''The Scene'' is a

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

written by

Theresa Rebeck Theresa Rebeck (born February 19, 1958) is an American playwright, television writer, and novelist. Her work has appeared on the Broadway and Off-Broadway stage, in film, and on television. Among her awards are the Mystery Writers of America's E ...

which was first performed in 2006.

Plot summary

The play opens with a Manhattan party, where Clea, an attractive twenty-something Ohio native, is conversing with two men, Charlie, a middle-aged washed up actor, and Lewis, his best friend. Clea chatters (in her valley girl-esqe way of speaking) on about how "surreal" New York City is - advertising herself as the gorgeous but dumb girl. She rambles about how she doesn't drink, due to genetic alcoholism, but later accepts Lewis's vodka offer. After drinking down the vodka, Clea goes into a rant about this new job she took is absolutely empty, referring to it as a void. She also rants about her boss, Stella, calling her an infertile "Nazi Priestess" who is obsessed with her job and her current baby adoption process. It is revealed that Stella is Charlie's wife. Stella, Charlie, and Lewis are drinking at Stella and Charlie's apartment, listening to Stella's rant about Clea, calling her an idiot who can barely speak English but looks good from the back. Lewis is sent out to get drinks and Stella complains about how miserable she is at work. Charlie then goes on a rant about the party. Stella asks Charlie if he spoke to Nick, Charlie's arch-nemesis. Nick and Charlie went to high school together Clea first dates Lewis, soon moving to Charlie. His wife catches them in the act, and Charlie is unable to clear the situation. He loses his wife – Lewis is happy to console her – Clea drops him and moves on, and all he has left is his bottle and his misery.

Productions

The

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its firs ...

of the play was in March to April 2006 at the

Humana Festival of New American Plays Humana Festival of New American Plays is an internationally renowned festival that celebrates the contemporary American playwright. Produced annually in Louisville, Kentucky by Actors Theatre of Louisville, this festival showcases new theatrica ...

at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, directed by

Rebecca Taichman Rebecca Taichman is an American theatre director. In 2017, she received the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for ''Indecent''. Life and career Taichman attended McGill University, Montreal, and graduated from the Yale School of Drama. She w ...

.Jones, Chris
" 'The Scene' steals the show at Humana"
''Chicago Tribune'', April 5, 2006Jones, Kenneth
"Theresa Rebeck Looks at 'The Scene' in NYC in Humana Fest Play, March 11-April 2"
Playbill, March 11, 2006 The play subsequently was produced

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 ...

at the

Second Stage Theatre Second Stage Theater is a theater company founded in 1979 by Robyn Goodman and Carole Rothman and located in Manhattan, New York City. It produces both new plays and revivals of contemporary American plays by new playwrights and established wri ...

from December 12, 2006 in previews until February 11, 2007. The Off-Broadway production was also directed by Taichman." 'The Scene' "
lortel.org, retrieved October 4, 2017

Critical response

It was well received by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' reviewer, who wrote that it was a "sharp-witted, sharp-elbowed comedy about the savage economies of sex and show business in contemporary Manhattan." The ''Hollywood Reporter'' found that "Rebeck fails to lay the groundwork for Charlie's second-act disintegration."Greene, Alexi
"Theater Reviews"
''Hollywood Reporter'', January 11, 2007 The ''CurtainUp'' reviewer wrote that the play was "sharply written" and "Ms. ebeccaTaichman is again in charge for the very handsomely staged Second Stage production....an entertaining sendup of our celebrity conscious culture.""A CurtainUp Review 'The Scene' "
CurtainUp, January 16, 2007

Cast

Off-Broadway Cast: *Clea –

Anna Camp Anna Ragsdale Camp (born September 27, 1982) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as the villainous Sarah Newlin in the HBO vampire drama ''True Blood'' (2009, 2013–2014) and Aubrey Posen in the musical comedy '' ...

*Stella –

Patricia Heaton Patricia Helen Heaton (born March 4, 1958) is an American actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on sitcoms, having played Debra Barone on ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005) as well as Frances "Frankie" Heck on '' The Middl ...

*Charlie –

Tony Shalhoub Anthony Marc Shalhoub ( ; born October 9, 1953), is an American actor. His accolades include five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, six Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award nomination. He played Adrian Monk in the USA Net ...

*Lewis –

Christopher Evan Welch Christopher Evan Welch (September 28, 1965 – December 2, 2013) was an American TV, film, and stage actor. He is best known as the narrator in Woody Allen's '' Vicky Cristina Barcelona'' and his role as Peter Gregory in the HBO series '' Silic ...

World Premiere Cast: *Clea –

*Stella – Carla Harting *Charlie –

Stephen Barker Turner Stephen Barker Turner (born June 27, 1968) is an American stage, television, and film actor. Career Turner was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 27, 1968. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Juilliard School. Career After sta ...

*Lewis – David Wilson Barnes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scene 2006 plays Plays by Theresa Rebeck Plays set in New York City