Play Suggestions: Seeking BIG cast comedy

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Seeking BIG cast comedy

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Play Suggestions
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2564
Printed Date: 4/20/25 at 12:07pm
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Topic: Seeking BIG cast comedy

Posted By: dexter74656
Subject: Seeking BIG cast comedy
Date Posted: 8/06/07 at 9:47pm

Community Theater... I'm starting to just gather titles and names for our second season which'll be next summer (we just do one show a summer at current; wrapped a few weeks ago, having trouble moving back onto my real life). It's a new theater, and we're only looking to do shows during the summer anyway... we were lucky enough to make a profit our first time out, but we're likely to keep it at just one show for another year while we build name and talent pool.

This past summer we performed (after a stressful, hair-pulling search) Robin Hood by Don Nigro with a speaking cast of 34 (+ 2 non-speaking) with a wonderful reception from both the members of the cast and the ever important audience.

Perhaps too wonderful. Now we're in the difficult position of trying to equal or top for next year when we already know from post-show surveys that a majority of our 34 will be returning plus a whole new crop now that we've got a reputation and the word gets spread.

As such, I know we're likely looking for a comedy or a murder mystery. Not a drama - that's not the direction we'll likely head yet. And it's got to be a big cast. 30 people minimum (nightmare as a director, but it really is a lot of fun).

Any good suggestions that I can add to the pot for the next few months?

(I remember reading on here during our first script hunt back in January about a large cast comedy that was really well-suggested... but I can't find the thread anymore... but it was basically poking fun at small town farm communities/lifestyle which is exactly the communities that we draw on)

Thanks - this is such a great resource that's really helped us get going the past 9 months.

Replies:

Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 8/07/07 at 12:50am

"Once in a Lifetime" by Kaufman & Hart comes to mind:
http://doollee.com/PlaywrightsK/kaufman-george-s.html
lists 24 Male roles and 14 Female.

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"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone

Posted By: bernster74
Date Posted: 8/07/07 at 12:01pm

Well, anything from the Kaufman and Hart library should fit your bill. Like Topper says, Once in a Lifetime, and also The Man Who Came to Dinner and You Can't Take it With You are very funny.

Also, anything by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur will have a big cast. The Front Page and Twentieth Century are both large casts.

But I think my number one choice for what you are looking for is Auntie Mame (straight version, not the musical) by Lawrence and Lee. HUGE cast - kids, women, men, probably a few animals and electric appliances too. It's perfect. And anything from Lawrence and Lee will have a large cast (Inherit the Wind, etc.)

And if you want a murder mystery, Witness for the Prosecution is a great show that doesn't get done often because of it's large male dominated cast.

Break legs...

Posted By: ManMan
Date Posted: 8/07/07 at 6:47pm

Nosies Off

Greater Tuna---you can divide up the roles

Posted By: Shanahan
Date Posted: 8/10/07 at 1:01pm

Mike Legge's "Shake A Spear," from JAC Publishing. 23 roles, easy set, laugh-out-loud funny.

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Laughter guaranteed. Plays by John Shanahan

http://www.johnshanahan.net
Dinner for Several
One Before Forty
Bob's Date
Brushstroke
Worst Possible Time for Writer's Block
& more!

Posted By: Ken W
Date Posted: 8/10/07 at 5:05pm

When we did "Music Man" we had a cast of 52, including chorus and dancers.

Posted By: donzolidis
Date Posted: 8/11/07 at 9:53pm

I have two recently published full-length comedies (just published today, actually!) that have quite large casts.

The Brothers Grimm Spectaculathon (kind of a Reduced Shakespeare Company's take on the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm) can accomodate a cast of up to 43 speaking roles.

http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1162 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1162

Click read sample to read basically the entire thing on-line.

The Birds: A Modern Adaptation. This is Aristophanes meets Christopher Durang.

http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1158 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1158

Up to 26 speaking roles with an expandable chorus for up to 38. Again, click read sample to read the whole play.

Also, Black Snow by Keith Reddin can have a cast in the 30s and it's hilarious. Available through Dramatists Play Service.

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www.donzolidis.com

Posted By: dentalplan
Date Posted: 8/13/07 at 11:03am

Check out "Murder in the Knife Room" -- a brand-new, huge-cast murder mystery parody:

http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1249 - http://www.playscripts.com/play.php3?playid=1249

The total cast size runs between 22 and 58 total -- it was just premiered in Maryland earlier this year.

Good luck!

Posted By: theaterhelper
Date Posted: 8/13/07 at 5:09pm

A play that isn't neccesarily a comedy, but has MANY comedic moments and beautifully poetic language... that can also be performed with a rather sparse set which saves money is....

Under Milkwood by Dylan Thomas.

It can be performed with 8-12 people who all play lots of parts, or the parts can be divided more widely.

It does have a few crass pieces of imagry... but I figured it was worth a mention.

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Shed some light on the dark side of theatre at theaterhelper.com.

Posted By: Danny Miller
Date Posted: 8/14/07 at 6:08pm

Hi,

You could try Roger Ravenbeard or Murder at the Hotel Crumhorn at http://www.ravenbeard.co.uk - www.ravenbeard.co.uk . I have done both and they are very funny.

Posted By: maureen
Date Posted: 8/29/07 at 11:15pm

Hey Topper,

Once in a lifetime is probrably my best memory ever.It's hilarious and such fun to do.You really took me back there.Maybe i'l think about doing it for our community theatre next year.

Thanks again,Maureen