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HUMPTY
DUMPTY
I wanted to write a play for my brilliant wife and director, Jo Bonney.
Humpty Dumpty began as something to do with the millenium fears of total tech breakdown, what was known at the time as “Y2K.” We workshopped it at the McCarter and by the spring of 2001 Emily Mann decided that the play would be part of the following year’s schedule. In the fall, the attack on the World Trade Center occurred. Emily decided to press on with the play, now resonant with the fears we felt at that time. I made adjustments as best I could.
—E.B.
Production History
Humpty Dumpty received its world premiere at McCarter Theatre Center (Emily Mann, Artistic Director; Jeffrey Woodward, Managing Director) in Princeton, New Jersey, on March 26, 2002. It was directed by Jo Bonney; the set design was by Robert Brill, the costume design was by Ann Hould-Ward, the lighting design was by Ken Posner, the sound design was by John Gromada; the producing director was Mara Isaacs, the dramaturg was Janice Paran, the director of production was David York and the production stage manager was Cheryl Mintz. The cast was as follows:
NICOLE | Kathryn Meisle |
MAX | Bruce Norris |
TROY | Patrick Fabian |
SPOON | Reiko Aylesworth |
NAT | Michael Laurence |
The Princeton workshop actors were Brienin Bryant, Evan Handler, Marcy Harriell, Jessica Hecht, Danny Hoch, Paul Marcarelli, Zak Orth, Martha Plimpton, Christopher Even Welch and C. J. Wilson.
Humpty Dumpty was subsequently produced at San Jose Repertory Theatre (Timothy Near, Artistic Director; Alexandra Urbanowski, Managing Director) in San Jose, California, on March 28, 2003. It was directed by John McCluggage; the set design was by Douglas Rogers, the costume design was by B. Modern, the lighting design was by Lap-Chi Chu, the sound design was by Steve Schoenbeck and the stage manager was Jenny Friend. The cast was as follows:
NICOLE | Elizabeth Hanly Rice |
MAX | Saxon Palmer |
TROY | Louis Lotorto |
SPOON | Amy Brewczynski |
NAT | Andy Murray |
Characters
NICOLE, a book editor, thirties
MAX, her husband, a novelist, thirties
TROY, Nicole and Max’s friend, a screenwriter, thirties
SPOON, his girlfriend, an actress, thirties
NAT, the caretaker, fifties
Setting
A vacation home in upstate New York. The present.
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ACT ONE
Scene 1
Late afternoon light pours into a roomy vacation home that had once been a barn. The spacious room is furnished with collectible pottery, bookcases and kilim throw rugs. Comfy armchairs, a couch and an oak table face an enormous bluestone fireplace. Elevated about two feet above the space is the kitchen. Behind it, a windowpaned door leads to a glass “mudroom,” porch and the outdoors. An upstage balcony leads to three bedrooms.
Nicole enters from outside wrestling luggage and groceries. She is on her cell phone. Her tone is clipped and brash.
NICOLE (To phone): Right. Uh-huh. No, business-class is fine, I don’t need first. But get me priority check-in no matter what. And did you give them the frequent-flyer number? Oh shit, you’re breaking up . . . damn!
(Nicole puts down the groceries and luggage and finds a good signal for her cell phone. Max arrives with a box of books.)
No there, OK. You ordered the special meal? What? No. That’s not the same. No, cheese is not the same as tofu, Sara. Tell them it has to be totally nondairy. And make sure they have bottled water. If not . . . Hold on Sara. (To Max) What? | MAX: Did you take my laptop out of the car? |
| I can’t find my laptop. |
It’s on your shoulder.
(To phone) We just got here.
Literally just walked in. It’s nice. It’s . . . | (Sees it) Oh, right. |
(Max drops the box of books and heads back out for luggage. Nicole wanders.)
. . . a little weird. But I guess all new places are weird. That’s the definition of weird, ...
