THE STORY: In the bedroom of a Brooklyn Heights brownstone, three ambitious college freshmen confront the discovery of an unpublished manuscript that can guarantee success. It’s winter break; the parents are out of town; and David is the host of this gathering. His best friend, Chris, is coming over with his new girlfriend from college, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a famous author and David an aspiring one. They’ve come to party before a fancy holiday ball. But when Chris makes a run to get their drugs for the evening it becomes clear that David and Elizabeth have a secret history. To make matters worse, Chris returns with shocking news and a stack of pages that will change their lives forever. It appears that their supplier, a famous and famously reclusive author, has died of a drug overdose. After discovering the body, Chris managed to salvage the only copy of his final work from the scene. As the bright young things scrap over what to do with the manuscript, their plotting is by turns hilarious and startlingly cruel. They spin out of control on their manipulative quest for fame and, ultimately, revenge. Little is what it seems, and no one can be trusted as plot twists pile up, and the play hurtles towards a surprise ending.
“A twisty dark comedy about ambition and ruthlessness, with a fancifully elaborate Hitch-cockian revenge plot up its sleeve.” —Variety.
“Schemes, double crosses, literary ambitions and cool, calculating manipulation: MANUSCRIPT is like
Deathtrap for the prep school set…enough plot twists to keep the audience guessing and engrossed.” —Newsday (NY).
“A wonderfully entertaining comedy filled with crisp, witty dialogue…never misses a beat…the characters exchange one zinger after another while plotting their deception.” —Associated Press.
“Hip, witty and wholly unpredictable.” —Time Out New York.
“About fairness, truth, and the evils of plagiarism…has much to say about the absurd things people will do to make it in the cutthroat world of publishing…delivers true, Hitchcock–style, edge-of-your-seat suspense…a theme-park thrill ride that goes through a maze of twists and bracing turns…many will exit the theater feeling exhilarated.” —Villager.
