Squabbles: A comedy in two acts

by Marshall Karp

A comedy for a cast of 4 men and 3 women. Perfect for summer or dinner theatres, this hilarious play pits a father in law against a mother in a comedic succession of squabbles. Jerry Sloan is a successful writer of advertising jingles married to an equally successful lawyer. Living with the happy couple is the not so happy Abe Dreyfus, Jerry's curmudgeon of a father in law. Abe is a funny guy to the audience, not to Jerry. The situation is exacerbated when Jerry's mother Mildred looses her house in a fire and needs a place to stay. Abe and Mildred can't stand each other. This play is one hilarious confrontation after another until the heart warming finale in which the oldsters discover that, really, each is not so bad.

Genres: Plays

110 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Marshall Karp is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of crime thrillers, mysteries, psychological thrillers, police procedurals, and suspense novels.

With James Patterson, Marshall co-created and co-wrote the bestselling NYPD Red series, featuring NYPD detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald and the elite Red Team investigating high-profile crimes in New York City. After six books with Patterson, Marshall continued the series on his own with NYPD Red 7: The Murder Sorority and NYPD Red 8: The 11:59 Bomber. He also co-wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller Kill Me If You Can.

Marshall is the author of Don't Tell Me How To Die, a domestic thriller that blends suspense, family secrets, impossible choices, and the dark humor readers have come to expect from his crime fiction. At the center of the story are Maggie Dunn and Johnny Rollo, two characters caught in a story where love, loyalty, and survival collide.

His other novels include Snowstorm in August and the critically acclaimed Lomax & Biggs series, featuring LAPD homicide detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs.

Before turning to novels, Marshall worked as an advertising executive, television writer and producer, screenwriter, playwright, and documentarian. His crime fiction combines meticulous research, memorable characters, fast-moving suspense, and a healthy dose of dark humor.

Learn more about Marshall Karp, Don't Tell Me How To Die, the NYPD Red series, and his other books at KarpKills.com.

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Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

THEATER SCRIPT: A delightful play in two acts. I've only started to be a Marshall Karp groupie and am reading as much as I can get my hands on (well - eyes and ears). It was written in 1982 and I immediately cast (in my head) Walter Malthau as "Abe". Mostly set in a parlour, the story itself has a predictability to the flow. Why I gave it 5 stars was the fact I was having fun reading it, not an easy feat anymore. It was similar to reading "On Golden Pond" and I would be laughing outloud at the dialogue It's a quick read, try it! PS I just realized that in each Karp effort, there is a character that I seem to either relate to or that I admire, or that I simply enjoy that character's humor. In this play, it would be"Jerry" but "Abe" got the best lines.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An expecting couple find themselves hosting both her father and his mother under the same roof, and the two can't get along at all, making their children's lives a little hellish. This is a good piece of theater for some funny older actors.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny. I was behind the scenes. Think Hume Cronyn & Jessica Tandy. 1995

[Roger Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and poignant...generational shifts/attitudes and family life on full display. Abe and Mildred are a crack-up but so typical.

[Tiffany Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun show with laughs and some tender moments - great material for a couple older actors; perfect for smaller theater companies. 4+ stars