I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  1w, 1m, 1any gender (adult)

Samantha Hurley

It’s 2004, and 14-year-old Shelby Hinkley has kidnapped Tobey Maguire, at the height of his career, to force him into marrying her. Samantha Hurley’s laugh-out-loud dark comedy, steeped in Y2K nostalgia, explodes our para-social relationships and the obsessions that detonate them.

Image: 2023 Off-Broadway Production (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 1m, 1any gender (adult)
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

To cope with the absence of her father, neglect from her mother, and ridicule by her classmates, eighth grader Shelby Hinkley has put all of her time and energy into the only thing that matters in 2004: Spiderman. When leading a devout online fan club proves insufficient to her needs, Shelby decides to risk it all for love, kidnap famous actor Tobey Maguire, and marry him in her basement. Her fantasies of happily ever after start to crumble as she realizes Tobey may not be the charismatic heartthrob she thinks she knows. A Y2K farce, I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is a full-throttle explosion of our para-social relationships and the obsessions that detonate them.

Author Samantha Hurley writes: “This is for the girlies who were writing One Direction fan fiction and also for One Direction, hiding in the back of restaurants, sprinting to the car to avoid the aforementioned girlies. This is for anyone who has ever kissed a glossy Tiger Beat poster in their room – and also for Zac Efron, who undoubtedly has to put up with many people saying that they used to kiss posters of him.”

History
I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire premiered at the cell theatre in New York City on 8 July 2023. Directed by Tyler Struble, the production featured Tessa Alberston, Scott Thomas and Janae Robinson.
Keywords
Performing Groups

SHELBY HINKLEY – 14, female, awkward, intense. The girl in middle school who eats lunch by herself in the bathroom. Most important things to her are Tobey Maguire and Cosmopolitan Magazines.
TOBEY MAGUIRE – 28-29, male, the famous actor, late twenties. In the height of his Spiderman fame. Nasty alcoholic and drug addict. Also doubles as Shelby’s Father.
ACTOR 3 – Plays the roles of Brenda Dee Cankles, Tobey Maguire Posters, Shelby’s Mom, Paparazzi. Can be played by an actor of any gender and expression.

  • Time Period New Millennium/21st Century
  • Setting A suburban basement in South Dakota that doubles as Shelby's bedroom. 2004.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Drugs
    • Intense Adult Themes
    • Strong Language
    • Smoking

Media

“Uproarious... imaginative and original, cutting-edge hilarious and thoughtfully provocative.” – DC Theater Arts

“Zany Y2K farce... the offbeat three-hander is not just completely uproarious, but also provides insights into the psychological and emotional trauma that outsiders like Shelby suffer... I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire is everything off-off-Broadway should be – imaginative and original, cutting-edge hilarious and thoughtfully provocative.” – DC Theater Arts

“Sharp and funny... Samantha Hurley’s witty and unexpectedly moving play imagines more beyond a simple lunatic psycho torture tale – although it definitely has fun flirting with that too, and tweaking our nerves accordingly.” – Daily Beast

★★★★★ “It’s a wild and wonderful ride! A delightful modern-day farce about movie-star worship, kidnapping, fandom, the anxiety of teens, the horror of school, parents and desperately searching for self, sure to put a smile on your face.” – Front Row Center

“Playwright Samantha Hurley does beautiful justice to the life and times (and the inner workings of the mind) of this early teen with not a lot going on but for her own fantasy world and self-importance in the face of neglect, emptiness and lack of love.” – TheatreScene.net

“Outrageous... The playwright goes as all in on every comedic idea (some brilliant, some cockamamie) as Shelby, while examining the destabilizing effects of neglect and loneliness and how they intersect with the destabilizing effects of fame and money.” – Theater Pizzazz

“It’s brazen, it’s absurdly funny, and it just might be the star of this wild summer season.” – Theatre and Tonic

“A witty and comedic piece of theatre.” – Theatre Weekly

Videos

  • I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire featured on NY1 youtube thumbnail

    I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire featured on NY1

Photos

  • I'm Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire

    Image: 2023 Off-Broadway Production (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Licensing & Materials

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

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Authors

Samantha Hurley

Samantha Hurley
Samantha Hurley is a Maine-raised playwright. She has a degree in theatre studies from Ithaca College. Her original works have been performed at the UCB theatre, Nancy Manocherian's the cell theatre, Characters Welcome, PIT and Brooklyn Comedy Collective.
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