Darwinii: The Comeuppance of Man
Play Description
Cristóbal is a wild-eyed gaucho hustler convicted of various crimes, including stealing original Charles Darwin manuscripts from rare book libraries around the world. Why? Because he's convinced he's the great-great-great-great (bastard) grandson of the father of Natural Selection. As part of his sentence he must deliver a public apology, during which he digresses, with flamboyant intensity and bawdy humor, into the story of his life, growing up as an orphan in Tierra del Fuego and inadvertently becoming an expert Darwinologist, exploiting every opportunity to prove (and cash in on) his unbelievable pedigree. The play is a tango-tinged dance of life, a fresh take on some of Darwin's ideas about the struggle for survival, sexual selection, the origin of species, and the descent of man.
Production Info
Cast: 1 total (1 male)Full Length Drama (about 70 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
Press Quotes
“DARWINII is smart, hilarious, and … one of the most mesmerizing pieces of theater this town has seen in a decade … A wholly original and profoundly funny journey to the center of your very own D N A.” —The Plain Dealer, Cleveland
“In just 70 minutes, this one-man tour de force spins you through a funny and thought-provoking story involving Charles Darwin, his still (!) controversial ideas, and the dangers of getting up in somebody’s niche. An immediate contender for the title of Most Enjoyable and Engrossing 70 Minutes on Stage in 2011.” —Cleveland Scene
“It’s great theatre, creative literary invention, and a fun experience. DARWINII is one of those fascinating pieces of theatricality that is a delight to behold.” —Cool Cleveland
“The plot smoothly shifts from hilarity to seriousness, revealing the underlying themes of the comedy. ‘I did not appear out of nothing!’ Cristobal shouts in frustration and defiance, sharing his desperate attempts at finding not only the origin of his species, but the origin of himself.” —The Oberlin Review
Author(s)
Glen BergerGlen Berger's plays include UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL (more than 450 performances off Broadway; several Best Play awards; more than 200 productions; translated into eight languages), O LOVELY GLOWWORM (2005 Portland Drammy Award for Best Script), and GREAT MEN OF SCIENCE, NOS. 21 & 22 (1998 Ovation Award and L A Weekly Award for Best Play). His television credits include two Emmy Awards (twelve total nominations) and more than 150 episodes for children's series, including Arthur (P B S), Peep (Discovery/The Learning Channel), Big and Small (B B C), and Fetch (P B S), for which he was head writer for all five of its seasons. Berger was the co-bookwriter for SPIDER-MAN TURN OFF THE DARK on Broadway, directed by Julie Taymor, with music by Bono and Edge of U2. He wrote a book of that experience — Song of Spider-Man — which was published by Simon & Schuster in 2013. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists.
Brett KeyserBrett Keyser is a writer and performer based in the southwestern Catskills. He is a North American Cultural Laboratory Artist and the Director of Nightjar Apothecary, a scientific-theatrical venture that has to date coughed up six natural wonders, chief among them DARWINII: THE COMEUPPANCE OF MAN. Other works include THE CHRISTMAS LECTURES OF M. NEARANIGHT, TANN, HORNS, AND DEAD DOGS: TALES OF CIVIC EFFLUVIA, and YOU.
Special Notes
If original stage producers credits appear in bold below, all licensees are required to include them in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:
In addition, the following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypub.com