Length: 90-120 mins
Casting: 14-30 actors
A not-quite dead Victorian child exposes a series of scams in a madcap comedy.
SYNOPSIS: Dead Victorian Child at first follows a group of grifters attempting to take advantage of a grieving family. The child seems to have died after reading books that were far too much for his Victorian sensibilities, attracting a pair of bickering spiritualist sisters, a patent medicine peddler selling literal snake oil, a fairy whisperer, and a time traveling inventor with his mechanical monkey. When the child appears to come back to life, he has a story to tell – and Barnum and Bailey of circus fame are eager to profit from it.
WHY THIS PLAY: The hucksters of yore serve to mirror the epidemic of scam artists, making this play highly relevant to the modern audience. This play also features a large cast that makes sure that everyone has something interesting to do, making it ideal for educational, university, or community theatre, or anywhere that can support a big cast.
ALSO:
- Improv is incorporated for some characters, which keeps the play fresh for the actors and audience.
- “Historical,” though highly imaginative, offering plenty of design opportunities.
- Satires historical figures including Barnum and Bailey, the Fox Sisters (actual hoaxers), patent medicine men, resurrectionists, WH Mumler the “spirit photographer,” and HG Wells’ work, making this a play with many opportunities inspire, excite, and annoy history buffs.
- Secret societies, like the Cabal of Undertakers, Grave Robbers, and Assassins. Which I think makes it fun.
- Though presented as the Victorian era, with numerous LGBTQ characters and the League of Nonbinary Street Urchins, this play is far more modern.
- A dinosaur fight, ‘Three Stooges’-inspired characters, a circus, patent medicine miracles, a time-traveling trip, and more means theatrical spectacle
This was written with and for a cast of 19, though there’s some flexibility.
Script available via The New Play Exchange or by contacting Briandaniel.
Briandaniel Oglesby 