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Mark O'Donnell

MARK O'DONNELL

  
Nationality:    USA
email:    n/a     Website:    n/a

Literary Agent:    n/a

Mark O'Donnell received the 2003 Tony Award for Hairspray. His plays includeThat's It, Folks!; Fables for Friends; the Nice and the Nasty; Strangers on Earth; Vertigo Park; and the musical Tots in Tinseltown. He collaborated with Bill Irwin on an adaptation of Moliere's Scapin and co-authored a translation of Feydeau's A Flea in Her Ear. He has published two collections of comic stories Elementary Education and Vertigo Park and Other Tales (both Knopf) as well as two novels, Getting Over Homer andLet Nothing You Dismay (both in Vintage paperback). His humor, cartoons, and poetry have appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Atlantic, andEsquire. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship and the George S. Kaufman Award.

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below is a list of Mark O'Donnell's plays - click on a Play Title for more information

         Best Of Schools         Cry-Baby         Fables For Friends         Flea In Her Ear, A         Hairspray         Marred Bliss         Nice And the Nasty, The         Scapin         Strangers On Earth         That's It , Folks!         there Shall Be No Bottom (a bad play for worse actors)         Tresspassions         Tower Near Paris, A
Best Of Schools

Best Of Schools
Dangerous liaisons among six students during their first term at a French Ivy League school

Notes:
Original Playwright - Jean-Marie Besset

1st Produced:
Ubu Repertory Theatre     1993

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
UBU Repertory theater (January 1, 1993)   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Cry-Baby

Cry-Baby
Baltimore, 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism, and Wade "Cry-Baby" Walker is the coolest boy in town. He's a bad boy with a good cause-truth, justice, and the pursuit of rock n roll-and when he falls for a good girl who wants to be bad, her charm school world of bobby sox and barbershop quartets will never be the same. Wayward youth, juvenile delinquents, sexual repression, cool music, dirty lyrics, bizarre rejects. . .Finally, the '50s come to life! For real this time!
- press release

Notes:
on the John Waters film of the same name. book by Mark O'Donnell & Thomas Meehan; music And lyrics by David Javerbaum & Adam Schlesinger

1st Produced:
Marquis Theatre, NY     2008

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
Original cast recording: Broadway Records 2015

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  4            Female:  4            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Fables For Friends

Synopsis:
Consisting of nine related sketches, with each performer playing a variety of roles, the play highlights the trials and tribulations of growing up in modern America. the episodes range from a hilarious "secret society" ritual where two teenage boys initiate another (somewhat reluctant) boy into their select number, to a gently humorous examination of college students being very adult about things intellectual while fumbling a bit in their relations with the opposite sex; to a young bride panicked by the thought of actually going off to live with her new husband; to a marvelously perceptive study of young couples who periodically "freeze" in mid-conversation to tell the audience how secretly miserable they really are. Each scene is, in fact, a self-contained, complete playlet (perfect for scene work) but, taken together, they blend into a rich and Dramatically vivid mosaic in which the whole is a great deal more than the sum of its parts.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy Drama Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Flea In Her Ear, A

Synopsis:
-

Notes:
Original Playwright - Jean-Marie Besset. An adaptation of "A Flea In Her Ear" by Georges Feydeau

1st Produced:
Roundabout Theatre, New York     1998

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Translation

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Hairspray

Hairspray
Set in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1962, Hairspray tells the story of Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with big hair and an even bigger heart who has only one passion--to dance. She wins a spot on the local TV dance program, "the Corny Collins Show," and overnight is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. But can a trendsetter in dance and fashion vanquish the program's reigning princess, win the heart of heartthrob Link Larkin, and integrate a television show without denting her 'do?
nytheatre.com

Notes:
lyrics by Marc Shaiman And Scott Wittman; music by Marc Shaiman; book by Mark O'Donnell And Thomas Meehan

1st Produced:
Neil Simon Theatre, NY     15 Aug 2002

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Applause Books (April 1, 2003)   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Musical

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  large mixed cast

Further Reference:

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Marred Bliss

Synopsis:
A newly wed couple are visited by their vengeful exes. Everyone talks in malApropisms

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in: "Take Ten II - More Ten Minute Plays" published by Vintage Books 2003   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Ten minute play

Parts:
Male:  2            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Nice And the Nasty, The

Synopsis:
Food Technology, a giant conglomerate, is being run by Cathexa Heitz, daughter of the aged founder, Hobart Heitz, (who has retreated to his enormous estate with his second wife, a teenaged ex-porn star) with the advice and counsel of the ruthless Blade Crevvis (who has an adjoining skyscraper torn down because it reflects the sun in his eyes). Into Cathexa's life comes an ingenuous young scientist, Junius Upsey, who has invented a cellophane helmet that converts the sun's rays into nourishment, thereby obviating the need for conventional food. Cathexa and her Father are taken with Junius and his invention, but Blade (who is secretly plotting to destroy mankind) definitely is not-which leads to the frantic hilarity that ensues as Blade and his evil assistant, Smurgison, seek to remove this obstacle to their nefarious plans. Happily all works out for the best, thanks to the last minute intervention of a deus ex machina and the diligent efforts of a ten-year-old reporter, who has become the most popular anchorman on TV because "everybody trusts a kid."

