perfect arrangement
a play in two acts
4 F / 3 m
It’s 1950, and new colors are being added to the Red Scare. Two U.S. State Department employees, Bob and Norma, have been tasked with identifying sexual deviants within their ranks. There’s just one problem: Both Bob and Norma are gay, and have married each other’s partners as a carefully constructed cover. Inspired by the true story of the earliest stirrings of the American gay rights movement, madcap classic sitcom-style laughs give way to provocative drama as two “All-American” couples are forced to stare down the closet door.
"[A] clever canapé of a comedy... Mr. Payne is a deft and witty writer."
- The New York Times
“As hiding gets harder, pitch-perfect comedy ensues: slamming doors, strange disguises, preposterous excuses [….] Eventually, the four must decide whether face-saving domestic lies are worth it, or whether ostracism beats living in fear. In our own era of surveillance and paranoia, their mid-century problems don’t feel so far away.” - The New Yorker
"This is truly what a play should be. Thought-provoking, but with loads of laughs, this terrific show strikes the perfect balance between harsh social criticism and comedy." - Triangle Arts & Entertainment
"Usually a playwright has to choose between writing a laugh-out-loud comedy and a very serious drama. Topher Payne has written both with Perfect Arrangement." - TheatreMania
"The best thing about Topher Payne’s fabulous Perfect Arrangement is its pitch-perfect capture of the 1950s comic voice, and its application to the dreadfully serious drama." - DC Theatre Scene
"Introduces audiences to a piece of theatre where tragedy and farce wrap around each other like strands of DNA. It's two distinct plays telling the same hilarious and heartbreaking story... Perfect Arrangement drags history out of the closet." - Memphis Flyer
Winner, 2014 M Elizabeth Osborn Prize
Nominee, 2017 Lambda Literary Awards: LGBTQ Drama
2018 Suzi Bass Awards
Nominee, Outstanding Production of a Play
Nominee, Outstanding Ensemble Cast
Nominee, Outstanding Costume Design, Linda Patterson
2018 Jeff Awards
Nominee, Performer in a Supporting Role, Kelli Harrington (Barbara Grant)
2017 Carbonell Awards
Nominee, Best Supporting Actress, Christina Groom (Kitty Sunderson)
Winner, Best Costume Design, Peter A. Lovello
Nominee, Best Sound Design, David Hart
2015 Suzi Bass Awards
Winner, Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwriting Award
2015 Metropolitan Atlanta Theatre Awards
Winner, Best Play
Winner, Best Ensemble
Winner, Moira Thornett Director's Award, DeWayne Morgan
Nominee, Leading Actor, Larry Davis (Bob Martindale)
Winner, Leading Actress, Barbara Cole-Uterhardt (Millie Martindale)
Nominee, Leading Actress, Kristin Kalbli (Norma Baxter)
Winner, Major Supporting Actor, Bryan Lee (Jim Baxter)
Nominee, Major Supporting Actress, Amanda Cucher (Barbara Grant)
Winner, Minor Supporting Actor, Charles Green (Theodore Sunderson)
Winner, Minor Supporting Actress, Karen Whitaker (Kitty Sunderson)
Nominee, Scenic Design, Nadia Morgan
Winner, Costume Design, Nikki Thomas
Winner, Lighting Design, Elisabeth Cooper
Nominee, Sound Design, Charlie Miller