''Romance'' is a play by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

. It premiered

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

in 2005 and also ran in London.

Productions

''Romance'' opened

at the

Atlantic Theater Company Atlantic Theater Company is an Off-Broadway non-profit theater, whose mission is to produce great plays "simply and truthfully utilizing an artistic ensemble." The company was founded in 1985 by David Mamet, William H. Macy, and 30 of their acti ...

on March 1, 2005 and closed on May 1, 2005." 'Romance' Listing"
Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed June 18, 2012 Directed by Neil Pepe, the cast included

Bob Balaban Robert Elmer Balaban (born August 16, 1945) is an American actor, author, comedian, director and producer. He was one of the producers nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture for ''Gosford Park'' (2001), in which he also appeared. Balab ...

(The Prosecutor),

Larry Bryggman Larry Bryggman (born December 21, 1938) is an American actor. He is known for ''Spy Game'' (2001), ''Die Hard: With a Vengeance'' (1995) and ''As the World Turns'' (1956). Early life Bryggman was born in Concord, California on December 21, 1938 ...

(The Judge), and Keith Nobbs (Bernard). The play received a nomination for the

Lucille Lortel Award The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

, Outstanding Lead Actor (Bryggman), and nominations for the

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newsp ...

, Outstanding Off-Broadway Play and Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Bryggman). The play was also performed at

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

's Almeida Theatre, starring

John Mahoney Charles John Mahoney (June 20, 1940 – February 4, 2018) was an English-born American actor. He was known for playing Martin Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' (1993–2004), and won a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role in 2000. Mahoney ...

as the Judge, in September 2005. The play has had regional productions at the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the ...

Chicago in 2006, The play had its Southeastern American premiere at Gablestage at the Biltmore, in Miami Florida, December 30 – January 28, 2007. The Prosecutor: Joe Kimble Cast featured The Defendant: Antonio Amadeo The Defense Attorney: Bill Schwartz, The Judge: David Kwiat, The Bailiff: Brandon Morrison, Bernard(Bunz): Matthew Glass, The Doctor: Paul Tei Director: Joseph Adler Set Design: Lyle BaskinLighting Design: Jeff QuinnMusic/Sound: Matt CoreyCostumes: Ellis TillmanProps: Claire SavittTechnical Director: Carlos RodriguezStage Manager: Michael John Carroll. at the

American Repertory Theatre The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

, Boston in 2009 and at the Bay Street Theater,

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the ...

in 2010 with

Richard Kind Richard Bruce Kind (born November 22, 1956) is an American actor and comedian, known for his roles as Dr. Mark Devanow in '' Mad About You'' (1992–1999, 2019), Paul Lassiter in ''Spin City'' (1996–2002), Andy in ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' (200 ...

as the Judge. The play had its Southeastern American premiere at Gablestage at the Biltmore, in Miami Florida, December 30 – January 28, 2007. The Prosecutor: JOE KIMBLE Cast featured The Defendant: Antonio Amadeo The Defense Attorney: Bill Schwartz, The Judge: David Kwiat, The Bailiff: Brandon Morrison, Bernard(Bunz): Matthew Glass, The Doctor: Paul Tei Director: Joseph Adler Set Design: Lyle BaskinLighting Design: Jeff QuinnMusic/Sound: Matt CoreyCostumes: Ellis TillmanProps: Claire SavittTechnical Director: Carlos RodriguezStage Manager: Michael John Carroll. December 30 – January 28, 2007

Synopsis

courtroom A courtroom is the enclosed space in which courts of law are held in front of a judge. A number of courtrooms, which may also be known as "courts", may be housed in a courthouse. In recent years, courtrooms have been equipped with audiovisual ...

is presided over by The Judge, whose

allergy Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allerg ...

medications A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and re ...

make him so drowsy he repeatedly falls asleep. Later, he becomes so manic he eventually ends up stripping in the middle of the court. Meanwhile, The Prosecutor has to deal with his flamboyant and often difficult-to-control boyfriend Bernard, nick-named Bunny. Bunny unexpectedly comes to the court room, "bringing out the inner Queer Guy in the Judge and his Bailiff. The

gentile Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...

Defense Attorney A criminal defense lawyer is a lawyer (mostly barristers) specializing in the defense of individuals and companies charged with criminal activity. Some criminal defense lawyers are privately retained, while others are employed by the various j ...

is swapping

racial slurs The following is a list of ethnic slurs or ethnophaulisms or ethnic epithets that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about members of a given ethnicity or racial group or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or ot ...

with his

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

client, The Defendant. The Defendant suddenly comes up with a brilliant idea to solve all the problems in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

. ''Note: only Bernard has a given name''

Critical response

Ben Brantley Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...

, in his review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote:"In 'Romance,' the latest work from this most imitated and parodied of living American playwrights, Mr. Mamet knocks the four-letter stuffing out of his own staccato style. He then proceeds to beat up on classic farce, ethnic and sexual stereotypes and, it might be argued, his audience. It's a take-no-prisoners approach that, unfortunately, doesn't capture laughs either."Brantley, Ben
"All Rise, Mamet's Court Is in Session and Unraveling"
''The New York Times'', March 2, 2005 The ''CurtainUp'' reviewer wrote:"The whole idea for Mr. Mamet's main intent (besides his obvious intent to have fun and entertain) is to use a zany trial of a case that remains purposefully vague as a launch pad to skewer everything from our justice system to politics, homosexuality, pedophile priests and religious prejudice.... The Atlantic Theater's artistic director Neil Pepe keeps the screwball elements bouncing along with laugh a minute momentum and the cast fully captures the madcap spirit."Sommer, Elyse

curtainup.com, March 2, 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Romance (Mamet Play) 2005 plays Plays by David Mamet