WORLD PREMIERE RIGHTS NOW AVAILABLE
A CHRISTMAS TRIFLE FOR TWO CLOWNS AND MISS ISABEL
3 Actors - One Set - 75 Minutes - No Intermission
It’s Miss Isabel’s 97th Christmas Eve, a festive annual event celebrated with her closest remaining family. A six-course meal with Martinis to start, wines appropriate to each course and Champagne throughout. All served impeccably by the indispensable family retainer James and the new man, Chuck. Unfortunately, all Miss Isabel’s family are deceased, and the unflappable James and unsuspecting Chuck must fill in – while consuming liberal amounts of the aforementioned libations. What could possibly go wrong? As James reminds Miss Isabel: “Family holiday gatherings are much like theatrical entertainments. Hope for the best, expect the worst.” “A Christmas Trifle…” is not only hilarious throughout but concludes with a sweet holiday twist. A farcical tour de force for three actors and at 75 minutes, a perfect holiday offering.
The Setting
An elegant dining room from an earlier age. Dining table and six chairs, one at either end, two
upstage, two down A sideboard, stage right, another up center. Two swinging doors in the
upstage wall on either side of the sideboard, presumably to the pantry or kitchen. An archway
stage left leading to the rest of the house. On either side and down stage of the table there are,
incongruously , two bear-skin rugs (or perhaps tigers, either will do) heads intact, grinning down
stage at the audience.
Characters
JAMES: Very proper English butler. Utterly unflappable. Always a step ahead.
CHUCK: An un-employed actor, serving as a footman for the evening. Easily confused. Often a
step behind - except when he isn't.
MISS ISABEL: Ninety-seven years old, remarkably spry and quick. Elegant, refined, very sweet
and completely dotty.
Note: James and Chuck are obviously variations on great comic duos of the last century: Stan
and Ollie, Bud and Lou, Groucho and Chico, Weber and Fields and yes, Bugs and Elmer, with
nods to Red Skelton and Foster Brooks. Their antecedents can be traced in a direct line from the
above through Feydeau, Moliere, Shakespeare, and Plautus to Aristophanes. Although some
physical skills are suggested in the text, verbal dexterity is far more important and should not be
sacrificed for the ability to juggle wine glasses. It would be nice, of course, to have both.
Running Time:
Estimated: 70-80 minutes. No intermission.
An elegant dining room from an earlier age. Dining table and six chairs, one at either end, two
upstage, two down A sideboard, stage right, another up center. Two swinging doors in the
upstage wall on either side of the sideboard, presumably to the pantry or kitchen. An archway
stage left leading to the rest of the house. On either side and down stage of the table there are,
incongruously , two bear-skin rugs (or perhaps tigers, either will do) heads intact, grinning down
stage at the audience.
Characters
JAMES: Very proper English butler. Utterly unflappable. Always a step ahead.
CHUCK: An un-employed actor, serving as a footman for the evening. Easily confused. Often a
step behind - except when he isn't.
MISS ISABEL: Ninety-seven years old, remarkably spry and quick. Elegant, refined, very sweet
and completely dotty.
Note: James and Chuck are obviously variations on great comic duos of the last century: Stan
and Ollie, Bud and Lou, Groucho and Chico, Weber and Fields and yes, Bugs and Elmer, with
nods to Red Skelton and Foster Brooks. Their antecedents can be traced in a direct line from the
above through Feydeau, Moliere, Shakespeare, and Plautus to Aristophanes. Although some
physical skills are suggested in the text, verbal dexterity is far more important and should not be
sacrificed for the ability to juggle wine glasses. It would be nice, of course, to have both.
Running Time:
Estimated: 70-80 minutes. No intermission.