Borderlines Book

THE STORIES: The first half of the program, entitled BORDERLINE, chronicles the psychic disintegration of Charles Graham, a young advertising/marketing executive who, it would seem, has it all - a good job, a loving wife and children, a comfortable home, etc. But, beneath the surface, he is beset by a gnawing dissatisfaction, which is triggered into active hostility when an apparently unprovoked double murder is committed in the house next door. Drawing away from wife and children, and allowing his career to falter, Charles becomes embroiled in a series of disastrous extramarital affairs, culminating in the ultimate violence of murder. Meanwhile, a lecturer, with maps and slides, traces the genealogy of his self-destructive conduct back to his forebears' involvement in the violent border wars of medieval Scotland. (5 men, 4 women.) The second portion of the bill, entitled KEEPIN' AN EYE ON LOUIE, again focuses on male violence, but this time the action involves a stakeout where two policemen and a policewoman are holed up with a Mafia informer (dressed as a woman) monitoring the comings and goings in an Italian restaurant frequented by the mob. Both policemen are having trouble with their wives - one is impotent, the other suspects his wife of infidelity - and, again, their simmering unease leads both to sexual confusion and destructive, fatal violence, albeit laced with moments of antic humor and wildly funny dialogue. (6 men, 3 women.)A closely integrated program of two highly imaginative and challenging plays which explore the phenomenon of male hostility and penchant for violence, and the havoc this can cause in relationships with the opposite sex. First produced by New York's famed Circle Repertory Company. John Bishop‚¬¦keeps extending his range and getting better and better from play to play. - NY Magazine. There is white-hot excitement here, and, speaking for myself, I hung on every word Bishop's people spoke. - NY Post. Bishop's crisp dialogue, believable characters, succinct structuring, and worthwhile thematic underpinnings make for absorbing theatregoing. - BackStage.