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The Battle of Shallowford
A Comedy by Ed
Simpson
8M/1W. One
interior.
Synopsis of The Battle of Shallowford
On a quiet
Sunday night, the local regulars have gathered at Burton Mack’s
general store, in the small town of Shallowford, NC. It is October,
1938. The rest of the world is poised on the brink of war, but the
locals aren’t much worried about events in the world at large.
They’re more interested in the local gossip – and Burton’s general
store is the best place to hear it. The regulars include the
gossipy, whining Clunette; fey church choirmaster Fred; lowlife,
wild-eyed Newsome Jarvis, on hand with his “slow” son, Doodad; Mr.
Roy, a one-armed World War I veteran who holds court at the store;
egotistic local football hero Dewey Sowers; Burton’s restless young
daughter, Ruthie; and her schoolmate Lonny Hutchins, a sci-fi
aficionado. All is calm; until, that is, they turn on the radio and
learn that the Martians have invaded! Of course, it is the famous
Orson Welles broadcast they are listening to – but they fall for it,
hook, line, and shotgun, and run out to do battle against the
fearsome threat from the invading Martians. Only Lonny suspects
that something is fishy, but he’s got his hands full if he thinks
he’s gonna deter the local yokels from their moment of glory.
Critical Praise for The Battle of Shallowford . . .
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. . . a
wholesome dose of bittersweet comedy . . . very satisfying . . .
The Los
Angeles Times
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. . . [The
Battle of Shallowford is] a sentimental comedy that’s
hilariously on target
. . . resonates with a folksy, small town life I thought disappeared
from popular culture . . . . [The play has] splendid character and
is full of hilarious comic payoffs . . . . It could easily become a
community theater staple in much the way the works of Larry Shue
(The Nerd) have.
The Knoxville
Journal
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Tickle their
funny bones, warm their hearts, don’t insult their intelligence:
a
play that can do that, I was once told, should have a long run and a
broad
audience. The Battle of Shallowford hits that magic
trio of traits.
The Knoxville
News-Sentinel
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What Simpson
. . . . [does] best is display the simple homespun humanity
of
people living in a small town. They are delightful folks; each with
dreams
and fears and quirks of their own.
The Las Vegas
Review-Journal
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. . . A warm
and chucklesome portrait . . .
The Charlotte
Observer
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. . . A
comedy that reaches into the past to touch the future . . .
plenty
of laughs to go around.
The Greensboro
News and Record
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. . . A
thought-provoking comedy . . . a Southern delight
that will warm and
entertain.
The Nashville
(NC) Graphic
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The Battle
of Shallowford is a novel and delightful evening.
The Indiana
(PA) Gazette
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[The
Battle of Shallowford] has all the ingredients to be a hit on
the regional
theater circuit . . . a theatrical gem which could well
shine for years to come.
The Asheville
Citizen-Times
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Over 60 Productions, Including . . .
Flat Rock
Playhouse
Carnegie-Mellon
Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre
Omaha Community Theatre
Tennessee Stage Company
Charlotte
Repertory Theatre
The Broach Theater
Cumberland County Playhouse
Theater 40
Summer Theater-by-the-Grove |
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To inquire about
performance rights for The Battle of Shallowford,
please contact:
Samuel French, Inc.
45 West 25th Street
New York, NY 10010
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