ALL TOGETHER NOW
by Philip Middleton Williams
Paul and Adam are a gay couple living together happily in Miami. One morning the doorbell rings and in walks Fox, age 15, just off the plane from Santa Fe. He tells them that he is Paul’s son and that he wants to live with them. To share in this staggering news are Paul’s parents Jim and Dorothy, and after an all-day frantic trip from Santa Fe, Fox’s mother, Julie. This life-changing moment touches them all: Paul and Adam, who are discussing marriage; Julie and Fox, who are coming to terms with this boy growing into adulthood, and Jim and Dorothy, who never expected to be grandparents.
- CAST SIZE 4M 2W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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A neat twist on the modern family, Middleton-William’s “All Together Now” is a warm comedy – with a few prickly edges – that’s really a coming-of-age story in which the usual suspect, ie: the teen-ager, is not the one who comes of age. Wise, funny, and totally winning.
Didn’t Tolstoy say that happy families are all alike? I think Philip Middleton Williams challenges that notion in All Together Now. He places flawed but totally lovable characters in the midst of a unique family that faces challenges, as all families do, but a family that holds a promise of real happiness, happiness that is all too rare. This is a heartwarming play that will have the audience identifying with and rooting for each and every onstage character, even when their motives are seemingly at cross-purposes. Bravo!
You can make a baby, even if it requires the help of a turkey (or maybe tofurky?) baster. But how do you make a family? Three generations try to work that out in this lovely, lovely play full of heart and affectionate one-liners that will leave you a little misty-eyed by the end.
This is a great new take on an old story – a child coming to find an unsuspecting parent. This play is full of surprises. The characters are well-drawn, and the situations all feel very real. Philip Middleton Williams has a knack for writing realistic dialogue sprinkled with some very funny lines. I highly recommend this play!
Well-written, funny, sweet play that celebrates the advances we’ve made in defining families — the single mom, the lesbian mom, the two gay dads, and the straight parents – versions of loving ones (onstage) and versions of homophobic ones (left obscene, where they should be — offstage) — and it’s not all tidy, so it feels quite real.
The piece begins with a situation that could be as easily played for laughs as for drama, yet Williams skillfully manages to have it both ways, sometimes in the same line of dialogue. In the course of the story we see both the fragility and the resiliency of the extended family. The inciting incident is a seemingly offhand visit with ripples that force everyone to confront issues long buried and ultimately find the strength to create deeper bonds. Williams’s ability to portray complex family dynamics with such elegance and simplicity is absolutely masterful.
“ With a clever premise, full of little and bigger surprises, Williams has created a warm comedy-drama with well-written and relatable characters, and a twisty-turny story that has a highly satisfying ending. It’s a play that also makes the case that a family is what you make of it. Read, enjoy, recommend and, to producers, produce it! ”
I will never cease to be amazed at Williams’s ability to effortlessly lay beautifully finished dialogue onto the page. Every moment in All Together Now is easy and genuine, and each character is fully developed and relatable. Lots of subtle and effective comedy built into the action and the drama. This is one of those plays where you will feel compelled to choose your favorite character, but you’ll be hard pressed to do just that (Dorothy!). An instant modern classic. Looking forward to reading the other pieces in this series. Highly recommend.
Philip Middleton Williams has written a very sweet and funny piece on the importance of family and knowing your roots. I applaud him for writing a piece this heartwarming.
Lovely, sweet story that unfolds gently with surprising twists. We need this family — flawed, awkward, and loving — in our lives. I didn’t want the play to end, although the ending was perfect.
In this sweet and gentle family drama, precocious teenager Fox turns up at the home of gay dad Paul who never knew his son existed. Complications ensue as to who will bring the boy up, with everyone from Paul’s boyfriend Adam to his parents Jim and Dorothy to Fox’s mother Julie wanting their say. And Fox wants his say too. There are bumps along the road, but eventually a resolution is achieved on all sides in this pleasingly written play, which makes subtle commentary on what it means to be married, a parent, and a teenager today.
This wise and wonderful play is a story about family. How we create it, sustain it, allow it to grow and change (or not). Using his trademark masterful dialogue, Williams reveals just enough of the story of one teenager’s surprise entry into the well-honed life of his father – and the complications that entails – to leave you wanting more. And there is more! Enjoy immersing yourself in the world of All Together Now, one of four plays about family.
Review All Together Now.