Overview
Synopsis
Lovers consists of two parts: Winners and Losers. In Winners, two commentators speak without emotion about the life and death of young Mag and Joe, who are destined to be married in three weeks due to Mag’s pregnancy. The two young people are bursting with life, enthusiasm, and hope. Mag and Joe truly care for each other, and though their youth often leads to heated arguments, they soon dissipate through vows of love and carefree joking. Their youthful passion, however, threatens to overwhelm them and cut short their futures.
Losers, on the other hand, tells the story of an older couple, Andy and Hanna, who are trapped in Hanna’s home by her invalid mother, Mrs. Wilson, who demands every moment of Hanna’s time. Before Andy and Hanna are married, Mrs. Wilson rings for Hanna whenever there is silence downstairs. After their marriage, she rings for her daughter whenever they speak, thereby effectively ruining the couple’s relationship before it begins and after it has commenced.
Winners and Losers, in very different ways, both address love, what it means, and the choices we make when we fall deeply, desperately, into it.
Show Information
- Book
- Brian Friel
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1967
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- the present (1967) in ireland
- Cast Size
- medium
- Orchestra Size
- None
- Dancing
- None
- Licensor
- Dramatic Publishing Co.
- Ideal For
- professional theatre, university / college theatre, community theatre, amateur theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Late Teen, Young Adult, Mature Adult, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Plot
Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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
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Videos
Quizzes
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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