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The Betrothed (Guha)

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w, 1m

Dipika Guha

Theatrically inventive, heightened, lyrical and funny, this existential comedy – in which a young man flies to the Old Country to marry the woman he's been betrothed to since birth – is a comic exploration of gender, sexuality and national identity.

The Betrothed (Guha)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Fable/Folktale
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Simon leaves America for the first time to fly to the Old Country to marry the woman he’s been betrothed to from birth. On arrival, he finds that she is ancient. She insists that she is his betrothed – his only love – and that she aged overnight due to the stress of his anticipated arrival. Horrified by her age and her abundant sexual interest in him, Simon kills her. Derailed by old crones, morally ambiguous clergymen, deceitful babies and barnyard animals, Simon must navigate a world where murder, ghostly possession and rampant cuckoldry wreak havoc with his sense of reality. The Betrothed is an existential comedy with a fairy tale heart.

History
The Betrothed premiered at Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre in Wellfleet, MA on 4 August 2011. The play was subsequently produced at Chester Theatre in Chester, MA on 15 August 2012.
Performing Groups
SIMON – Mid 30s, an American man, a virgin, existentially anxious, his favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally
ANNA CECILIA RASHEEDA SILOSA HANGI MARIA – As old as possible for a woman on stage, arises from a dark, mythical East European country, has never seen a movie but has lived the life of several
RASHEEDA ANNA CECILIA SILOSA HANGI MARIA – Mid 30s (although insists she is in her early twenties), daughter to ANNA CECILIA stunning, a model (played by the same actor as ANNA CECILIA), does not like movies
SOLOMON – Late 50s, handsome, dirt underneath his fingernails, speaks with an accent of a man from a mythical East European country who has spent his life watching American movies like Die Hard and The Godfather
THE SON – Early teens, SIMON’s son (played by the same actor who plays SOLOMON) wants to be in the movies someday
GONAN – Late 50s, SOLOMON’s best friend and worst enemy, a fan of silent comedies
THE PRIEST – Late 40s, the local priest, has recently got into watching American teen shows like 90210 and The Hills (played by the same actor as GONAN)
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting Various locations, including an aeroplane, a graveyard, the afterlife, a home. The present.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“A whimsical tour of the supernatural.” – The Boston Globe
“There's a lot of magic realism in it. It isn't bound by what we typically think of as reality so, it makes it magical. I think it is an alive, funny, and deep play.” – Byam Stevens, Artistic Director of Chester Theater Company

Licensing & Materials

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

Scripts

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Authors

Dipika Guha

Dipika Guha

Dipika Guha was born in Calcutta and raised in Russia and the UK. Her plays include Yoga Play (South Coast Rep, SF Playhouse, Playmakers Rep & others), The Art of Gaman (Theatre 503, London) and Unreliable (Kansas City Rep). She was the inaugural recipient of the Shakespeare’ ...

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