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Little Bird

Details

Synopsis

Little Bird is a full-length comedy/drama by Mary Gallagher. A touching, funny yet deeply perceptive study of four well-intentioned young people seeking to find their identities, each having rejected middle-class life in their own way and the mishaps of their fated interdependence. Little Bird is a remarkable first play that introduced a new writer of exceptional originality and sensitivity to the theatre. Little Bird is set in Kelly’s apartment in a rundown section of Cleveland, flanked by universities and now infiltrated by middle-class inmovers. Kelly, a laid-back young artist who is finding it difficult to paint, ekes out a meagre living helping his friend Clint make custom furniture. Also on hand are Clint’s lover, Prandy, a free-spirited “drop out” who now works as a waitress; and Prandy’s vulnerable and somewhat “up-tight” younger sister, Maura, who is half-heartedly completing college. The central action of the play involves the complicated and sometimes stormy interaction of these four highly individualistic protagonists, each of whom, in his or her own way, has rejected the conventions of traditional middle-class life. The crisis of the play comes when Prandy announces that she is pregnant and Clint, who had previously planned to take off for parts unknown, refuses to change his plans despite her condition. Prandy’s embittered decision to have an abortion drives a wedge between her and her more conventional sister, a rift which is widened still further when Maura embarks on an affair with the much older (and disturbingly haphazard) Kelly. In the end, when Clint returns from his wanderings, a reconciliation of sorts is achieved among the four – impelled by the deep-seated affection and concern that they feel for each other, but also tempered by the hurt and anger which have tested, and yet perhaps deepened, their fated interdependence.

Character Breakdown

Maura - 20. Small, Long Hair, dresses in baggy old jeans, an old peacoat, ancient tennis shoes. Unsure of herself on many counts, except for her convictions, which come from the heart. Very vulnerable; protects herself with feistiness and humor. Kelly - 30. Always wears the same old jeans and a sweater with a hole in it, or similar garments. Usually has a glass of wine or a joint around. Tries hard to remove himself from turmoil, especially his own, but his perceptions and compassion defeat him Prandy - 22. Maura's sister. Very pretty and dashing; dress, romantic and eccentric, combining junk shop and hip; flowing hair, dangling earrings, beads, and scarves. She is charming and fun, but her emotional life is precarious and painful. Clint is her life Clint - 26. Prandy's lover and Kelly's boss. Sexy and sloppy in denim and boots. Not bred by the middle class, like the others; not as verbal as they are, but more stable and sensible. A good guy.