The Cocktail Hour
A Play by A.R. Gurney

Directed by Jaeonnie Davis-Crawford
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About the Show:
Winner of the Lucille Lortel Award as Best Off-Broadway Play. This witty, perceptive play blends mordant humor with moments of affecting poignancy.

The time is the mid '70s, the place a city in upstate New York. John, a playwright, returns to his family’s house, bringing with him a new play which he has written about them. His purpose is to obtain their permission to proceed with production, but his wealthy, very proper parents are cautious from the outset. For them the theatre is personified by the gracious, comforting era of the Lunts and Ina Claire, and they are disturbed by the bluntness of modern plays. And there is also John’s sister, Nina, to contend with, although her reservations have to do with the fact that John has given her character such a minor role. Their confrontation takes place during the ritual of the cocktail hour, and as the martinis flow so do the recriminations and revelations, both funny and poignant.

“THE COCKTAIL HOUR is as funny and moving as The Dining Room…it could be the best play he has done so far.” —The New Yorker.

“It makes for a deliciously funny and also occasionally touching evening, as Gurney’s family sit around raking over old coals and settling old scores with a quite new and beguiling freshness.” —New York Post.

“The lines in the play crackle and pop with an electricity all their own.” —Drama-Logue.

“…when I watch Gurney at his best, as he is here, I laugh through the tears.” —New York Daily News.
Performing January 12 - February 4, 2024 at Trinity Theatre, 1640 Camino Del Rio North, Suite 129, San Diego, CA 92108

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Financial support is provided by the City of San Diego through the Commission for Arts and Culture.

The Cocktail Hour is produced by Special Arrangement with Dramatist Play Service, Inc.