The Serpent Returns
by Evan Spreen
Runtime: 90 - 100 mins
Cast: 3 females, 4 males, 1 any
Synopsis:
The Serpent Returns is a dark supernatural comedy in two acts. After forty years, Henry is revisited by his first wife: Christine, who hasn’t aged a day. During her long absence, Henry had all but forgotten her. He wed a lawyer named Mason after coming out as gay. However, Christine and her servant Ava claim that this marriage is invalid and threaten to murder Mason by midnight if Henry does not honor his original vows. Henry and Mason struggle to find a way to subvert this dark scheme while trying to keep their neighbors safe as well.
This play, a comedy at heart, draws its themes from rich Japanese and Chinese folklore. It weaves a tale of a serpent in the form of a woman, inspired by stories such as “How a Monk of the Dojoji in the Province of Kii copied the Lotus Sutra and brought Salvation to the Serpents” from the Konjaku Monogatari and “A Serpent’s Lust” From Tales of Moonlight and Rain by Ueda Akinari, offering a unique blend of supernatural and cultural elements in the guise of farcical parlor comedy.