DESPERATE TIMES
"Simonian knows how these stories go, and he jolts our expectations in almost every scene, stirring delight..." - Pitch Weekly
DESPERATE TIMES
A Race To Rock Bottom
Cast: 7
Type: full-length
Genre: Dark comedy
Keyword: 1970s, drugs, prostitution, stupidity, love, marriage
Synopsis: A couple of losers try to grab themselves a piece of the American dream, but don't have the wherewithal to get there. Set in the 1970s, two buddies head out on a drug deal that could—and will—change their lives. An out of work garbage truck driver and a lounge singer in a shiny gold jumpsuit tackle the crime world as best as they can’t.
Production History:
World Premiere: Off Center Theatre - Kansas City, MO - 2010
END OF THE LINE
June 11, 2009 By ALAN SCHERSTUHL Publication: Pitch Weekly
Tom Moriarty knows how to sell a play: “There’s a drug deal gone wrong, and then it’s just rock and roll from there” is how he describes Desperate Times — Desperate Measures, the first full-length play by Ron Simonian since 2006’s Next of Kin.
REVIEW - 'DESPERATE' WORKS BEST WITH GARRISON, EAST ON STAGE
June 13, 2009 Publication: The Kansas City Star
Simonian is an intuitive writer drawn to the odd characters on the margins of society, where delusions are regularly shattered by harsh reality. His narrative gifts pull us along and his sense of humor is often inspired. More
THE UNICORN’S SPEECH & DEBATE TEAM HAS SOMETHING TO SAY, AS DO RON SIMONIAN’S POTTY-MOUTHED CHARACTERS
June 18, 2009 By ALAN SCHERSTUHL Publication: Pitch Weekly
Simonian knows how these stories go, and he jolts our expectations in almost every scene, stirring delight if not quite drama.