from the Schocken Bible, Southern German, circa 1300
Underneath the Lintel
Play Description
In this gripping ghost story an eccentric librarian discovers a weather-beaten book in a return bin — 113 years overdue. Sparked by a message left in its margins, he embarks on a magical quest that takes him around the world and 2,000 years into the past. With astonishing twists and turns, UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL draws us into an unforgettable odyssey.
Production Info
Cast: 1 total (1 male)Full Length Drama (about 65 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
- Productions
Press Quotes
“… one of a handful of great plays written in the last five years … it’s an astonishingly beautiful piece of writing …” —Steve Wiecking, Seattle Weekly
“On an inauspicious morning at a Dutch library, a librarian makes an unexpected find in the overnight return box … a much mistreated Baedeker’s guidebook 123 years overdue. Even without compound interest, this tardiness merits a tidy fine, and in UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL, playwright Glen Berger’s latest, our librarian hero determines to track down the miscreant. Berger’s monologue, subtitled ‘The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers,’ hardly slacks. Mailing a fine to the long-lived scofflaw in question proves difficult, as the borrower listed his name only as ‘A.’ In an effort to run him to earth, the librarian, who has never left his native town of Hoofddorp, zips to China, Australia, Germany, and America. He eats sweets, greases palms, sees Les Miserables in three languages, and fritters away all his accumulated vacation days. He has the time of his life, or perhaps for the first time actually has a life.” —Alexis Soloski, The Village Voice
“Berger has shown a penchant for men obsessively investigating truths that blind them to more ordinary pursuits of happiness. This one-man show is no exception. It’s a satisfying mix of intelligent writing and quirky humor in a package that isn’t neatly wrapped up with pat answers.” —Jana J Monji, Los Angeles Times
“Glen Berger’s work feels like what an entire generation of playwrights have been struggling to write.” —Bret Fetzer, The Stranger (Seattle)
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.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 12/30/2003 |
| Pages | 60 |
| ISBN | 9780881452235 |
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:
Originally produced professionally Off-Broadway at the Soho Playhouse
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
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