A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Important Hats of the Twentieth Century

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  1w, 8m

Nick Jones

"Part sci-fi parody, part Ayn Rand spoof and 100% screwball comedy, Important Hats...leaves no punchline unpunched." - The Wall Street Journal

Important Hats of the Twentieth Century

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 8m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Farce, Science Fiction
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
Sam Greevy is the toast of 1920s women’s apparel, until the maverick fashion designer Sam Roms springs his radical creations on the world. The Sweatshirt, The Track Suit, Skater Pants: the clothes he comes up with are as from another dimension, and maybe they are. As Greevy tries to adapt to rapidly changing fashions, a parallel drama unfolds in Albany, circa 1998: a teenager stoner keeps losing articles of clothing, and a man keeps bursting out of his closet and taking them.
History

Important Hats of the Twentieth Century premiered at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York City in November 2015.

Keywords
Performing Groups
SAM GREEVY - early-mid thirties
T.B. DOYLE - mid thirties
PAUL ROMS - late twenties-early thirties
DARRYL - man in his early forties
BEV - a woman in her thirties
JONATHAN - a boy of 16
KERN - a New York cop, circa 1937
STAN - an Albany cop, circa 1998
BROOKS - an Albany cop, circa 1998
BILLY BARNES - the editor of the New York Tribune.
REPORTER 1
REPORTER 2
FANNY - the nurse
MARGARET
SECRETARY
PEDESTRAIN
FIREMAN
PROFESSOR CLARK STEWART
MAN IN UNDERSHIRT
WOMEN AT SEWING MACHINES
JIMMY THE BUTTON MAN
DOCTOR CROMWELL
WINSTON DIRK - a radio announcer
JAY GOULD - another radio announcer
MUTANT MONSTER 1
MUTANT MONSTER 2
SMALL CHILD
ABRAHAM LINCOLN
18th CNETURY NOBLEWOMAN
BIBLICAL AGE SHEEP HERDER
TURK FROM THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE
FRENCH CORSAIR
ROMAN SOLDIER
A BUTTERFLY - (puppet)

The casting breakdown for 8 men and 1 woman is as follows:

SAM GREEVY
T.B. DOYLE
PAUL ROMS
KERN / FRENCH CORSAIR
MAN 1: JONATHAN / REPORTER 1 / JAY GOULD / ROMAN SOLDIER
MAN 2: DOCTOR CROMWELL / WINSTON DIRK / BROOKS / SHEEP HERDER
MAN 3: DARRYL / BILLY BARNES / MAN IN UNDERSHIRT / MUTANT MONSTER 1 / FIREMAN / TURK IN OTTOMAN EMPIRE
MAN 4: JIMMY THE BUTTON MAN / REPORTER 2 / STAN / BUTTON MAN / MUTANT MONSTER 2 / PEDESTRIAN / ABRAHAM LINCOLN / PROFESSOR CLARK STEWART
WOMAN: FANNY / BEV / MARGARET / SECRETARY / NOBLEWOMAN 

  • Time Period 1990s, 1930s
  • Setting New York City, 1937 & Albany, 1998.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Puppetry
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Gun Shots
    • Strong Language

Media

REVIEWS 

"Jones hilariously employs the clichés of Hollywood sci-fi and disaster films, complete with pseudoscientific jargon, a deranged villain, and an epic final battle in which the time-traveling convention really gets a workout. It's unapologetically silly fun..." - TheatreMania, Read More 

"Part sci-fi parody, part Ayn Rand spoof and 100% screwball comedy, Important Hats...leaves no punchline unpunched." - The Wall Street Journal, Read More 

"One of the most delightfully original comedies to show up in these parts for far too long a stretch." - The Huffington Post, Read More 


Videos

  • Actor Carson Elrod discusses Important Hats of the Twentieth Century youtube thumbnail

    Actor Carson Elrod discusses Important Hats of the Twentieth Century

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

Available Formats:
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Authors

Nick Jones

Nick Jones
Nick Jones is a Los Angeles based writer. His play TREVOR has won numerous awards and is widely produced. His play THE COWARD received its world premiere at Lincoln Center Theater’s LCT3 in winter 2010, under the direction of Sam Gold. Other plays include VERITE, and IMPORTAN ...
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