One of the first encounters that dealt with a mature scene happened when Cindy and Dave met up with the friends Phil and Susan. As their evening progresses, Phil informs the other couple that he and Susan had an open relationship and wants to swing with them. Dave isn’t up for swapping, but that doesn’t stop him from getting handsy with Susan. I could sense from that encounter that he doesn’t have an issue being with another woman, but I don’t think he wants his wife with another man. That’s a realistic scenario. Dave and Cindy’s marriage troubles are prevalent throughout the story. She hates his forgetfulness, his erratic behavior, and his messiness. I wasn’t surprised she told him she hadn’t loved him in a very long time because she yelled a lot at him. The break-up scene in the restaurant was rough. It would’ve been an awkward scene to witness if it occurred in real life.
Marriage component aside, let’s discuss Dave’s sales career.
As a consumer, we take for granted how our favorite items get on a store shelf. When Dave went on sales calls, we saw the behind-the-scenes aspect of how stressful and competitive product placement can be. We also witness what happens when a salesperson drops the ball on product placement. And how many hours (on and off the road) they put in each week. I was astounded to read how many demos a salesforce organizes in one weekend!
Off Broadway: A Marriage Drama read as a dated piece. For instance, Dave went nuts on a cigarette vending machine. I don’t think I’ve seen one of those in several decades.
The “drama” was not limited to his marriage with Cindy. It happened between Dave and his father (Knight) and during his time with UpTempCo, LLC. Plus, the people around him (family and business associates) were also waist-deep in their own drama. If you love drama, then you’ll love Off Broadway: A Marriage Drama.
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤
Bill: I memorized a Golden Reader called ‘Grey Squirrel’s Party’ after having it read to me so often. At age five, I figured out that the letters under the pictures were words and deciphered them. Because of that, I was reading ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ by age eight.
Kam: Did you always want to be an author while you were growing up?
Bill: My only ambition growing up was to get out of school, then move as far from my family as I could.
Kam: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?
Bill: Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
Kam: What is your most unusual writing quirk?
Bill: I’m a college soccer coach and much of my writing is done on the team bus traveling to games.
Kam: What would you consider to be your Kryptonite as an author?
Bill: Whiskey
Kam: If you could tell your younger writing self, anything, what would it be?
Bill: Put your pen down and go fishing.
Kam: What book do you feel is under-appreciated? How about overrated?
Bill: Most under-appreciated: Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant; Most overrated: The Naked and the Dead.
Kam: If you could dine with any literary character, who would it be and why?
Bill: Mrs. Waters.
Kam: What’s one movie you like recommending to others?
Bill: Paths of Glory directed by Stanley Kubrick
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
