Monologue / One Character Plays

[msemma]

Can anyone name a few notable one person plays please? Length not important, must be just for the one actor and / or a monologue.

[shammydodger]

"A Cream Cracker Under the Settee" by Alan Bennett

[marwel7]

Peter Barnes wrote a series of them called Barnes' People.

[saxy_jag]

Alan Bennett wrote a whole series of monologues, 'Talking Heads', of which 'Cream Cracker etc.' is just one.

I have an idea that 'An Evening With Gary Linekar' is a one man show, too.

[DaSwede]

Not a play exactly but I do remember one episode of M*A*S*H where Hawkeye (Alan Alda) did a 25-30 minute monologue. I have no recollection at all of what it was about, just remember admiring the dramaturgical idea as such. It's not easy to 'defend' why someone should be taking to themselves for half an hour, but in this episode Hawkeye suffered a concussion and he kept on talking in a desperate attempt not to go to sleep. He happened to be in a non-bilingual Chorean home at the time, so there wasn't anybody talking back...

Judging from the customer review (scroll down) entitled "Another great season box set from Fox" it's available right here.

[dogfish]

Roddy Doyle's "The Woman who Walked into Doors".

[maxi29]

An evening with Gary Lineker is not a one man play, there about five people in it.

The playwright you want is Samuel Beckett: Krapp's Last Tape is the most famous but there's also Eh Joe and Not I (and a few more).

[JackDanielsU]

Patrick Stewart did an one-man version of A Christmas Carol

Waiting for Godot, has a monologue by "Lucky" (but isnt an oneman play)

[mike b]

There are a couple by Samuel Beckett - Krapp's Last Tape and Not I...

[robbo82]

One of the finest pieces of theatre I've ever seen was a one-man play called Catalpa at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival a couple of years ago. Not sure if/where you'll be able to get a copy of it, as it was an original piece by a not-particularly-well-known company, but it will definitely be worth trying to track down.

[ab44]

Willy Russell's 'Shirley Valentine' was a monologue/one charcter play in its original form - excellent

[msemma]

thanks for your help everyone - some really good leads for me there!

[mike b]

re Shirley Valentine - there is a story that Willy Russell once won a Liverpool 'Best Actress' award when the scheduled performer was incapacitated and, being the only person present who knew the lines, he had to take on the part himself...