THE STORY: Comprised of a series of brisk, kaleidoscopic scenes, the play begins as Wallace, now a handsome young man of eighteen, hurls a ripe tomato at a pretty young woman dressed all in white while declaiming “I love you.” We then move back in time to when Wallace, six years of age, is sent off to school by his mother—who then proceeds to slit her own throat. Wallace finds her body, a shock which continues to haunt his relationships with the other women who come into his life as he grows up, including his crusty, wise grandmother; the girl who swipes his peanut butter and banana sandwich at school and later browbeats him into his first kiss; the psychiatrist who tries to help him exorcise his troubling memories; and the knowing senior who provides his sexual initiation while he is a college freshman. All of the characters, in the end, contribute to the mosaic which captures with such eloquence and wit all the fears and joys and uncertainties which mark Wallace’s progress towards manhood.
A remarkable first play, written when the author was eighteen, and produced in New York as part of the 7th Annual Young Playwrights Festival at Playwrights Horizons. Fast moving, and very funny, the play traces the growing up of a young man who must deal both with his mother’s suicide and with the sometimes unsettling attentions of the various females who come into his life.
“…a deeply felt play with an original and impressive comic edge. Sherman’s is indeed a fresh, remarkably mature voice.” —New York Daily News.
“WOMEN AND WALLACE is without doubt one of the strongest one-acts to come along in a long time. The play is startling, fresh and wise in its verbal dexterity and its knowledge of characterizations.” —Backstage.
“…unmistakably the work of a talented writer—examining his feelings, experimenting with language, making psychological pain play on stage.” —Village Voice.
