Happy in the Poorhouse

Happy in the Poorhouse by Derek Ahonen

(0)
Productions (3)
Comedy/Drama
|
115 - 125 minutes
4 W, 7 M, 
Content Notes: Adult language and content
Set: A full apartment.

Paulie "The Pug" is a Coney Island dreamer...just one MMA fight away from the big time. If only he could keep his wife from bedding her ex-husband, his brother-in-law from going to the slammer, and his best friend from taking a bite out of his neck, he'd be on top of the world. A raucous, irreverent, action-packed comedy full of weak wrists and strong hearts, Happy in the Poorhouse is an unsanitized story of love, sex, and chasing after dreams even when you've got a black eye and a broken spirit.

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
Stage Manager Edition $24.99

*The per performance fee begins at $85. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.

Play Details

Paulie "The Pug" is a Coney Island dreamer...just one MMA fight away from the big time. If only he could keep his wife from bedding her ex-husband, his brother-in-law from going to the slammer, and his best friend from taking a bite out of his neck, he'd be on top of the world. A raucous, irreverent, action-packed comedy full of weak wrists and strong hearts, Happy in the Poorhouse is an unsanitized story of love, sex, and chasing after dreams even when you've got a black eye and a broken spirit.

  • Comedy/Drama
  • |
  • 115 - 125 minutes
  • 4 W, 7 M, 
  • Content Notes: Adult language and content
  • Set: A full apartment.
  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-62384-524-7

Published Reviews

"...has a knockabout physicality that grabs your attention. But what holds it is the working-class poetry of Derek Ahonen's script. Mr. Ahonen brings the populist instincts of a born entertainer. He might be a contender yet."

The New York Times

"Happy In The Poorhouse is both funny and refreshingly adult."

Flavorpill

"The writer-director's love of actors is evident in every scene -- from the fact that he created 11 juicy characters (no 'supporting roles' here) to the way he has meshed their chaotic emotions into a coherent and deeply involving slice-of-life comedy."

The Connecticut Post

"Ahonen's dialogue is character-specific and spot-on, and his characters' predicaments serve as mirrors to anyone in the audience who has ever known disappointment and compromise."

Show Business Weekly

"There's enough in Poorhouse to make any evening rich."

Time Out New York

"A favorable rate of funny jokes, and an undercurrent of genuine warmth help animate Paulie's frantic campaign against uselessness and the death of dreams."

The New Yorker

"There's no denying Ahonen's forging a unique voice."

The New York Post

"Poorhouse is grounded in a community with which Ahonen seems very familiar and within a generation for which he speaks eloquently. The love that underlies his work is palpable, which is why audiences care so readily for the inhabitants of it."

nytheatre.com

"What do you get when you mix camp, genuine emotion, and poetry? If you're lucky, you get Happy in the Poorhouse.

Show Showdown

Production History

AUG 14, 2014 - AUG 17, 2014
Village Repertory Co.
Charleston, SC United States
Village Repertory Co. Charleston, SC United States
JUL 29, 2010 - AUG 23, 2010
The Amoralists Theatre Company at PS122
New York, NY United States
The Amoralists Theatre Company at PS122 New York, NY United States
MAR 11, 2010 - APR 26, 2010
Theatre 80
New York, NY United States
Theatre 80 New York, NY United States
No upcoming productions.
AUG 14, 2014 - AUG 17, 2014
Village Repertory Co.
Charleston, SC United States
Village Repertory Co. Charleston, SC United States
JUL 29, 2010 - AUG 23, 2010
The Amoralists Theatre Company at PS122
New York, NY United States
The Amoralists Theatre Company at PS122 New York, NY United States
MAR 11, 2010 - APR 26, 2010
Theatre 80
New York, NY United States
Theatre 80 New York, NY United States