The Good Daughter
One man
would tame a river,
another
his rebellious child.
Neither
can foresee the consequences ....
An epic story of love and
defiance in World War I Missouri.
Directed by
Jason King Jones
SuzAnne and Gabor Barabas, Producers
With Deborah Baum,
Christine Bruno, Lea Eckert, Davis Hall, David Foubert,
and Brian O'Halloran
The production at NJ Rep Oct. 9 - Nov. 16 breaks all
previous box office records. Eight years after this play came to life as my
MFA thesis project, it finally makes it to the stage in a professional
production. Beautifully acted, directed, and designed, the production earns
wide praise:
D.W. Gregory's affecting family drama "The Good
Daughter," boasts a flavorful, cinematic sweep.
-- Variety
Like some downstream eddy, "The Good Daughter"
draws you in within seconds --
-- Asbury Park Press
D.W. Gregory has written a classically American play that
really digs deeply into the roots of our society and societal expectations.
--- TriCity News
... a multifaceted, thought provoking traditional American
play which stirs echoes of Eugene O’Neill
--Bob Rendell's New Jersey
Under Jason King Jones' sturdy un-fussy direction, the deluge
of romance, regrets, recriminations and rebellious behavior that propel
"The Good Daughter," takes an almost retro dramatic course. But it is
a course that, for all its contrived arteries, is precisely and skillfully
constructed.
-- Simon Saltzman
Not bad for a play I never thought would be produced.
Okay, yours truly also got smacked around by a couple of
critics who didn't like the emotional intensity. They called it melodrama, but I
disagree (please see Webster's for a definition). Don't expect me to post those
reviews; you can dig 'em up yourself. But click here
to see what Variety and some other papers had to say.
And now for some pictures:
Deborah Baum as Cassie and David Foubert as Matt
Christine Bruno and Davis Hall, above
And the whole family: Brian O'Halloran (seated) as Rudy,
Christine Bruno and Davis Hall, Lea Eckert as Rachel and Deborah Baum as Cassie
Production History
- Reading, Florida Stage Co., February 2004
- Production, New Jersey Repertory Co., Oct. 9 - Nov. 16, 2003
- Reading, Highland Repertory Theatre, Asheville, N.C., January 2003
- Reading New Jersey Repertory Co., March 18, 2002
- Reading, New Ground Theatre, Davenport, Iowa, November 2001
- Reading, Women's Project and Productions, December
11, 2000
- Reading, Round House Theatre, Silver Spring, Md.,
November 6, 2000
- Staged Reading, Charter Theater, Washington, D.C.,
June 18, 2000
- Reading, Charter Theater, Washington, D.C., June 11,
1999
- Reading, GeVa Theater, Rochester, N.Y., June 8, 1998
- Concert Reading, Playwrights Theater of New Jersey,
December 1997
- Roundtable Reading, Playwrights Theater of New
Jersey, February 1997
- Workshop, Catholic University of America, April
1995.
Production Requirements:
- Simple staging
- Cast of three women, three men
- Running time: two hours
Interested? Get in touch.