gender Identity
    Cis female
  • Harold
    An aspiring ballerina.
    Character Age
    25-35
    Character Gender Identity
    Cis male
  • Man
    A disturbance.
    Character Age
    35-45
    Character Gender Identity
    Cis male

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Boston Court Pasadena, Year 2024
  • Type Reading, Organization Boston Court Pasadena's Playwrights Group, Year 2023

Production History

  • Type Professional, Organization Boston Court Pasadena, Year 2025

Awards

  • Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    Semi-Finalist
    2021