The Boys Next Door

By Tom Griffin

Dates: May 2, 2025- May 18, 2025

The place is a communal residence in a New England city, where four mentally handicapped men live under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly “burned out” young social worker named Jack. Norman, who works in a doughnut shop. Lucien has the mind of a five-year-old but imagines that he can read and comprehend the weighty books he lugs about. Arnold, the ringleader of the group, is a hyperactive, compulsive chatterer, who suffers from deep anxiety. Then there is Barry, a brilliant schizophrenic who fantasizes that he is a golf pro. Take this journey through the daily lives of these four men where “little things” sometimes become momentous (and often very funny). A play with many moments of great poignancy and touching effectiveness, and we are reminded that the handicapped, like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time that they, like their more fortunate brothers, are allotted on this earth. This comedy is sure to bring you joy and challenge our humanity.

Contains Mature Language