Lunch at the Mohawk Arms
a comedy in two acts
by Thomas Hischak
Flexible cast of 7 to 10 women, 8 men; one interior set
Synopsis
The Mohawk Arms is a fashionable hotel, bar, and lounge in New York City in the late 1930s where literary and theatrical folk like to gather at lunchtime. The regulars include actors, a novelist, an editor, playwrights, a musical lyricist and librettist duo, a drama critic, chorus girls, etc. Into their midst comes the young writer Virginia Newberry from Massachusetts, hired as a writer for Manhattan Magazine. With the help of cynical playwright Peter Bateman, "Ginny" soon picks up the New York style and before long has written a novel about her experiences which she titles New York Cynic. The book is a success which puts a strain on her relationship with Peter who, with co-author Ed Hornby, has just had a flop play on Broadway. Unsure of her feelings for Peter, Ginny leaves Manhattan and tries to write back in her former hometown in Massachusetts. But after a year away, she is drawn back to New York where Peter and Ed have a hit play on Broadway. Peter and Ginny begin a professional and personal relationship as the regulars gather and life continues as always at the Mohawk Arm
Cast of Characters
(7 - 10 W, 8 M)
(in order of appearance)
LAWRENCE COREY - a Hollywood actor in his early 30's, homespun, naive
WHEATON - a waiter, ageless, flawless
JOHN HOLLINS - editor of Manhattan Magazine, middle-aged, abrupt, self-absorbed
REBECCA HUBBARD - a famous novelist, late middle-aged, a dignified Southern lady
PETER BATEMAN - a playwright, 30's, quick-witted but not demonstrative
ED HORNBY - a playwright, late 30's, honest, likable
ABBOTT WASHBURN - a Broadway actor, late 30's, dashing, dense
SAM WHITE - a Broadway lyricist, 50's, a seasoned veteran
TRACY BRILL - a Broadway librettist, 40's, sharp, comfortable in a man's world
VIRGINIA NEWBURY - a writer in her late 20's, determined, intelligent
ELLEN HORNBY - Ed's wife, fashionable, frenzied
ELIOT VANDERGRIFT - a writer, mid-50's, bigger than life, center of attention
*MISS COLUMBIA - an attractive co-ed in her 20's
WANDA ZYWINSKI - a chorus girl, stunning, thick Eastern European dialect
LENA ZYWINSKI - her sister, a carbon copy
*MISS BARNARD - an attractive co-ed in her 20's
*MISS HUNTER - an attractive co-ed in her 20's
*MISS - a pretty, blunt, self-reliant girl in her 20's
* can all be played by the same actress
History of the Play
Lunch at the Mohawk Arms was given a staged reading by Break-a-Leg Productions at the Episcopal Actors Guild in New York City on June 23 and 24, 2023. The play has not yet been published or given a full production.
Rights for Lunch at the Mohawk Arms remain with the playwright. For a perusal copy of the script and a royalty quote, contact Thomas Hischak directly at: thischak@flagler.edu or hischakt@cortland.edu
