A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

On Hold at 30,000 Feet

Short Play, Comedy  /  1w, 2m

One of two airline passengers seated together plans to read while the other hopes to lure him into babysitting a bumbling bundle of psychotic neurosis who, during the short flight, alienates the crew, the passengers and life itself.

On Hold at 30,000 Feet

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    1w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    30 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Parody / Spoof
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Harvey is taking his first airplane flight. This is the fourth time he’s been on an airplane, but the first time he has stayed on board after the airplane door was shut. He is deathly afraid of flying and is taking no chances of anything going wrong. He has brought with him every good luck charm imaginable, and puts David, the unwilling passenger next to him, in charge of keeping his neurosis at a minimum. When David gives up and abandons his task, Harvey telephones his psychiatrist to talk him through the flight. Harvey is furious about being put on hold and hangs up and calls his psychic to finish the job. She does, and makes a few predictions with both settling and unsettling results.

Published in the collection If God Wanted Us To Fly He Would Have Given Us Wings!

History
On Hold at 30,000 Feet premiered at the Iona Prep School in New Rochelle, NY in November 1997.
Cast Attributes
HARVEY GOLDBERG - 30s-40s, very nervous
DAVID WATKINS - 30s-50s, distant, unfriendly
FLIGHTATTENDANTS (2) - 20s-30s
PILOT - any age, voice over

Plus 1 voice

  • Time Period Present Day
  • Setting An airplane
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Not Applicable
  • Duration 30 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance
    £30 per play individually
    Plus VAT when applicable

Scripts

Available Formats:

Authors

Kitty Burns

Kitty Burns grew up thinking she was 100% Irish Catholic; then, to her surprise, at 18 years of age, she found out that she was only 50% Irish Catholic. The other 50% was Russian Jew! With an identity crisis like that, she figured that she should get into something sensible a ...

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