Side Effects - ePublication
THE STORY: Michael Weller's
Fifty Words culminated in one desperate phone call. SIDE EFFECTS is the story of what happened on the other end of the line. Hugh and Lindy's marriage seems picture-perfect, a beacon in their microcosmic Midwestern world of dinner parties and fundraisers. But, behind closed doors—doors they can barely keep shut—they're falling apart, and Hugh's rising political star is suddenly imperiled.
“…five tumultuous scenes during which each spouse struggles to make sense of their lives, and to understand why the other behaves as they do. The script is filled with emotional twists and turns, and Weller’s charged dialogue generally sounds like real married people do when they fight, with contradictory feelings erupting, and defensive and angry remarks flying.” —Associated Press.
“…unsettling and outrageously gratifying…Weller [has an] acute eye for depicting the rapid, oceanic mood changes between couples nursing an equal measure of desire and disgust for each other…Weller’s battlefronts take place far from wars on the other side of the globe, but his domestic combat leaves behind plenty of internal injuries.” —Time Out New York.
“…never underestimate the author’s ability to spring a surprise. SIDE EFFECTS…has a malicious vitality that will keep you guessing about the fate of the troubled marriage it depicts…Weller has a way of keeping predictability at bay, especially in his presentation of little plot points that turn into big bombshells later on. And, even after Hugh takes drastic measures to preserve some sense of peace, it’s clear that he can’t quite escape Lindy’s allure. As the final scene shows so vividly, he may loathe her craziness, but it also provides with him a sense of illicit excitement, too.” —Lighting and Sound America.
