MIDNIGHT AND MOLL FLANDERS
Daniel Defoe's Classic 18th-Century Novel Adapted
“Hands down, the surprise of the theatrical season…” – Milwaukee Magazine (August 2000)
Moll Flanders’ mythic drive for love and survival led her to astonishing adventures – romantic escapades, multiple marriages and a career as an infamous London thief. A free adaptation of Defoe’s classic novel, MIDNIGHT AND MOLL FLANDERS begins on the eve of Moll’s hanging at Newgate Prison, as she tells her story to the Minister bent on offering her a last, unlikely chance at salvation. The play tracks a double journey of transformation for both Moll and the Minister, who cannot help being mesmerized – and moved – by her astounding tale. MIDNIGHT AND MOLL FLANDERS explores the influence of gender, class, free will and luck in an era as wildly entrepreneurial as our own.
CASTING: 10 - 18 actors (Flexible casting). Diversity welcome.
SET REQUIREMENTS: Simple single set for fluid, episodic storytelling
RUN TIME: 2 hours
Production History
Produced:
The Burlington Players, Burlington, MA – 2023
KCACTF Region III Festival, Madison, WI – 2019
University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI – 2018
Renaissance Theaterworks in collaboration with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – 2000 (Premiere)
Readings / Workshops:
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN – 2018
University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI – 2016
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre in collaboration with Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI – 1998
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI – 1997
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee, WI – 1996
Awards
Best New Play, Milwaukee Magazine – 2000
Inkslinger Playwriting Competition, Semifinalist – 2018
Reviews
"Kohler... has written a clear, sure-handed adaptation that stays true to Defoe's story while emphasizing the question of what most influences a person's life - circumstances or free will." – Backstage, The Performing Arts Weekly, Feb/Mar 2000
"Hands down, the surprise of the theatrical season … an expertly written and skillfully staged joint production … Kohler's brilliant structure and use of language combined with a great cast and strong direction, making it a lively, engaging night of theater. With MIDNIGHT, Kohler moves to the forefront of new voices in Milwaukee theater." – Milwaukee Magazine, August 2000
"… the work of a sure-handed and deft writer who succeeds where many better-known dramatists have stumbled - adapting a sprawling, large-canvas novel to the stage … [MIDNIGHT] establishes Milwaukee writer Marie Kohler as a playwright to be taken seriously." – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February 2000
"Kohler's work brims with intelligence, solid development, good language and colorful characters." – Shepherd Express Metro, February 2000