''The Mineola Twins'' is a play by

Paula Vogel Paula Vogel (born November 16, 1951) is an American playwright. She is known for her provocative explorations of complex social and political issues. Much of her work delves into themes of psychological trauma, abuse, and the complexities of hum ...

with music by David Van Tieghem, which 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 tha ...

in 1999.

Overview

The story satirically examines women's experience and the

women's movement The feminist movement, also known as the women's movement, refers to a series of social movements and political campaigns for radical and liberal reforms on women's issues created by inequality between men and women. Such issues are women's ...

over more than three decades in post-World War II America, as seen through the life of identical twins, Myra and Myrna, from

Mineola, New York Mineola is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village and the county seat of Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 20,800 at the time of the 2020 United Stat ...

, who are played by one actress. The twins' contrasting personalities are presented in often extreme and comic ways. For example, one is a rebellious radical, while the other is an uptight conservative.Sommer, Elyse
''The Mineola Twins''
CurtainUp.com, 1999, accessed November 28, 2012Canby, Vincent

''The New York Times'', February 28, 1999, accessed November 28, 2012 The play takes place during the Eisenhower Administration; then at the start of the Nixon Administration; and finally during the Bush Administration. In an author's note, Vogel suggests that female singers of the time, such as

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

and Vicki Carr be used.

Characters

*Myrna, the "good" twin *Myra, the "bad" twin *Jim, Myrna's fiancé *Kenny, Myrna's son *Ben, Myra's son *Sarah, played by the actress who also plays Jim *Two psychiatric aides/Federal agents

Productions

The play was first produced by the

Perseverance Theatre Perseverance Theatre is a professional theater company located on Douglas Island in Juneau, Alaska, Juneau, Alaska. It is Alaska's only professional theater and is particularly dedicated to developing and working with Alaskan artists and to produc ...

Juneau, Alaska Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Southeast Alaska, Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the ...

, in November 1996. It was then produced at the

Trinity Repertory Company Trinity Repertory Company (commonly abbreviated as Trinity Rep) is a non-profit regional theater located at 201 Washington Street in Providence, Rhode Island. The theater is a member of the League of Resident Theatres. Founded in 1963, the the ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

in February to March 1997, again directed by

Molly Smith Molly Smith is an American theatre director and the artistic director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. from 1998 to 2023. During this period, she emphasized promoting new American plays, playwrights, and voices, producing 200 works. In addition ...

(former artistic director of Perseverance) and starring Anne Scurria. ''The Mineola Twins'' opened

on February 18, 1999, after a month of previews and closed on May 30, 1999, at the

Laura Pels Theatre The Roundabout Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabeth Owen ...

in a

Roundabout Theatre The Roundabout Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabeth Owen ...

production. Directed by

Joe Mantello Joseph Mantello (born December 27, 1962) is an American actor and director known for his work on stage and screen. He first gained prominence for his Broadway acting debut in the original production of Tony Kushner's two-part epic play ''Angels ...

with musical staging by Ken Roberson, the cast included

Swoosie Kurtz Swoosie Kurtz ( ; born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. Kurtz made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of '' Ah, Wilderness''. She has received five Tony Award nomination ...

as the twins,

Mo Gaffney Maureen E. Gaffney (born November 5, 1958, in San Diego, California) is an American actress and activist. Career Gaffney hosted two of her own television talk shows: ''Women Aloud!'' (which was shown on the Comedy Central network) and ''The Mo S ...

as Myrna's boyfriend Jim and later Myra's lesbian lover Sarah, Mandy Siegfried as the twins' sons, Kenny and Ben. Additional cast included Jimmy Holder and Daniel Stewart Sherman. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' critic

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who was the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in 2000. ...

wrote, "Working lightly, surely and always in sync ... Vogel ... Mantello ndKurtz and a dream supporting cast are cheering up a mostly dreary season with ''The Mineola Twins,'' the exhilarating Roundabout Theater Company entertainment." Subsequent productions have included a 2004 run at the

Straz Center for the Performing Arts The Straz Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue in Tampa, Florida, United States. It opened in July 1987 as the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, and was renamed in 2009. The Straz Center is owned by the City of Tampa and op ...

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, and a 2012 production at The Arts Square Theatre in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Awards and nominations

Source: Lortel.org *

Lucille Lortel Awards 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 ...

(1999) for: Outstanding Scenic Design, Robert Brill and

Scott Pask Scott Pask is an American scenic and costume designer. He has worked primarily on stage productions in the United States, on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre, as well as in the United Kingdom. He has won Tony Awards for his w ...

(winner); Outstanding Costume Design, Jess Goldstein (winner); Outstanding Lighting Design, Kevin Adams (winner)"Awards History, Lucille Lortel Awards and Obie Awards"
roundabouttheatre.org, accessed November 29, 2012 *

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

(1998–1999): Performance, Swoosie Kurtz (winner) *1999

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

, Outstanding Actress in a Play, Swoosie Kurtz (nomination) * Henry Hewes Design Awards: (1999) for: Scenic Design, Robert Brill and Scott Pask (winner); Costume Design, Jess Goldstein (winner)"Hewes Design Awards, 1999"
americantheatrewing.org, accessed November 29, 2012 *

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 news ...

nominations for: Outstanding Off-Broadway Play; Outstanding Actress in a Play, Swoosie Kurtz; Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play, Mandy Siegfried

References

External links

*
Study Guide
to the play from the

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

Department of Theater {{DEFAULTSORT:Mineola Twins 1999 plays Off-Broadway plays Plays by Paula Vogel