28.04.2021 - Auditions for Actors - Mrs Williams

The Marriage of Bette and Boo by Christopher Durang

Bette's monologue

The Marriage of Bette and Boo Synopsis

The Marriage of Bette and Boo follows the zany, turbulent, heartbreaking marriage of Bette Brennan and Boo Hudlocke. Bette and Boo marry and set about having the large, happy family that Bette always dreamed of. The arrival of their first son, Matt, is soon overshadowed by a succession of stillborns. Bette is heartbroken. Boo starts to drink; Bette starts to nag. Amongst the chaos fighting, both must deal with their wacky families: Bette’s mother and father, who suffered a stroke and now speaks in unintelligible gibberish; Boo’s sadistic father, fond of calling his long-suffering wife “the dumbest woman in the world”; Bette’s sister, ridden with anxiety and constantly apologizing for everything; the family priest, fond of impersonating bacon. Playwright Christopher Durang’s most autobiographical work, The Marriage of Bette and Boo finds humor and compassion in unhappiness, as Matt comes to terms with the love - and pain - that families are made of. 

Scene Synopsis

In this monologue, Bette, who is on her honeymoon with Boo, tells the audience what she was like as a child, how she traumatized her sister, how she had almost had an affair with a married man, and how she met Boo on the rebound.

Character

Bette is a really enthusiastic and funny character.  In order to get the laughs out of the audience, I will really need to practice my comedic timing, as this is a huge part of the monologue.  I will also play her slightly naïvely.