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Overview
Synopsis
In 1986, playwright Paula Vogel’s brother Carl invited her on a trip to Europe. Burdened with professional obligations and lack of financial means, she declined. Sadly, Carl died from complications of AIDS two years later. Having never gotten to take the European trip with her brother, Vogel instead wrote an imagined version in The Baltimore Waltz. Darkly funny and searingly satirical, the play examines AIDS and the government’s response to it using an absurd fictional disease: Acquired Toilet Disease (ATD). In a series of dreamlike comic scenes, travel-phobic schoolteacher Anna ventures out on a European romp with her brother Carl after being diagnosed with ATD. What begins as a surreal sitcom ends with a whiplash snap to realism and a bittersweet revelation that has left critics spellbound. Visceral, multilayered, and metaphorical, the play is one part farce and one part political statement with themes that still ring true more than three decades later.
Show Information
- Book
- Paula Vogel
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1992
- Genres
- Drama, Satire, Dark Comedy
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings, Simple/No Set
- Time & Place
- Various locales in the United States and Europe.
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- College/University, Ensemble Cast, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Small Cast, Diverse Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Early Teen, Late Teen, Young Adult, Mature Adult Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
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 performance technique where an actor speaks directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall for dramatic or comedic effect.
A comedic dramatic genre featuring exaggerated situations, physical humor, and improbable events.
A literary device comparing two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as,' used in theatre to add symbolic meaning. Metaphors enhance subtext and deepen character understanding.
Satire is a dramatic style that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize human behavior, social institutions, or political systems. In theatre, it highlights flaws and hypocrisies through wit and parody, encouraging audiences to laugh while also reflecting on serious issues. Satire can range from lighthearted comedy to biting social commentary, making it both entertaining and thought-provoking.
A comedic television format that influences theatrical writing styles with episodic structure and ensemble casts.
A dramatic style focused on dreamlike imagery and illogical scenes to explore the subconscious or challenge realism.
An incurable disease used in theatre to explore mortality, dignity, and emotional complexity in realist or symbolic narratives.
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