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Overview

Synopsis

Lulu Ames, a stylish and optimistic widow from Akron, Ohio, arrives in New York City, ready to forget her unhappy marriage and thrive in the bustling, vibrant town. But the Hotel Marlowe, where Lulu moves to join her old friend and fellow widow Connie Mercer, is hushed and genteel to the point of deathly boredom. The lonely, judgemental, fading ladies who haunt the corridors are hovering with their tedious amusements and drab routines. There is Mrs. Lauterbach, whose children have forgotten her, Mrs. Nichols, in her wheelchair, who manipulates her resentful son into providing care, and catty Mrs. Gordon, who’s kleptomania is her way of feeling alive. Determined not to give in to the movie matinees and library books which make up the lives of her fellow guests, Lulu leaps happily into a romance with Paul Osgood, an adoring younger man, only to find that, when faced with his energetic social whirl and the spectre of his beautiful, fickle ex-wife, she is not as casual and lively as her young paramour. Parker and d’Usseau’s The Ladies of the Corridor is a pointed, cautionary drama about the lot of older women in mid-20th century America, who are relegated to uselessness after the death or departure of a husband, and with half of their lives ahead, struggle to find socially and emotionally appropriate ways to occupy their time.

Show Information

Category
Play
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1953
Genres
Drama
Settings
Period, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
1950s, hotel marlowe, new york city
Cast Size
large
Licensor
Samuel French
Ideal For
community theatre, professional / regional theatre, large ensemble, mostly female cast, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Mature Adult, Elderly, Adult, Young Adult, Late Teen Characters, Large Cast

Context

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Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Lulu Ames

Lead

Female

Spoken

Mrs. Gordon

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Mrs. Lauterbach

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Mrs. Nichols

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Charles Nichols

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mildred Tynan

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Constance Mercer

Supporting

Female

Spoken

Paul Osgood

Supporting

Male

Spoken

Mr. Humphries

Featured

Male

Spoken

Harry

Featured

Male

Spoken

Casey

Featured

Male

Spoken

Robert Ames

Featured

Male

Spoken

Betsy Ames

Featured

Female

Spoken

Irma

Featured

Female

Spoken

Tom Linscott

Featured

Male

Spoken

Mary Linscott

Featured

Female

Spoken

Songs

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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

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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

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Videos

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Quizzes

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Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Quote Analysis

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