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Overview
Synopsis
What happens to someone who dies by suicide? According to Daniel, they go to limbo, and in the case of Pizza With Shrimp on Top, that limbo is in the mind of Stuart, a teenager who recently attempted suicide. Daniel greets Stuart, and explains the rules of limbo: no eating, no sleeping, no crying, no loving. Wounds never heal, and there is no comfort or peace until the real “expiration date” of life arrives. Joined by Muggy and B.J., Stuart gets an eye-opening look at the effects of suicide. But when he is met by Lisa, a prom queen from his high school who killed herself right before his attempt, Stuart finally begins to examine his choices and their effects, and contemplate returning to life. An honest and heartbreaking look at suicide, Pizza With Shrimp on Top is a poignant and sometimes humorous look at how to appreciate life, even when its struggles seem insurmountable.
Show Information
- Book
- Aaron Levy
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1992
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Contemporary, Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- present day, limbo
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Dramatic Publishing Co.
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Late Teen, Early Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult Characters
Context
Aaron Levy wrote Pizza With Shrimp on Top as a way to engage his English students in theatre and present teenagers with issues that are relevant to them. He began with staged readings, and then developed the play into full-fledged production, first premiered at Arizona State University in 1992 (for which it won an award for Best Original Play).
Since then, the play has had numerous productions and staged readings at high schools, colleges, and community groups. In 1999, Levy won a special
to read the context for Pizza With Shrimp on Top and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Stephanie, a 13-year-old girl, enters on a bare stage, calling for her big brother Stuart. She tells him that he will be in big trouble with their dad if he doesn’t take out the trash. As she exits, still calling for Stuart, Daniel enters. He is a streetwise New York City guy who doesn’t like kids. Daniel introduces the audience to limbo, and explains that they are in the mush of Stuart’s mind because Stuart tried to kill himself with an overdose of vitamins and cough syrup. As Daniel explains
to read the plot for Pizza With Shrimp on Top and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
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Lead |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Supporting |
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Supporting |
Male |
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Supporting |
Female |
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Songs
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
Scenes
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Guide Written By:
Cindi Calhoun
Theatre teacher, director, writer, and seamstress