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Hyperbolic Potboiler

Parts:
Male:  8            Female:  3            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Scapin

Synopsis:
the crafty Scapin, servant to the household of Geronte, jumps into the story as he first promises to help in the affairs of his neighbor's son, Octave, then to aid in those of his own charge, Leander (Geronte's son). Both young men have fallen in love with unlikely, and penniless beauties, and both need money to help solve their dilEmmas. Scapin knows a good ruse will always win the day and he drafts Sylvestre, Octave's servant, into his schemes. Convincing Sylvestre he's a wonderful actor (and allowing him to build characterizations using movie cliches), Scapin has him play characters who will deceive the family patriarchs into parting with large sums of money. the final scene of the first act is a vaudeville/music hall version of Moliere's famous scene in which Scapin spins a tale of kidnapping, foreigners and ransom. Once the money is obtained, however, Scapin pushes further in order to exact a little revenge on those he's served. Thinking Geronte has said something nasty about him, Scapin sets out to teach him a lesson. the roguish words, however, are Scapin's own lies and stories finally coming back to him, his revenge backfires and he must flee. In the end however, Scapin's schemes aid in revealing the penniless beauties to be the exact right mates for the young charges-being of high birth after all since they are discovered to be the missing children of both patriarchs-and Scapin returns to his post, with the pleasant punishment of having to marry the maidservant of one of the daughters. there is a final chase and dance among all the participants, which, inevitably, becomes the raucous, delightful curtain call.

Notes:
Original Playwright - Moliere. Written by Bill Irwin And Mark O'Donnell

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY, 1997   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Adaptation

Parts:
Male:  7            Female:  3            Other:  flexible

Further Reference:
-

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Strangers On Earth

Synopsis:
Priss, a high-strung, beautiful Boston heiress, rents a rundown New York apartment with her sardonic Radcliffe roommate, Margaret. Each befriends Pony, a confused would-be actor and Mormon folk singer from Utah whose painfully repressed background leaves him vulnerable to imprinting romantically on anyone who takes an interest in him. the problem is that Pony really wants Hank, Priss' wanna-be-Republican boyfriend and boss. Hank is fond of Pony but finds little time to maintain a friendship with him, let alone a relationship with Priss. Though Hank and Priss finally go their separate ways, Hank and Pony achieve professional success while crossing paths along the way. On the other end of the spectrum is Margaret's edgy courtship with Mutt, a slobbish but engaging handy man who's been hired to remodel the apartment. Doubting even the minutest possibility that a worthwhile relationship exists, Margaret deliberately fences herself off from sex and emotional entanglement with a nonstop barrage of self-deprecating, intellectual banter whose withering effect almost succeeds in leaving her isolated and yearning for more. Mutt, constantly intrigued by Margaret, perseveres through his own emotional landmine, to win Margaret over to see his side and to start living with him. Through it all, these achingly recognizable characters display a bittersweet appreciation of half-happy endings and the truest survival skills of the socially satiric.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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That's It , Folks!

Synopsis:
Set on "the last day on earth," this explosive farce details the reactions of a particularly zany household to the unexpected news that the world is about to end-first their disbelief and then their relief that they will no longer have to worry about refilling ice trays. Among those present are Eden, a pure-spirited girl who is trying to communicate with other planets so that she can exchange recipes; her boyfriend, Otis, a satanist who speaks in verse and aspires to become the Antichrist's personal secretary; a suicidal nymphomaniac who works for a fashion magazine which is all cover and no text; her last pick-up, Zed, a money-mad opportunist whose ambition is to be a magazine cover boy; and a senile ghost who cannot quite grasp the fact that he is dead. As promised the world does expire, with distant planets looming into view; ominous radio voices broadcasting doomsday reports; two hard-hatted angels industriously sweeping up the post-apocalypse detritus; and, in the end, one lone, dazed survivor (Zed) left behind trying to figure out what went wrong-and why.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
-    

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Dramatists Play Service, NY,    

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Comedy

Parts:
Male:  6            Female:  2            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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there Shall Be No Bottom (a bad play for worse actors)

Synopsis:
Jeff misinterprets his lines, Joe skips large sections of dialogue, Jane tries to hold the production together, and the fourth actor's stuck in traffic. Poor acting is afoot as three actors and a stage manager attempt to perform a drawing room Drama.

Notes:
-

1st Produced:
Playwrights Horizons (New York, NY, United States)     2005

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Playscripts, Inc - New York   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
10-20 min Comedy

Parts:
Male:  3            Female:  1            Other:  3 males, 1 female

Further Reference:
-

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Tresspassions

Synopsis:
Audience members enter one of several phone booths, pick up the receiver and listen to a three-minute play unfold in conversation

Notes:
-

1st Produced:

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
-   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Phone Play

Parts:
Male:  -            Female:  -            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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Tower Near Paris, A

Synopsis:
A group of friends are seeing in 1977 in Jean and Luc's high rise apartment. Jean and Luc bicker then they take a shower leave the door open and have sex. Acid head Daphnee has murdered her daughter and plans to smuggle the body into the US when she returns. Michelene is an outrageous drag queen has brought a young gay Arab boy with him - Ahmed. Ahmed kills a boa constrictor that has come up out of the toilet. He makes a meal out of it together with a rat the boa had swallowed. A helicopter crashes into the high rise opposite and it catches fire. Daphnee decides to turn herself in. Jean agrees to drive everyone to the police station but instead drives into the burning building and kills everyone. Michelene and Ahmed did not go with them. They discover they both have apartments in the same tower block

Notes:
Original Playwright: Copi. Original title: "La Tour de la Defense"

1st Produced:
-     1989

Organisations:
-

1st Published:
Contained in "Gay Plays an International Anthology" published by UbuRepertory Theater Publications 1989   

Music:
-

To Buy This Play:
If Publisher (above) is underlined then the play may be purchased by direct click from the Publisher, otherwise (below) are AbeBooks for secondhand, signed & 1st eds and other Booksellers for new copies

Booksellers:

Genre:
Gay absurdist full length

Parts:
Male:  5            Female:  1            Other:  -

Further Reference:
-

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