Impropriety

Synopsis:

Dirk is an etiquette columnist, working in West Berlin at the time of reunification. His world is a cultured, highly ordered one until, as a result of the reunification, Ada – a staunchly anarchic, would-be stand-up comic from East Berlin – suddenly becomes his neighbour.

Soon, despite Dirk’s best efforts, Ada has worked her way inextricably into his life.  Step by inevitable step, the struts that support Dirk’s ordered existence are kicked away.  When his estranged father arrives, after an absence of almost half a century, the stage is set for a three-way confrontation that blows the lid off Dirk’s life forever.

This is a play about moral accountability, about the ramifications of evil, about the profound power of laughter.

Character Breakdown:

Three-hander:  1 female, 2 males
ADA.SPEIDEL  45
DIRK BRAUER  56
ERNST HAGEN  77 / MAX SPEIDEL  57 – one actor.

Production History:

World Premiere:  1993.  Theatron.  Bondi Pavilion, Sydney.

Other productions:  1995.  Greenwich St Theatre, New York (Off-Off-Broadway)

Awards:  1994.  Nominated for AWGIE Best Stage Play.

Reviews:

“In Impropriety, Ron Elisha succeeds in achieving a difficult dramatic construct, one that’s thwarted many an ambitious dramatist.”
John Michael Koroly, The Off-Off-Broadway Review.

“Impropriety startles, delights, grips then challenges its audience…  Brimming with humour, sharp observation and a true sense of the absurd.”
Play View, N.Y.

Running-time: 90 minutes.

This play has not been published, and can only be obtained in hard copy by application to the author.