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Overview
Synopsis
Amy Herzog is known for her facility with dialogue, and in her ensemble play Belleville, she uses that facility to explore two rather complex psyches in a marriage that’s more disturbed than anyone realizes. Herzog wastes no time setting up the nature of the relationship between the two main characters-married Americans Zack and Abby, who have ostensibly moved to the Belleville neighborhood of Paris for recent medical school graduate Zack to do research and provide medical care to pediatric AIDS patients. From the start, it’s clear that mistrust and insecurity simmer just under the surface of their marriage, and as it turns out, there’s a good reason for that. Early in the play, Herzog paints a picture of a disturbed young woman and a frustrated husband who gave up a career opportunity for what she wanted (or what he made himself believe she wanted). From the beginning, there’s something vaguely unsettling about the world Herzog creates. Affectingly atmospheric, the play is peppered with moments that manage to evoke without a shred of spoken dialogue. When the characters are speaking, the drama is as much about what’s not being said as what is. With a simple story structure but richly complex psyches, Belleville is a gripping psychological thriller imbued with a constant sense of danger-like watching a driverless car careening down the highway.
Show Information
- Book
- Amy Herzog
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 2011
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
- Time & Place
- A one-bedroom apartment in Paris. Mid-December “of the recent past”
- Cast Size
- small
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Concord Theatricals
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Diverse Cast, Ensemble Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Includes Young Adult Characters
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Non-singer |
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
Key Terms
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a medical condition caused by the HIV virus that weakens the immune system. It has had a profound impact on the performing arts community, particularly in the late 20th century, as many artists and organizations have addressed its social and personal effects through theatre.
A behavioral strategy characters use to deal with stress or trauma, commonly explored in modern psychological drama.
Spoken interaction between characters in a play, used to reveal relationships, advance plot, and convey emotion.
A form of psychological manipulation portrayed in realist theatre to explore control, power, and abuse.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Kevan Dunkelberg
Oklahoma-based drama teacher, actor and playwright