Explore this Show

Overview

Synopsis

Peter and Rita are two young, happy lovers who are getting married. On their wedding day, after their nuptial kiss, an old man comes up to kiss the bride. During this kiss, their souls exchange, and the young, beautiful woman Peter just married now houses the soul of a dying, old man. On their honeymoon, Peter starts to notice that something's not quite right. When he discovers the truth, he confronts the old man, who now holds Rita's soul. Peter struggles with the notion that this is his young bride, and he works feverishly to put the souls back in their original bodies. At the same time, he realizes that he loves who Rita is, no matter how she is packaged. Craig Lucas' play, first performed in 1990, was considered a metaphor for the AIDS epidemic, in which a man could find himself in a relationship with someone who was suddenly old and sick before his time.

Show Information

Book
Craig Lucas
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
2
Genres
Cast Size
medium
Ideal For
Mostly Male Cast, Includes Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Peter Hoskins

Lead

Male

Spoken

Rita Boyle

Lead

Female

Spoken

Old Man

Lead

Male

Spoken

Taylor

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mrs. Boyle

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Dr. Boyle

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Aunt Dorothy/Leah

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Tom/Jamaican Waiter

Featured

Male

Spoken

Uncle Fred

Featured

Male

Spoken

Minister

Featured

Either Gender

Spoken

Ensemble

Featured

Either Gender

Spoken

Songs

Sorry, we currently do not have content for this section.

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

All monologues are the property and copyright of their owners.. Monologues are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this monologue, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

Sorry! We do not currently have terms for this guide.

Videos

Sorry! We do not currently have videos for this guide.

Quizzes

Sorry! We do not currently have quizzes for this guide.

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.

Quote Analysis

Sorry! We do not currently have learning modules for this guide.