Variations in the Key of Laura

by Dan West

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Laura and Dean love each other. That has never really been the problem. What is the problem resists easy diagnosis - it lives somewhere in the silences, the small failures, the distance that grows between the couch and the loveseat. Structured as a theatrical sonata in eight movements, "Variations in the Key of Laura" is a chamber drama for two actors that finds the full weight of a...

TEN-MINUTE PLAY: Laura and Dean love each other. That has never really been the problem. What is the problem resists easy diagnosis - it lives somewhere in the silences, the small failures, the distance that grows between the couch and the loveseat. Structured as a theatrical sonata in eight movements, "Variations in the Key of Laura" is a chamber drama for two actors that finds the full weight of a relationship in a single living room, a coffee table, and a letter that might be better off unopened

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Variations in the Key of Laura

Recommended by

  • Donald Loftus: Variations in the Key of Laura by Dan West
    “

    Dan West's "Variations in the Key of Laura" is a deeply moving theatrical meditation on love, memory, depression, and the quiet unraveling of a marriage. The final image lands with devastating simplicity, leaving the audience to contemplate all the words spoken and unspoken.

    Dan West's "Variations in the Key of Laura" is a deeply moving theatrical meditation on love, memory, depression, and the quiet unraveling of a marriage. The final image lands with devastating simplicity, leaving the audience to contemplate all the words spoken and unspoken.

    ”
  • Caden Barley: Variations in the Key of Laura by Dan West
    “

    "Variations in the Key of Laura" is an gripping read. West had me hanging onto every word, both said and unsaid, and I couldn't look away as the chasm between Laura and Dean grew wider and wider. Brief yet deeply impactful.

    "Variations in the Key of Laura" is an gripping read. West had me hanging onto every word, both said and unsaid, and I couldn't look away as the chasm between Laura and Dean grew wider and wider. Brief yet deeply impactful.

    ”
  • Mathew Green: Variations in the Key of Laura by Dan West
    “

    For a 10-minute play to claim that it will find "the full weight of a relationship" in such a short span of time is ambitious, but this one does it. Using silence as intentionally as dialogue, West delivers a meditation on one marriage that could stand in for many. Thoughtfully observed and aching with heart and regret.

    For a 10-minute play to claim that it will find "the full weight of a relationship" in such a short span of time is ambitious, but this one does it. Using silence as intentionally as dialogue, West delivers a meditation on one marriage that could stand in for many. Thoughtfully observed and aching with heart and regret.

    ”
View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

  • Laura
    30s
    Female
  • Dean
    Laura's husband
    30s
    Male