A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Cemetery Club

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  4w, 1m

Three Jewish widows meet once a month for tea before going to visit their husbands' graves.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy

Details

Summary

Three Jewish widows meet once a month for tea before going to visit their husbands’ graves. Ida is sweet tempered and ready to begin a new life; Lucille is a feisty embodiment of the girl who just wants to have fun; and Doris is priggish and judgmental, particularly when Sam the butcher enters the scene. He meets the widows while visiting his wife’s grave. Doris and Lucille squash the budding romance between Sam and Ida. They are guilt-stricken when this nearly breaks Ida’s heart. The Broadway production starred Eileen Heckart as Lucille. It was made into a film, starring Ellen Burstyn, Dianne Ladd, and Olympia Dukkakis.

History
The Cemetery Club opened on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York City on May 12, 1990. This production was originally presented by Howard Hurst, Philip Rose, Sophie Hurst, and David Brown at the Kennedy Center for the Perfroming Arts in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 1990. It was directed by Pamela Berlin.
IDA
LUCILLE
DORIS
SAM
MILDRED

All characters are in their late fifties to early sixties.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting Mid-Autumn, the present. The living room of Ida's house and a cemetery in Forest Hills, Queens.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

"Funny, sweet tempered, moving." - Boston Globe

"Very touching and humorous. An evening of pure pleasure that will make you glad you went to the theatre." -Washington Journal Newspapers

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Ivan Menchell

Ivan Menchell's Broadway credits include Bonnie & Clyde (book), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (additional material), and The Cemetery Club.  Off-Broadway/Tours include Smiling Through (book), The Prince & The Pauper (book), The Surprise Party.  For the screen, Mr. Menchell wrote an ...
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