The Mystery of Love & Sex

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Mystery of Love & Sex

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  2w, 3m

Bathsheba Doran

An unexpected love story about where souls meet and the consequences of growing up.

The Mystery of Love & Sex

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary
Deep in the American South, Charlotte and Jonny have been best friends since they were nine. She’s Jewish, he’s Christian; he’s black, she’s white. Their differences intensify their connection, until sexual desire complicates everything in surprising, compulsive ways. An unexpected love story about where souls meet and the consequences of growing up.

History
The Mystery of Love and Sex premiered in New York City at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre at the Lincoln Center in February of 2015, under the direction of Sam Gold.
Keywords
Performing Groups
CHARLOTTE
JONNY
HOWARD
LUCINDA
HOWARD’S FATHER

Charlotte and her parents, Lucinda and Howard, are Caucasian. Lucinda is a Southerner. Howard is a New York transplant. At the top of the play Charlotte is twenty-one years old. Jonny is African-American and the same age as Charlotte.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
  • Setting The play takes place on the outskirts of major cities in the American south.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Drugs
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Nudity/Partial Nudity
    • Smoking

Media

"Perfectly wonderful! Among the season's finest plays. It is tender, funny, packed with humanity and brimming with surprising revelations. Bathsheba Doran has written a play with such compassion and wry wisdom that I emerged from the theater into yet another frigid day feeling warmed from within." - The New York Times

"Wise and exquisitely crafted." - Time Out New York

"The best new play of this young year." - Deadline.com

Videos

  • Mystery of Love and Sex Lincoln Center Montage youtube thumbnail

    Mystery of Love and Sex Lincoln Center Montage

  • Bathsheba Doran on The Mystery of Love and Sex youtube thumbnail

    Bathsheba Doran on The Mystery of Love and Sex

  • Bathsheba Doran on the characters in The Mystery of Love and Sex youtube thumbnail

    Bathsheba Doran on the characters in The Mystery of Love and Sex

  • Actor Mamoudou Athie on The Mystery of Love and Sex youtube thumbnail

    Actor Mamoudou Athie on The Mystery of Love and Sex

Licensing & Materials

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

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Bathsheba Doran

Bathsheba Doran
Bathsheba Doran’s play THE MYSTERY OF LOVE AND SEX received its world premiere at Lincoln Center this spring under the direction of Sam Gold, starring Diane Lane and Tony Shalhoub. Her critically acclaimed play KIN received its world premiere in spring 2011 at Playwrights Hor ...
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