''Line'' is a 1967
one-act play by
Israel Horovitz, his first play produced. It is an
absurdist drama about 5 people waiting in line for an event (what event it is, is never made clear—several of the characters' stated expectations contradict the others). Each of the characters uses their wiles in an attempt to be first in line, getting more and more vicious as the play continues.
A revival of ''Line'' is the longest-running
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway theatre, Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commerc ...
show on the boards, having played continuously at the
13th Street Repertory Theatre from 1974 to 2018. After 43 years of the revival (the original production opened at LaMama in 1967), the show closed January 1, 2018 at the 13th Rep in a production directed by Jay Michaels and produced by Mary Elizabeth Micari.
Characters
* Fleming - A
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
fan, he has been waiting all night at the front of the line (apparently for tickets to a baseball game). He is rather slow-witted and easily manipulated out of first place.
* Stephen - A young handsome man who looks like
James Dean (according to Molly). He is an obsessive fan of
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...
. He is very verbal and confuses people (especially Fleming) with
doubletalk.
* Molly - The lone female of the piece, a voluptuous woman. She uses her sexuality to lure the men out of the front spot. This is stylized by her dancing and singing with each man.
* Dolan - A philosopher who only looks out for himself. He puts forth his "Under''dog''" theory- when you're under the dog, that's the easiest time to kick him in the balls.
* Arnall - Molly's
cuckold husband. A
milquetoast who is afraid of germs. The one time in the play he actually gets to the front of the line, he abdicates in favor of another so he won't be hurt. He claims his parents and grandmother made up his name because they couldn't decide whether to name him ARthur, NAthan, or LLoyd.
Notable former cast members
* Stephen - Liche Ariza /
Richard Dreyfuss / Jonathan Harper Schlieman / Ben Davis / Michael Mercandetti / Emmanuel Todorow / Jason Rosette / Darin Guerasio / Gavin Walker Smith/ Kyle Cassady / Cory Moreno / Gary Clare
* Molly - Eloise Ayala / Ruthellen Cheney / Amy Hoerler / Duvall O'Steen / Deidre Schweisow / Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud / Jennifer Johnson / Naheed Khan / Heather Knox / Therese Fretwell / Hella Bel / Lowrie Fawley
Giulia Martinelli* Arnall - Kevin Herbst / Travis Pappy /
Timothy J. Cox / Roy Aaron / Gavin Walker Smith / Blake Catherwood / Neil Feigeles / Dirk Burns
Eric Paterniani / Freddie Stevens / Trip Collins / Mark Koenig / Steven F. Samuelian
* Fleming - Joe Wortman /
Brian Lang /
Chazz Palminteri / Jeremy Rosen / Patrick Maloney/ David Cochrane / E Gavin Walker Smith / Kristian Leavy / Brad Holbrook
Jose Antonio/ Nick Luna / Jeffrey Hahn/ Ed Crane
* Dolan -
John Cazale /
Christopher Meloni / Reinhard Lentes / David Cochrane / Nixon Cesar / John Palotta / Gavin Walker Smith /
Timothy J. Cox / Kenneth McKenzie / Tom O'Neil
Jose Antonio/ Mikal Saint George / Alex Falcao /John Fitzgerald/ Greg Vorob
Cast notes
* Playwright
Israel Horovitz appeared as Stephen in the first production of the play at
La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, when another actor had to drop out at the last minute.
* This was
Richard Dreyfuss' first play as an actor.
See also
*
''Perfect Crime'', an Off-Broadway play running since 1987
References
{{reflist
1967 plays
Plays by Israel Horovitz
One-act plays
Theatre of the Absurd