Sexual Perversity in Chicago
| Sexual Perversity in Chicago | |
|---|---|
| Written by | David Mamet |
| Date premiered | 1974 |
| Place premiered | Organic Theater Company |
| Original language | English |
| Setting | Chicago |
Sexual Perversity in Chicago is a play written by David Mamet that examines the sex lives of two men and two women in the 1970s. The play is filled with profanity and regional jargon that reflects the working-class language of Chicago. The characters' relationships come to be hindered by the caustic nature of their words, as much of the dialogue includes insults and arguments. The play presents "intimate relationships [as] minefields of buried fears and misunderstandings".
The play has been adapted for film twice: as the 1986 film About Last Night and the 2014 film About Last Night.
Scene: Various spots around the North Side of Chicago, a Big City on a Lake.
Time: Approximately nine weeks one summer.
Danny and Bernie balance their mundane office jobs with sexual banter, particularly their experiences and preferences in the bedroom. Likewise, Joan and Deborah frequently discuss the shortcomings of men while at their apartment.
The main plot point is Danny and Deborah's relationship, perpetuating much of the dialogue about men and women. Their romance is quickly established by sexual attraction, but as the play progresses and Deborah moves into Danny's apartment, they are unable to talk with each other seriously. Danny complains in frustration, "Everything's fine. Sex, talk, life, everything. Until you want to get 'closer', to get 'better'. Do you know what the fuck you want?" Eventually, the couple breaks up while Danny and Bernie revert to their usual talk about "broads" and what is wrong with the world.
Joan says,
But a finite puzzle. Whose true solution lies, perhaps, in transcending the rules themselves... (pause) ...and pounding of the fucking pieces into places where they do not fit at all.
An early version of Sexual Perversity in Chicago was first produced at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont by the members of St. Nicholas Theater. The production was directed by Mamet.
The play was a series of blackouts showing various people (waitresses, policemen, investment bankers, etc.) having discussions about sex. It featured:
The play was subsequently reworked by Mamet with director Stuart Gordon into the four character structure that made it famous and established David Mamet as a playwright. An earlier Mamet play Danny Shapiro and his Search for the Mystery Princess was combined with Sexual Perversity, adding the characters of Bernie Litko and Joan Webber. It was produced and performed by Organic Theater Company in Chicago in June 1974, in a production directed by Stuart Gordon. The cast featured:
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