THE STORIES: Sleeping Beauty takes place in Malcolm Harrington's brand new condominium on Staten Island, which he shares with his delightfully kooky girlfriend, Louise. Louise, who wants to decorate the apartment with "balloon men" and pencil drawings, is beginning to feel inhibited by the stodgy demands of her ever practical boyfriend and dreams of the "other men" in her life (some of whom she has never even met). Strangely enough, one by one these men (not to mention one woman) do begin to show up at Louise's door and beg her to run off with them. Although tempted by their hilarious entreaties, Louise, in the end, decides that she truly loves Malcolm and that her life should be with him, rather than the crazy collection of characters who have so disconcertingly sprung from her erotic reveries into palpable life. (11 men, 3 women, many are bit parts.)
Smoke. Al Kamen is a man who seems to have life going his way. In a series of fast-paced, comic scenes we see that Al's wife, friends, and employer all think very highly of him, and that he, in turn, has strong, secure relationships with those around him. However, one day Al decides to quit smoking, and that's when everything starts to fall apart for our hero. All of a sudden honesty becomes the name of the game; and in a series of encounters with his wife and friends, we see what Al, and those who surround him, actually think of each other. Pretty soon all of the harsh truths become too much for Al to bear, and he begins smoking again, yearning for the life that he used to lead. As the play ends the stage in engulfed in smoke, with both Al and the audience strangely unsure of what his future will hold for him. (6 men, 1 woman.)
