Denny and Claire, a middle-aged couple, move to Central America to try out early retirement, only to find that their ideas of the good life are completely opposite. Claire is on the point of bolting for home when a pair of archaeologists, hiking through the area, makes a shattering discovery on their property. That mound not twenty feet from their cabin isn’t just a mound - it’s an ancient tomb. Claire and Denny are roped into the excavation, but what they unearth just shouldn’t be there - in fact it shouldn’t be anywhere. The conflict over what to do next sets off a chain of surreal events. Is what they discover real or have they all somehow imagined it? And if it isn’t real, what is it?
Keywords:Â Comedy, supernatural, archaeology, magic realism, shaman, jungle, rainforest, Central America, one set
Produced by Centenary Stage Company, Hackettstown, New Jersey, USA, 2023
Finalist - Woodward/Newman New Play Contest 2022
Winner - Susan Glaspell New Play Award 2022
Genre: Dramatic Comedy, Mystery
Act: 2
Run time: 100 minutes
Content note: Contains very occasional swearing, supernatural shamanic ceremony
Cast size: 4 actors
Male roles: 2
Female roles: 2
Casting note:Â Claire Newhart Female 50's
Denny Newhart Male 50's
The couple can be any ethnicity as long as they are culturally North American.
Dr. Julio Ferrero Male 30-40 Mexican but educated in Europe. Mid Atlantic accent.
Angela Lang Female 20's Any ethnicity but culturally North American.
"The discoveries are miraculous, almost unspeakable, and the last reveal in the play comes with a genuine jolt of shock and wonder. May the theater gods cast a thousand curses upon any who spoil it."
- Chip O'Chang, Ridgeview Echo