Plot Rumors (play)

whether believes story?



final scene of rumors

the play starts ken gorman (mark nelson) , wife, chris gorman (christine baranski) @ 10th anniversary party of charlie brock, deputy mayor of new york, , wife, myra. unfortunately, things not going quite plan. kitchen staff gone, myra missing, , charlie has shot himself in head. chris calls charlie s doctor, before chris can tell him has happened, ken dictates not inform doctor of has happened, bullet went through charlie s ear lobe. appeared had taken valium, , falling asleep fired gun, managing miss head.

chris gets off phone dr. dudley doorbell rings. chris opens door , lets in lenny (ron leibman) , claire ganz (jessica walter), friends of brocks. lenny , claire have been in car accident, , lenny calls doctor, happens dr. dudley, ask him neck. claire , lenny exchange rumors have heard charlie , myra, both convinced 1 having affair. confront ken, lets them in on situation. lenny declares should call police, ken disagrees. before can agree on anything, car shows up. ken goes upstairs charlie s bedroom, , claire opens door let in ernie cusack (andre gregory), psychologist, , eccentric wife cookie (joyce van patten). claire, chris, , lenny engage cusacks in conversation, not telling them situation charlie.

suddenly, gunshot heard. ken comes out of upstairs bedroom , requests chris presence, while lenny distracts cusacks, goes upstairs check on problem. turns out ken taking gun away, tripped on charlie s slippers , accidentally fired gun, has made him deaf. cusacks prepare dinner, final guests arrive, glenn (a politician running state senate) , cassie cooper, have strained relationship , argue constantly. act closes cusacks come out steaming dinner, cassie furiously berates glenn making drop crystal in toilet, chris trips on telephone wire, lenny s neck goes out, cookie has spasm, , deaf ken sits in absolute confusion.

act ii begins dinner ends, cusacks , coopers having been told entirety of situation. guests decide place blame situation on ken. cassie attempts make glenn jealous blatantly flirting ken, indirectly clearing ken s ears in process. mysterious woman, claire , chris assume myra, calls house asking glenn. things serious police car pulls driveway. guests furiously debate do, , decide pretend hadn t noticed wrong (they had music on loud hear gunshots ). safe, men decide lenny play charlie if policeman asks him, , ken play lenny. policeman, officer welch, enters , interrogates them, , gets suspicious story unravels. turns out policeman investigating lenny s car accident, , no 1 in trouble, glenn accidentally reveals gunshot situation officer begins leave after talking police officer on walkie talkie.

now angered has learned, welch demands see charlie, , disgruntled lenny comes downstairs explain everything. lenny, @ first unsure possibly say, gets carried away in monologue , invents ludicrous, rambling, , brilliant explanation everything. welch, partly out of exasperation, buys story , leaves house. guests, elated @ escape, begin troop upstairs speak charlie , find out story once , all, delayed when incredible development occurs in basement.