2027-28 Proposal: Saturday Sunday Monday

Saturday Sunday Monday 

by Eduardo de Filippo, adapted by Keith Waterhouse & Willis Hall

Directed by Robert Leff

Show Synopsis

This highly praised version is a sparkling contemporary commedia dell'arte about a feuding Neapolitan family. Peppino suspects his wife Rosa of infidelity and she is brooding because he spurned her cooking and praised a meal prepared by his daughter in law. The character rich cast also includes a crusty grandfather, a formidable widowed aunt on the make for the family doctor, her mama's boy son and a "liberated" daughter in law. During the traditional Sunday dinner Peppino's and Rosa's tempers flare amidst a gathering of family and friends. Add to their feud generation conflicts, a lover's quarrel, humorous insights on momism and bourgeois Italian life and the meal is unforgettable. Of course, all is forgiven by Monday.

Vision Statement

I have directed two large cast family comedies, AH, WILDERNESS! by Eugene O'Neill and YOU CANT TAKE lT WITH YOU by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman. I have worked on other productions of each play.

Eduardo de Filippo (1 900-1984) was born into a theatre family in Naples. He made his stage debut at age 4, and at age 14, he become member of his father's company. During his life in theatre, he was an actor, playwright, director, and manager of his own theatre company. He played Peppino in the first production of Saturday, Sunday, Monday (1959). ln Italy and around the world, Eduardo is considered a major Italian playwright of the 20th century. Audiences always love him and his plays.

They loved him because, "Both his acting and writing stemmed from observation and tradition." Towards the end of his career, he said, he said the things that most deeply influenced him were "...life, humanity, nature, the street, my reaction to all of them."

The play's plot is a bit thin; the richly written characters hold our interest. The play is very funny with a touch of the serious. The style is not "joke, joke, joke;" comedy arises from people interacting with one another.

I'm proposing Saturday, Sunday, Monday for two reasons. From the actors' point of view, each character has depth. The cast size is 1 male role and 7 female roles who range in age from mid-twenties to 75. It's a generational story. The characters are fun to play. The Majestic audience will enjoy the production because the story is easy to follow and the characters will remind them of people in their family, friends, and neighbors. I see myself in two characters. My goal is to entertain the patrons and send them home with a smile.

This is a three act play. The first act (Saturday) introduces the characters and the story. ln the second act (Sunday), the story continues to build until there is an "eruption." ln the third act, (Monday) Rosa and Peppino finally sit done for a long-needed talk. I plan to have two intermissions. During the first, the set changes from the kitchen to the dinning room. During the second, the crew clears the dining room table and the actors change costumes and catch their breath.

Sets: The first act is set in the kitchen and the second and third acts take place in the dining room with a small outdoor balcony. It would be nice, but two complete sets are not needed. (l have production pictures.) I checked the online Berg inventory for furniture. There is a stove.

Props: A committee is needed. The budget for them will be the biggest item. Making the ragu is the main action of act one. I've included the prop list with the script.