a 60-minute comedy-drama in English, set in Mary MacLane’s bedroom, Butte, Montana, 1901 and 1932,
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script/rights available from Joan Melcher, 504 Lolo, Missoula, Montana 59802, U.S.A., telephone (work) 406 549-0559, (home) 406 549-0559, fax 405 549-9423.
Dramatis Personae Mary (f), a writer; Devil (m), her partner.
Synopsis “In scene one, 1901, Mary, still in high school, makes entries in her journal. Using the Devil as a metaphor for sex, she is quite willing to be ‘scandalous’ to get her book published. The irreverent journal is published in 1902, and she is widely infamous at the age of 19, becoming the toast of Chicago, Boston and New York. Scene two, 1932, shows the ‘after’ side of her 15 minutes of fame, a much matured MacLane who has retained her rebellious streak but has added to it a humorous, insightful writing style that translates surprisingly well to the stage. She has returned to Butte after living more than a decade in Manhattan because she has found it is the only place she can write. She banters with the male character, who she still thinks is her ‘Devil.’ But he has changed, as he tells her, and when she writes a poignant letter to God, he joins her. They sit for a long talk. Eventually, he leads her to her untimely death.
Comment “This play dramatizes the life of MacLane through her own writings. Her reflections on living as a single woman and probing looks at her own life make for universal appeal. They are as apropos today as they were in her time.”
Themes acquiescence, banter, book, Butte, death, Devil, God, high school, humor, insight, irreverence, journal, letter, Manhattan, metaphor, notoriety, publication, scandal, sex, rebelliousness, writing.
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