Random House -- hc
New York -- ©1968 -- 95pp
A neurotic, nebbish man tries to get over his wife's leaving him by dating again. His close friends, a married couple, assist him, lining up dates. His imagination assists and hinders him, in the identities of Humphrey Bogart and his ex-wife.
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I can't believe I'd never read this, and I'm not sure I've ever seen the movie. However, I really liked the play.
Although much of this is dated fairly specifically to the 1960's/70's, the basic story and comedy still works.
It would be difficult to set this in modern day -- why would the attorney be constantly calling in to let his office know where to reach him -- just open up the cell phone. And yet, if he isn't constantly calling his office, the set-up that he ignores his wife is lost.
And of course, there's the discotheque. ... A 'discotheque'?!?!
The biggest challenge to staging this as a play, however, is finding a non-Woody Allen type to play a very Woody Allen character. Although this is such a typical vehicle for Allen, and it's hard to read without picture him in the role, the character really is any man with low self-esteem. Finding THAT, I think, is better than trying to play it as Woody Allen.
A rich comedy, steeped in the late 1960's, but worth reading/staging.
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