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Underneath the Lintel
“… one of a handful of great plays written in the last five years … it’s an astonishingly beautiful piece of writing …” —Steve Wiecking, Seattle Weekly“On an inauspicious morning at a Dutch library, a librarian makes an unexpected find in the overnight return box … a much mistreated Baedeker’s guidebook 123 years overdue. Even without compound interest, this tardiness merits a tidy fine, and in UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL, playwright Glen Berger’s latest, our librarian hero determines to track down the miscreant. Berger’s monologue, subtitled ‘The Mystery of the Abandoned Trousers,’ hardly slacks. Mailing a fine to the long-lived scofflaw in question proves difficult, as the borrower listed his name only as ‘A.’ In an effort to run him to earth, the librarian, who has never left his native town of Hoofddorp, zips to China, Australia, Germany, and America. He eats sweets, greases palms, sees Les Miserables in three languages, and fritters away all his accumulated vacation days. He has the time of his life, or perhaps for the first time actually has a life.” —Alexis Soloski, The Village Voice“Berger has shown a penchant for men obsessively investigating truths that blind them to more ordinary pursuits of happiness. This one-man show is no exception. It’s a satisfying mix of intelligent writing and quirky humor in a package that isn’t neatly wrapped up with pat answers.” —Jana J Monji, Los Angeles Times“Glen Berger’s work feels like what an entire generation of playwrights have been struggling to write.” —Bret Fetzer, The Stranger (Seattle)
52 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 10, 2010
One of the greatest plays I have ever read. Written for a single actor, this play is about a obcessive compulsive librarian who gets hooked by an unpaid fine over 100 years old that ends up taking him across the world in search of answers to a mystery that opens up to him.
I memorized nearly all of this play at one point in hopes of doing a small production of it myself. It never happened, but it may someday in the future. A fun and inspiring read.
I memorized nearly all of this play at one point in hopes of doing a small production of it myself. It never happened, but it may someday in the future. A fun and inspiring read.
October 29, 2022
Underneath the Lintel is a mystery story about understanding a life: gathering the debris left behind by a human being and filling in the gaps to try to make sense of the time that that human spent on this planet. Underneath the Lintel is also an extraordinary journey--via a one-man play disguised as a lecture--toward spiritual renewal. "Would you know a miracle if you saw one?" asks the play's narrator and central character. Sometimes just waking up to the wonders and mysteries of life is all the miracle we need.
A Dutch librarian--nearing middle age; alone and a little sad; a lot resigned--happens upon an unusual book in the course of his duties one day. It's a tattered old copy of a 19th century European travel guide; the strange thing is that it is 113 years overdue.
Lucky for us, our hero does recognize a miracle when he sees one: his curiosity aroused, he tries to figure out how the book happened to show up in the return slot and--more important--who left it there. As he searches for clues to the borrower's identity, he finds himself drawn into a compelling and puzzling conundrum. His efforts to crack the case take him to England, China, and various other unexpected places, and eventually lead to a surprising conclusion that tests his faith in the unbelievable and unknowable.
It's a gorgeous, unforgettable tale that affirms the tenacity and endurance of man in a universe that feels infinite even when we don't stop to think about it. The librarian tells us that he is talking to us today in order to prove one life and justify another, and that's exactly what he does. Human contact--whether tentative or long-lasting--is only one of the miracles waiting for us in Underneath the Lintel.
Berger's text is dazzlingly rich and deliciously engrossing: the narrative flies and before you're aware of it you're drawn into the librarian's extraordinary saga. Underneath the Lintel, so simple and unassuming, remains one of the most profoundly moving and wise plays I've ever come across. Aren't you curious about what secrets lie behind a 113-year-old book? You should be...
A Dutch librarian--nearing middle age; alone and a little sad; a lot resigned--happens upon an unusual book in the course of his duties one day. It's a tattered old copy of a 19th century European travel guide; the strange thing is that it is 113 years overdue.
Lucky for us, our hero does recognize a miracle when he sees one: his curiosity aroused, he tries to figure out how the book happened to show up in the return slot and--more important--who left it there. As he searches for clues to the borrower's identity, he finds himself drawn into a compelling and puzzling conundrum. His efforts to crack the case take him to England, China, and various other unexpected places, and eventually lead to a surprising conclusion that tests his faith in the unbelievable and unknowable.
It's a gorgeous, unforgettable tale that affirms the tenacity and endurance of man in a universe that feels infinite even when we don't stop to think about it. The librarian tells us that he is talking to us today in order to prove one life and justify another, and that's exactly what he does. Human contact--whether tentative or long-lasting--is only one of the miracles waiting for us in Underneath the Lintel.
Berger's text is dazzlingly rich and deliciously engrossing: the narrative flies and before you're aware of it you're drawn into the librarian's extraordinary saga. Underneath the Lintel, so simple and unassuming, remains one of the most profoundly moving and wise plays I've ever come across. Aren't you curious about what secrets lie behind a 113-year-old book? You should be...
September 2, 2018
This is such a great play. The mystery is knotted, but it also has wonderful themes about sliding doors and missed connections--the moment that changes all the other moments. MUST DIRECT THIS.
October 14, 2019
This play is a game changer...
August 6, 2020
Interesting little play. Strange story.
February 7, 2010
One of only three times I've ever bought a play in print (I love the theater but generally hate reading plays). After seeing this one-man show on stage I had to have a copy to savor the language and the story. Cross an obsessive librarian with an overdue book and throw in a little time travel for good measure. Exquisite.
April 9, 2018
5 Stars
A quick read that kept me hooked the whole way though. A compelling mystery, a wonderfully quirky narrator, and a very clever script with great themes! It's crazy to think I was so invested over a course of only thirty-six pages.
This play definitely deserves more recognition. Hopefully I'll get to see it performed someday.
A quick read that kept me hooked the whole way though. A compelling mystery, a wonderfully quirky narrator, and a very clever script with great themes! It's crazy to think I was so invested over a course of only thirty-six pages.
This play definitely deserves more recognition. Hopefully I'll get to see it performed someday.
August 6, 2007
Colin Smith's performance at Davidson College of this astounding one-man show distinguished it as one of those works every actor longs to perform. A mysterious, lonely, and lovely journey through a librarian's doggedly determined quest for permanence.
January 26, 2013
A haunting, beautifully constructed one-man meditation on time and devotion. An ex-librarian's odd quest shapes his dull life and gives him purpose. Troubling and soaringly hopeful - it is both a fantastic peek inside the mind of a timid introvert and a globe-trotting examination of myth and loss.
April 8, 2008
Glen Berger is the only modern playwright whose work I value more than Martin McDonagh's. Nuff said.
March 15, 2011
A lovely, haunting monologue cataloging a librarian's obsession with a (long) overdue book and the mystery it creates.
August 21, 2014
A wonderfully written one-person play that I first saw performed in New York back in 2002. A favorite theater experience of mine.
May 14, 2014
Absolutely brilliant!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews