Screwball Comedy at Theatre 40

The title Screwball Comedy refers to an American genre of story-telling which had its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s. The elements included a male and female who may be adversarial at first, but are ultimately ideal for each other; some farcical or slapstick action; a female with the upper hand in the relationship; snappy patter and crackling dialogue. Norm Foster’s Screwball Comedy is both an homage to and an example of the genre.
Our story: The year is 1938, and newly laid-off perfumier, Mary Hayes is trying to break into the male dominated world of newspaper journalism. Editor-In-Chief Bosco Godfrey sets a competition between his egotistical star reporter Jeff Kincaid and plucky Mary assigning them to cover a society wedding. If Jeff writes the better story, he gets to keep his job. If Mary wins, she will replace the ace newshound. Super-rich lady Delores suspects that her son Chauncey’s fiancée Gloria is a fortune hunter and wants the reporters to expose her. Chauncey is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, and Delores suspects he’s being played for a patsy. Can Jeff or Mary dig up the dirt?
Howard Storm directs.
Ages: 10 to Adult