The Country Club

by Douglas Carter Beane

Book by Douglas Carter Beane

72 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published January 1, 2000

About the author

Douglas Carter Beane has written the screenplays for To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar; Advice From a Caterpillar (Best Film, Aspen Comedy Festival, Best Feature, Toyota Comedy Festival) and Skinner's Eddy. His plays include As Bees In Honey Drown (Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Playwriting Award, Drama Desk Best Play Nomination); The Country Club (LA Times Critics' Choice & Dramalogue Awards); Music From A Sparkling Planet; Advice From A Caterpillar (Outer Critics Circle Award Nomination); White Lies; Devil May Care and Old Money. His new musical, The Big Time (with music and lyrics by Douglas J. Cohen) was just produced by Drama Dept. The Little Dog Laughed which transferred from Second Stage Theatre was his Broadway debut. Beane wrote the book for Xanadu, a stage musical adaptation of the 1980 film of the same name, adding new plot twists and humor parodying the original movie. Beane won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Book of a Musical and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical. In 2011, Beane was hired to 'doctor' the book for the musical Sister Act alongside Bill and Cheri Steinkellner for which he was nominated for a Tony. Beane wrote the book of the Broadway Musical Lysistrata Jones and rewrote the book for a new adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. The Nance, a new play for Lincoln Center, starred Nathan Lane and directed by Jack O'Brien. Beane has also revised the libretto for the Metropolitan Opera's new production of the operetta Die Fledermaus which will be performed in 2013- 2014. Beane is currently the artistic director of the Drama Dept. Theater Company in New York.

Reviews

[Fabian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely dated, it tells of the disenchantment of the Country Club set in... the 80s? Everyone cheats and talks smack. Obviously, on the stage the effect is different. But from the text I was like, why would Cynthia Nixon do this?

[John Geddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the playwright in general although I agree that the decline of the “Philadelphia Story” upper class has a very specific audience. Not the most accessible of his plays, it still has some great dialogue and one liners. It takes the conceit of moving from holiday to holiday in the side room of this group of friends’ country club. I’d imagine this being a bit challenging to stage (single set, but the set dressers get a workout), but it kept the whole show running at a fast clip.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

No shortage of literature about the upper middle class. And it is almost never compelling....

[tai lyn sandhu · Rating 3 out of 5]

people from connecticut (real)