Synopsis
Six Degrees of Separation
Published by Dramatists Play Service
4 Female
Paul tells them he is the son of actor Sidney Poitier, and that he has just been mugged and all his money is gone
Captivated by Paul's intelligence and his fascinating conversation (and the possibility of appearing in a new Sidney Poitier movie), the Kittredges invite him to stay overnight
But in the morning they discover him in bed with a young male hustler from the streets, and the picture begins to change
After kicking him out, Ouisa and Flan discover that friends of theirs have had a similar run-in with the brash con artist
Intrigued, they turn detective and piece together the connections that gave Paul access to their lives
Meanwhile, Paul's cons unexpectedly lead him into darker territory and his lies begin to catch up with him
As the final events of the play unfold Ouisa suddenly finds herself caring for Paul, feeling that he gave them far more than he took and that her once idyllic life was not what it seemed to be
Winner of the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Play and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award
No subject is left untouched in this comic, fast-paced and affecting piece
The title refers to a statistical theory which states that any two people in the world can be connected through only six other people and the play is an examination of the threads of chance that link one person to another.
"Among the many remarkable aspects of Mr. Guare's writing is the seamlessness of his imagery, characters and themes, as if this play had erupted from his own imagination in one perfect piece" ~ NY Times