Skinny Cancer

3w 40-50

Maureen stole her sister Bridget's husband years ago, and recently third sister Shannon has married the same man after Maureen's divorce. When they meet at a restaurant, Bridget comes prepared to gloat as Maureen gets her come-uppance. Instead, Maureen shares the news that her son is gay and that she is dying from cancer. Their meeting is to reminisce over happy younger days, not to re-hash more recent betrayals.

The play is driven by Bridget's unbridled sarcasm and bitterness, with Maureen attempting to remain calm and unstressed while waiting for the late arrival of Shannon. When all the sisters are together, Maureen finally gets unspoken permission to reminisce with her sisters.

Skinny Cancer provides meaty roles for two actresses, portraying the acerbic Bridget and the cancer victim Maureen. The role of Shannon is little more than a cameo in terms of lines, but she provides the glue that allows Bridget and Maureen to co-exist peacefully at the end.

Production requirements are simple for Skinny Cancer (whose title comes from Bridget's categorization of cancer into two types: skin cancer and skinny cancer). The setting is simply a restaurant table with three chairs. No props are needed. Maureen wears a turban and a loose-fitting dress, while Bridget has a salon hair style, but all other production styling is open to interpretation.