The Diminished Fifth (excerpt)

Synopsis:

In 1950, the writer, Ring Lardner Jnr, shared a prison cell with J. Parnell Thomas, the congressman who, as a member of the House Un-American Activities Committee, put him there.

Lardner was there for contempt of congress, having refused to name names (alleged Communists).  Thomas was there for tax evasion and fraud.

The two men were bitter enemies and yet, in the time they spent together, managed to reach an accommodation of sorts.

In the deeply polarised society of today’s America, there is in this story a profound lesson to be learned.

Character Breakdown:

The play is a 2-hander: 2 males

RING LARDNER JNR – 35

PARNELL THOMAS – 55

Setting:

Danbury Prison, USA      August 1950

Running-time: 75 minutes.

Production History: Not yet produced.

Excerpt available for download for free.