CONDO-MONIUM
Written by Jennifer Selway
The American premiere of Condo-Monium enjoyed a very successful run at the New Theatre, Kansas City, MO (8th February – 16th April 2023).
This American version of Ovation’s British Farce Flat Out was seen by over 24,000 people during the 10-week run in Kansas City.
New Theatre Producer Joe R. Fox said:
“The show has a slightly edgy vibe, dancing in and around contemporary subjects without taking a definitive position. Oddly enough, even as we are still dealing with tepid audiences coming out of the pandemic, ‘Condo-Monium’ strongly exceeded our sales expectations”.
It is available to licence from Ovation for performances throughout the United States and Canada. i
INTRODUCTION
Condo-Monium is a new comedy (US premiere in 2023) set in a New York crumbling brown-stone block overrun with mice. Throw into the mix – scheming property developers with the intention of turning the building into smart condo units for wealthy investors, a cross-dressing Wall Street banker, a pair of afternoon lovebirds and an over zealous cleaner – to create the perfect scenario for a modern day tale of farce and mistaken identities.
Written by Jennifer Selway
Commissioned, devised and originally directed by John Plews
Cast comprises 4 male & 4 female roles.
Act 1: 55 mins / Act 2: 45 mins (plus an intermission)
SETTING
The setting is the New York apartment of Hugh & Claire Carmichael on the Upper East Side.
The action takes place over two hours and must be played in real time – 12noon to 2pm on a rainy March day in the current year.
STORYLINE
The original play was set in London and should be produced in the style of a farce which is updated for today’s audience. Hugh Carmichael is looking to sub-let the apartment to raise a little extra finance and at the same time his wife Claire, is lending the apartment to her friend Angela, who needs a location for a romantic assignation. Jade the maid pops in at every inconvenient moment during the play witnessing all the comings and goings. The downstairs neighbor, Phil, returns from his second home in Florida but suspiciously without his long-term partner Trudi.
The property developers’ representative, it turns out is having an affair with Hugh Carmichael’s prospective tenant, who is also the daughter of Angela’s would-be lover.
All is resolved after much mistaken identity, cross-dressing, perfectly timed entrances and exits and an infestation of mice.
CONDO-MONIUM - CAST BREAKDOWN
Claire Carmichael: (Upper East Side ‘lady who lunches’)
Playing age: 45 – 55
Hugh Carmichael: (Old-School ‘Wall Street’ Banker)
Playing age: 50 – 60
Angela Crabbe: (Widow, friend of Claire)
Playing age: 35 – 45
Niles Fletcher: (Top flight Attorney – Beau of Angela)
Playing age: 40 – 50
Sandrine Fletcher: (Girlfriend of Tim, Daughter of Niles)
Playing age: 22 – 25
Tim Forrester: (Ambitious Employee of the Property Company)
Playing age: 25 – 30
Phil Gibson: (Shady Downstairs Neighbor)
Playing age: 30 – 40
Jade the Maid: (Crazy lady from Croatia)
Playing age: 25 – 55
CONDO-MONIUM - STAGE SET
The single stage set needs to reflect an Upper East Side apartment living room with a three seater sofa and various tables and chairs. There should be four doors – one to the hallway/one to the bedroom/one to a walk-in closet/one to the kitchen. There should also be a double window that allows access to the scaffolding which can be seen as if it were attached to the outside of the building and the audience can imagine that the scaffolding connects the living room to the bedroom.
WORDING FOR THE PROGRAMME
The action takes place in an apartment on the Upper East Side of NYC.
Act I: 12 Noon – 12.55pm – current year
Intermission
(this can be altered to reflect the theatre’s usual intermission time but the first lines of Act 2 must be altered accordingly).
Act 2: 1.15pm – 2pm
RECORDED MUSIC
As the lights go up there should be a local traffic report to establish the NYC location which mixes into the music track ‘Forever Young’ by Mari Wilson.
BOWS and WALK OUT: Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens (Louis Jordan)
SOUND FX
1) A Door Bell – in the original production this was operated by the actors, however it can be an SFX.
2) Cell phone beep and a voice via speaker phone (which the audience can hear)
3) Rain (light & heavy & thunder)
4) Toilet Flush
RIGHTS
“Condo-Monium” is available for both professional and amateur companies in the USA and the rest of the world.
If you would like to produce “Condo-Monium” please contact John at Ovation’s London office on: +44(0)7973 502 189
email: john@ovationproductions.com