Overview
Synopsis
When Charlotte Blossom’s beloved Aunt Olivia, a famous and eccentric artist, is dying of cancer, the whole family -- husband Wally, a composer with writer’s block; son Turner, a classical guitar prodigy; and daughter Pony, a girl with a fearful imagination -- take a road trip all the way from New York to Taos, New Mexico, to say goodbye. Along the way, they encounter an adorable newborn, a precocious psychic, mysterious nighttime noises, and the knowledge that we are born as fish, and to fish we do return. With emotion heightened by major changes and regular road trip anxiety, the members of the Blossom family must each come to terms with their place in the cycle of life. Tina Howe’s Approaching Zanzibar is both intimate and grand, a glorious and magically absurd romp through a vast American landscape and the inner workings of the human family, and the human heart.
Show Information
- Book
- Tina Howe
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
- Number of Acts
- 2
- First Produced
- 1989
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Contemporary, Multiple Settings
- Time & Place
- 1980s, 1990s, august, on the road, the blue ridge mountains, a tent, asheville, north carolina, the smoky mountains, oklahoma city, texas, taos, new mexico
- Cast Size
- medium
- Licensor
- Samuel French
- Ideal For
- College/University, Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, High School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Adult, Mature Adult, Child, Early Teen, Elderly Characters, Medium Cast
Context
Approaching Zanzibar had its premiere on April 8, 1989, at the Second Stage Theatre in New York City. It was directed by Carole Rothman, and featured Jane Alexander as Charlotte, Harris Yulin as Wally, Clayton Barclay Jones as Turner, and Angela Goethals as Pony, with Bethel Leslie as Olivia Childs.
Its production history includes a 1997 appearance at the Southwark Playhouse in London, and one at the Player’s Club in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, in 2016.
Playwright Howe drew inspiration
to read the context for Approaching Zanzibar and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Act One
Wally Blossom, his wife Charlotte, his son Turner, and his daughter Pony, are driving in a station wagon, heading towards Falling Waters, West Virginia. Charlotte begs her family to stop singing, “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall,” which leads to a fight between Pony and Turner, and a quarrel between Wally and Charlotte over Wally’s driving speed. When Wally turns around to stop the children from hitting each other, and Charlotte grabs the wheel to keep the car from veering off the
to read the plot for Approaching Zanzibar and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Male |
Spoken |
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Lead |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Male |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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Supporting |
Female |
Spoken |
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|
Featured |
Male |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
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Featured |
Male |
Silent |
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
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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