Line (play)
Encyclopedia
Line is a 1967 one-act play by Israel Horovitz
, his first play produced. It is an absurdist
drama about 5 people waiting in line for an event (what event it is, is never made clear—several of the characters' stated expectations contradict the others). Each of the characters uses their wiles in an attempt to be first in line, getting more and more vicious as the play continues.
Line is the longest-running play in Manhattan
and the longest-running Off-Off-Broadway
show on the boards, having played continuously at the 13th Street Repertory Theater since 1974.
Cast notes
Israel Horovitz
Israel Horovitz is an American playwright and screenwriter.-Theatre career:An American dramatist, Horovitz has written more than 70 produced plays, many of which have been translated and performed in more than 30 languages worldwide . The 70/70 Horovitz Project was created by NYC Barefoot Theatre...
, his first play produced. It is an absurdist
Theatre of the Absurd
The Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
drama about 5 people waiting in line for an event (what event it is, is never made clear—several of the characters' stated expectations contradict the others). Each of the characters uses their wiles in an attempt to be first in line, getting more and more vicious as the play continues.
Line is the longest-running play in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and the longest-running Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
show on the boards, having played continuously at the 13th Street Repertory Theater since 1974.
Characters
- Fleming - A baseballBaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
fan, he has been waiting all night at the front of the line (apparently for tickets to a baseball game). He is rather slow-witted and easily manipulated out of first place. - Stephen - A young handsome man who looks like James DeanJames DeanJames Byron Dean was an American film actor. He is a cultural icon, best embodied in the title of his most celebrated film, Rebel Without a Cause , in which he starred as troubled Los Angeles teenager Jim Stark...
(according to Molly). He is an obsessive fan of Mozart. He is very verbal and confuses people (especially Fleming) with doubletalk. - Molly - The lone female of the piece, a large middle-aged woman. She uses her sexuality to lure the men out of the front spot. This is stylized by her dancing and singing with each man.
- Dolan - A philosopher who only looks out for himself. He puts forth his "Underdog" theory- when you're under the dog, that's the easiest time to kick him in the balls.
- Arnall - Molly's cuckoldCuckoldCuckold is a historically derogatory term for a man who has an unfaithful wife. The word, which has been in recorded use since the 13th century, derives from the cuckoo bird, some varieties of which lay their eggs in other birds' nests...
husband. A milquetoast who is afraid of germs. The one time in the play he actually gets to the front of the line, he abdicates in favor of another so he won't be hurt. He claims his parents and grandmother made up his name because they couldn't decide whether to name him ARthur, NAthan, or LLoyd.
Notable former cast members
- Stephen - Liche Ariza / Richard DreyfussRichard DreyfussRichard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
/ Jonathan Harper Schlieman / Ben DavisBen DavisBen Davis may refer to:*Ben Davis , American entrepreneur, Founder & CEO of YummmBox, LLC.*Ben Davis , American former Major League Baseball catcher and current Atlantic League pitcher...
/ Michael Mercandetti / Emmanuel Todorow / Jason Rosette / Darin Guerasio / Gavin Walker Smith
- Molly - Eloise Ayala / Ruthellen Cheney / Amy Hoerler / Duvall O'Steen / Deidre Schweisow / Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud / Jennifer Johnson / Naheed Khan / Heather Knox / Therese Fretwell / Hella Bel / Lowrie Fawley
- Arnall - Kevin Hervst / Travis Pappy / Timothy J. CoxTimothy J. CoxTimothy J. Cox is an American actor who specializes in supporting / character roles.-Professional life:The Philadelphia native, who did the majority of his growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, began acting when, as an excuse to get out of his 8th grade Math class, auditioned and won the leading...
/ Roy Aaron / Gavin Walker Smith / Blake Catherwood / Neil Feigeles
- Flemming - Joe Wortman / Brian LangBrian LangBrian Andrew Lang FRSE is a Scottish social anthropologist who served as deputy chairman of the British Library and Principal of the University of St Andrews....
/ Chazz PalminteriChazz PalminteriCalogero Lorenzo "Chazz" Palminteri is an American actor and writer, best known for his performances in The Usual Suspects, A Bronx Tale, and his Academy Award nominated role for Best Supporting Actor in Bullets Over Broadway....
/ Jeremy RosenJeremy RosenJeremy Rosen is an Orthodox rabbi, author, and lecturer. He is best known for advocating an approach to Jewish life that is open to the benefits of modernity and tolerant of individual variations while remaining committed to halacha...
/ David CochraneDavid CochraneDavid Cochrane is a political reporter in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. He works with CBC Television news program Here and Now and with CBC Radio...
/ Gavin Walker Smith / Kristian Leavy / Brad Holbrook
- Dolan - John CazaleJohn CazaleJohn Holland Cazale , was an American film and theater actor. During his six-year film career he appeared in five films, each of which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture: The Godfather, The Conversation, The Godfather Part II, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter.From his...
/ Christopher MeloniChristopher MeloniChristopher Peter Meloni is an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and as inmate Chris Keller on the HBO prison drama Oz.-Early life:Meloni was born the youngest of three children in...
/ Reinhard Lentes / David Cochrane / Nixon Cesar / John Palotta / Gavin Walker Smith / Timothy J. CoxTimothy J. CoxTimothy J. Cox is an American actor who specializes in supporting / character roles.-Professional life:The Philadelphia native, who did the majority of his growing up in Wilmington, Delaware, began acting when, as an excuse to get out of his 8th grade Math class, auditioned and won the leading...
/ Kenneth McKenzie / Tom O'Neil
Cast notes
- Playwright Israel HorovitzIsrael HorovitzIsrael Horovitz is an American playwright and screenwriter.-Theatre career:An American dramatist, Horovitz has written more than 70 produced plays, many of which have been translated and performed in more than 30 languages worldwide . The 70/70 Horovitz Project was created by NYC Barefoot Theatre...
appeared as Stephen in the first production of the play at La MaMa Experimental Theatre ClubLa MamaLa Mama may refer to:* La Mama - a German disco group* La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in East Village, Manhattan, New York City, founded 1961* La Mama Theatre in Carlton, Victoria, Australia, founded 1967...
, when another actor had to drop out at the last minute. - This was Richard DreyfussRichard DreyfussRichard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
' first play as an actor.