The Women--Clare Booth Luce?

Question:

The Women--Clare Booth Luce?

I have the script of THE WOMEN, but I need it cut. I need a breakdown of how to perform it with the fewest amount of people--possible for one person to play another role. I need it to be cut to 40 minutes max, with at the most ten women. Can this be done? Has anyone done it? Does anyone have a good cut?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: A play would not have as many actors because it would be very expensive to stage.
This page www.curtainup.com/women.html lists many characters as 'multiple roles'. There are 10 main roles, so everyone except Mary Haines could double up.

There is no fast way to do an abridgement.

Step 1
Use Excel so you can grid it with characters down and scenes across. Put an X in each cell where a character appears.

Step 2
Decide which are the key scenes for making comment or laughs or whatever point you are trying to make; and for plot points.
It may be possible to combine scenes, or give good lines from one character to another.

Step 3
Consider presenting only the best scenes & bridge them with a storyteller who uses the best dialogue from the deleted scenes to tell the story. eg Mary or the unmarried writer could tell the story.

It's an old fashioned story, and I've always thought it odd she took back her loser husband. She should have started a corporation with the alimony!!!