THE STORY: In the first section of the play, a Woman enters and embarks on an increasingly frenetic (and funny) recital of the perils and frustrations of daily life in urban America—waiting in line, rude taxi drivers, inane talk shows, and the selfish people who block the aisles in supermarkets. In particular, she is incensed by a man who prevented her from buying a can of tuna fish by standing in her way—and whom she attacked in a fit of pique.
In the second monologue ("Seeking Wild") the Man appears, and while the subjects on which he expounds (nuclear waste, the rigidity of the Catholic Church, particularly in sexual matters, the threat of AIDS) may be broader in context, he also dwells on an incident in a supermarket, when a strange woman hit him over the head in the tuna fish aisle.
In the final portion of the play ("Dreaming Wild") the two protagonists meet at last and reenact the supermarket incident via six varying interpretations; tell us more fully of their overlapping dreams; and then launch into an explosively funny parody of a talk show. In the end the two find an accommodation of sorts as they come together at the Harmonic Convergence in Central Park—both still hoping to instill a sense of optimism and purpose in their lives, but both still skeptical that they will succeed in doing so.
A provocative, inventive, and very funny study of the perils of modern life in urban America. Unique in form, the play consists of two monologues (one for each performer) plus an hilarious playlet which brings the two together and explores more fully the converging dreams and themes set forth in their solo expositions.
“Mr. Durang is one of the funniest men in the world, able to make the audience laugh out loud time and time again, taking us by surprise with his one-of-a-kind jokes and relentless bitter satire.” —The New Yorker.
“At their liveliest, the monologues offer splenetic laughter, imaginatively induced.” —The New York Times.
“The laughs just keep rolling in LAUGHING WILD.” —Variety.
