Synopsis
Asterisk!
Published by Dramatists Play Service
1 Male 2 Female
Actually Seymour's purpose is not as filial as it might appear. His mother is a drain on the budget, a threat to Seymour's shaky (and wealthy) marriage and a general millstone who has long since outlived her usefulness
So Seymour devises a number of hilariously diabolic ways to convince her that her faculties have deteriorated to the point where her demise would be a service to all
One other minor problem is that Sunday morning is also the time of Seymour's weekly extramarital assignation at the Plaza Hotel, a fact of which he believes his mother to be ignorant - which, of course, she isn't
However, Mrs Haber takes a step toward independence by advertising a room for rent, and the tenant who drops in to take it proves to be Griselda, an English beauty who, it turns out, is also a high-priced call girl of international repute
Suddenly Seymour's two Sunday worlds collide as he finds mother's digs more appealing than the Plaza! Needless to say Mrs Haber's well-honed instincts for survival respond to this, and while the panting Seymour is rewarded he must pay a price
From now on, his Sunday visits will be something more than a duty - and mother's discretion now outvalues her demise. Which, in a bizarre way, means that things have worked out as they should have all along - and as they usually do.
A zany and often outrageous black comedy
Its Broadway version was titled The Mother Lover. Novel in form and outlook, the play deals with a "dutiful" son who visits his widowed mother each Sunday with one thought in mind - how to advance her imminent demise!