Sonoma playwright Gene Abravaya spent four years working on the set of As The World Turns, one of the most famous soap operas of all time. Which means he knows whereof he speaks in the comically supercharged melodrama of his new play The Final Scene.
Well-preserved soap maven Gretchen Manning is about to become the sacrificial lamb to improve ratings on The Promising Dawn, the show she’s starred in for eighteen years. But, as one might expect, she doesn’t want to relinquish her role.
The story of a woman who clings to the fictional life that has become her identity, The Final Scene is stuffed with the comedy and frustration inherent in this quirky subset of television. So if you ever wanted the inside scoop on the delightfully twisted world of daytime divas in the 1980s, check out this San Francisco premiere at Thick House.
Through September 4. Thick House, 1695 18th Street. Tickets are $25 at brownpapertickets.com.
