The Planet

March 31, 2008 | Filed Under Main, Theater |

One of my favorite artifacts from Boston in the 80s was a small, literary gem called The Duplex Planet. The Duplex Planet was a true independent – hand copied, stapled and delivered – and could be found at Newbury Comics or any hip record shop and book store. It was/is created, owned and operated by the talented David Greenberger. See, he had this job as cruise director at a home for elderly gentlemen and one of his first gambits was an in-house newspaper. He would “interview” the residents, asking questions like – What was your favorite party? Who was Frankenstein? What do you like better–taxes or Texas? – and he would listen, put what he heard into the paper and hand it out. But while the residents didn’t mind talking, they had no interest in reading it. However – the rest of us did. The things he heard from these gentlemen could truly astonish. Hell – no one had really talked to them for years! The Duplex Planet still lives and I have a link over yonder to check it out.

The Planet is my first full length play and is based on roughly the first 40 issues of the magazine. I felt like I knew these men. I cared about them. So I decided to put them onstage. With the play, you spend some time – the week before Christmas 1980 - with eight men in their late 60s, 70 and 80s, including one extraordinary octogenarian poet (whose works would spawn at least four compilation CDs by alternative artists). I met these men through the pages of the magazine, so The Planet follows the flow of your average issue. Some conversations, some poetry, record reviews and soliloquies. These are their words, with some of mine thrown in to glue it together.

I don’t care what anyone says – it plays the way I want it to. Posted under Written Works.

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2 comments so far
  1. Tommy April 4, 2008 6:31 am

    I read your play last night Uncle Carl and I enjoyed it very much. Did someone say that it didnt play well? I dont see another way that it could play. I liked it alot.

  2. mburma April 4, 2008 9:51 am

    Thanks, T. One theater said it was “disjointed” and another said all the voices sounded the same(!) - which puzzled me more than anything.