A Quiet Homily
by Michael Edison Hayden

"He felt strong enough to clear out the whole office single-handed. His body ached to do something, to rush out and revel in violence. All the indignities of his life enraged him. ... Could he ask the cashier privately for an advance? No, the cashier was no good, no damn good: he wouldn't give an advance. ... He knew where he would meet the boys: Leonard and O'Halloran and Nosey Flynn. The barometer of his emotional nature was set for a spell of riot." - from "Counterparts" by James Joyce

Performed June 8-10, 2003
at ManhattanTheatreSource as a part of their FlopNight Development Series

Cast (in order of appearance)

Crew

Synopsis

Tom and Warren, childhood friends now working dead-end jobs in New York, take a Memorial Day trip to Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Although Warren is looking for a quiet time alone with his friend, Tom is determined to squeeze every last drop of fun from his weekend and has invited his long-time crush Cynthia and her cousin Lee, two independently wealthy young women living in Virginia.

Tom and Cynthia seem destined for happiness together but rapidly expose the subtle but marked differences between them. At the same time, Warren and Lee attempt to overcome their past disappointments and discover each other. Against the oneiric backdrop of Boothbay, these four people push themselves and each other out of their usual routines and into a liminal state, standing on the cusp of major change.

Upon returning to New York, Tom and Warren struggle with the prospect of resuming their workaday lives, having been placed into the context of a much larger world. With their thoughts and emotions stirred, they go back to the office wondering what is truly valuable in life and, once you decide that, how do you go about achieving it?

Photos

Press

Playbill Online - Twentysomethings Wonder What It's All About in Off-Off-Bway's Quiet Homily, June 8-10