A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Something Fishy

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  2w, 3m

In this timely political farce, presidential candidate Raymond Bream comes back to his hometown of Port Pilchard to make a major announcement that will likely win him the election. Meanwhile, the incumbent, President Weever, has sent a couple of henchmen to town to prevent Bream from making his speech – by any means necessary.

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

Details

Summary

In this timely political farce, presidential candidate Raymond Bream comes back to his hometown of Port Pilchard to make a major announcement that will likely win him the election. Meanwhile, the incumbent, President Weever, has sent a couple of henchmen to town to prevent Bream from making his speech – by any means necessary. The showdown takes place on the stage of the local community center where an amateur theatre troupe is about to open their latest production, The Vicar’s Knickers. As the world of politics encounters its natural cousin – the world of farce – everyone is forced to don disguises and take on numerous roles, and suddenly no one is who they appear to be. Will Bream get to the podium to make his speech, or will the president’s hatchet men win the day?

History
Something Fishy was commissioned by Lighthouse Festival Theatre in Port Dover, Ontario, Canada and received its premiere production on 30 June 2016. Directed by Marcia Kash, the production featured Brad Rudy, Kaitlyn Riordan Andrea Risk, Nigel Bennett and Matt Gorman.
Cast Attributes

Something Fishy has 14 characters who are designed to be played by five actors. The breakdown is as follows:

ACTOR 1
RAYMOND BREAM – Mid-40s to mid-50s; a successful career politician running for office; handsome and charismatic.
ROLAND BREAM – Raymond’s identical twin brother; an actor in the Port Pilchard Players (PPP); a shaggy, unkempt but likeable loser.
DR. ZINGEL – 60ish; a stereotypical German scientist in a lab coat and Einstein hair.

ACTOR 2
LORENA – Late 30s; Raymond’s campaign manager; attractive, Puerto Rican, speaks English fluently but with a pronounced accent.
MOLLY – 30s; stage manager for the PPP; quintessential stage manager type: overworked and undervalued, but good at her job.
JUDY – 40ish; one of the PPP actors; opinionated, very full of herself, has an air of superiority about her.

ACTOR 3
PENELOPE – 50s; a Southern belle and artistic director of the PPP; warm, outgoing, a mother hen.
MANDY – Older than Penelope but trying desperately to look 25 years younger; an actor in the company; vain, voluptuous, oversexed.
WEEVER – 50 to 60; an unscrupulous, power-hungry, buttoned-up politician and Bream’s opponent in the election.

ACTOR 4
GILL – Late 40s to 50s; Weever’s hatchet man, a hard-boiled, old-school backroom political operative.
COLIN – 50s; an affable, enthusiastic actor in the PPP.

ACTOR 5
SHARKEY – 30s; Gill’s partner in crime, new to the political game but an avid pupil.
WHITING – Late 20s; cub reporter for a right-wing news website, tenacious, ambitious, cynical.
CLARK – 30s; another PPP stalwart; a mild-mannered, good-natured, loyal friend of Colin’s.

  • Time Period Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Elaborate/High-Volume Costumes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Skewers politics, politicians, the media, environmental and economic issues, and even community theatre itself.” – The Simcoe Reformer
“A great catch!... It skewers politics, politicians, the media, environmental and economic issues, and even community theatre itself.” – The Simcoe Reformer

Licensing & Materials

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

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Authors

Marcia Kash

Marcia Kash has 11 shows to her credit, including For This Moment Alone, Discovering Elvis and five plays with longtime collaborator Douglas E. Hughes. Their first play, Who’s Under Where?, has been translated into six languages and is currently enjoying its first Polish lang ...
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Douglas E. Hughes

As well as the five plays he’s written with his cohort Marcia Kash, Douglas E. Hughes has written two short plays for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Debussy: At Sea and The Talking Cure; a one-act comedy, Taken For Granted; three screenplays, Hearing Trouble, Star Struck and ...

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