''Cul-de-sac'' is a play by American playwright

John Cariani John Edward Cariani (born July 23, 1969) is an American actor and playwright. Cariani is best known as the unwavering forensic expert Julian Beck in ''Law & Order''. On stage, he earned a Tony Award nomination for his role as Motel the Tailor in t ...

. ''Cul-de-sac'' premiered

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in April 2006.

Plot

The play tells the story of three small-time suburban families: the Smiths, Johnsons, and Joneses. These neighbors put significant amount of effort to appear happy.

Production history

''Cul-de-sac'' premiered

in April 2006 in a

Transport Group Transport Group Theatre Company is a non-profit, off-Broadway theatre company in New York City that stages new works and revivals of plays and musicals, with a focus on American stories told in visually progressive way. History Transport Group was ...

production, with Jack Cummings III as director and featuring Cariani performing as Joe Jones. ''

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'' described ''cul-de-sac'' as "charming, witty and macabre." Variety called the production "challenging" and "original." A production of ''cul-de-sac'' was presented at

High Point University High Point University is a private university in High Point, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The university was founded as High Point College in 1924, and it became High Point University in October 1991. HPU of ...

in April 2016, and the play (directed by Adam Fitzgerald) was performed at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

, New York City, in October 2016. Playbill online reported that he was in the process of revising the piece. Cariani's play was last presented in 2017 at the Half-moon Theater in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...

. The production was directed by Michael Schiralli and featured Michael Borrelli, Katie Hartke, Sean Hayden, Samantha Jones, Molly Renfroe Katz and Bruch Reed. Following massive re-writes, the production premiered at the

Cape Cod Theatre Project The Cape Cod Theatre Project is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 by actors Andrew Polk and Jim Bracchitta, with the mission of collaborating with playwrights, actors, directors, and the public in developing new American plays. The perform ...

in July 2017. Cariani's work was directed by Tony Nominee

Moritz von Stuelpnagel Moritz von Stuelpnagel is an American theatre director. '' Newsday'' has described him as, "best known for having staged blasphemous hand puppets" in '' Hand to God'', for which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 201 ...

and produced by Declan Kunkel. The cast feature
Rachel Botchan
as Diane, Meredith Holzman as Christy, Charles Socarides as James, Torsten Hillhouse as Brian,

Angel Desai Angel Desai is an American actress. Early life and education Desai was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in Binghamton, New York. Her parents are physicians; her father is Indian and her mother is Filipina. She cultivated an early interest in per ...

as Irene, and Justin Hagan as Joe Jones.

References

{{reflist 2006 plays