PRISONERS IN PARADISE
4 Characters
3 Men. 1 Woman
Simple Set
116 pages
A Comic Motif in a Dire Existential Situation.
Florida Studio Theatre Review:
“PRISONERS IN PARADISE has rich character dynamics and great use of humor and subtext. The tension is never derailed, and the character arcs are interesting and profound, especially for a piece with such great comedic balance.”
Catherine Randazzo
Associate Artist/Literary Manager
Nov. 7, 2023
____________________________________
Professional reading in NYC at The Currican Theater.
Professional reading in NYC on Theater Row.
Professional reading in NYC at Theater 22.
Professional reading at Dowling College Performing Arts Center with professional Actors.
____________________________________
LONG SYNOPSIS
Punk, a burnt out, intelligent, one-time family man, now divorced, and Johnny, his brother via adoption, have had a very hard life. Johnny’s parents adopted Punk as a baby. The two kidnap a Billionaire Governor’s son, Chris, who is a Harvard Graduate and a Priest, in an attempt to start a new life with the ransom money they think they will obtain. The only problem with Punk and Johnny’s kidnapping scheme is that the Governor won’t answer his phone!
Eve, Punks one-time lover and Johnny’s cousin, is a porn actress and drug addict who is now pregnant, and is seeking the American Dream. She returns home from a porn shoot and into this world of a kidnapping, to find her drugs for her daily fix, and to cope with her existence. She dreams of a home with Punk, who she loves, for her and her new baby, and Johnny living with them as part of her extended family.
What Johnny and Eve don’t know in Act One, is that Punk’s hidden motives for the kidnapping have nothing to do with money or escaping poverty, helping Eve off drugs, getting clean, and setting them up in a new life.
Punk needs to confront the Governor, who is his real father, who had his mother killed when Punk was an infant, leaving him to die in his own defecation. His mother wanted the Governor to help them survive financially, and instead, he had her killed to cover up his affair with her, protect his career, ensure re-election, and maintain his marriage.
Punk wants to reveal to Chris that he knows what happened, who he is, and pursue justice. He also wants Chris to own up to the fact that he did not turn his father in when he knew of the murder, and benefited from his father’s wealth while being a priest.
The play becomes not about kidnapping as a crime, but a kidnapping necessary to right a crime committed. But the real crime is how all of these characters have been abandoned, abused and ruined by those they depended on for guidance, love and support.
Prisoners in Paradise offers a comic motif in a dire and existential situation, with four interesting and dimensional characters, where each must deal with their existential reality, and their abusive pasts while trying to find balance and unity for their future together. The play examines social and personal responsibility to self and others, and the results of neglect, abandonment and abuse.
4 Characters
3 Men. 1 Woman
Simple Set
116 pages
A Comic Motif in a Dire Existential Situation.
Florida Studio Theatre Review:
“PRISONERS IN PARADISE has rich character dynamics and great use of humor and subtext. The tension is never derailed, and the character arcs are interesting and profound, especially for a piece with such great comedic balance.”
Catherine Randazzo
Associate Artist/Literary Manager
Nov. 7, 2023
____________________________________
Professional reading in NYC at The Currican Theater.
Professional reading in NYC on Theater Row.
Professional reading in NYC at Theater 22.
Professional reading at Dowling College Performing Arts Center with professional Actors.
____________________________________
LONG SYNOPSIS
Punk, a burnt out, intelligent, one-time family man, now divorced, and Johnny, his brother via adoption, have had a very hard life. Johnny’s parents adopted Punk as a baby. The two kidnap a Billionaire Governor’s son, Chris, who is a Harvard Graduate and a Priest, in an attempt to start a new life with the ransom money they think they will obtain. The only problem with Punk and Johnny’s kidnapping scheme is that the Governor won’t answer his phone!
Eve, Punks one-time lover and Johnny’s cousin, is a porn actress and drug addict who is now pregnant, and is seeking the American Dream. She returns home from a porn shoot and into this world of a kidnapping, to find her drugs for her daily fix, and to cope with her existence. She dreams of a home with Punk, who she loves, for her and her new baby, and Johnny living with them as part of her extended family.
What Johnny and Eve don’t know in Act One, is that Punk’s hidden motives for the kidnapping have nothing to do with money or escaping poverty, helping Eve off drugs, getting clean, and setting them up in a new life.
Punk needs to confront the Governor, who is his real father, who had his mother killed when Punk was an infant, leaving him to die in his own defecation. His mother wanted the Governor to help them survive financially, and instead, he had her killed to cover up his affair with her, protect his career, ensure re-election, and maintain his marriage.
Punk wants to reveal to Chris that he knows what happened, who he is, and pursue justice. He also wants Chris to own up to the fact that he did not turn his father in when he knew of the murder, and benefited from his father’s wealth while being a priest.
The play becomes not about kidnapping as a crime, but a kidnapping necessary to right a crime committed. But the real crime is how all of these characters have been abandoned, abused and ruined by those they depended on for guidance, love and support.
Prisoners in Paradise offers a comic motif in a dire and existential situation, with four interesting and dimensional characters, where each must deal with their existential reality, and their abusive pasts while trying to find balance and unity for their future together. The play examines social and personal responsibility to self and others, and the results of neglect, abandonment and abuse.
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