The Boys Next Door (play)
Encyclopedia
The Boys Next Door is a play, written by Tom Griffin
. It deals with four mentally disabled men who live in a group home
. It takes place over roughly a two month period of time and consists of brief vignettes about their lives. Though the play is quite humorous in its non-mocking way of dealing with the handicapped men in real situations, the play takes a surprising turn as Barry's one-armed father comes to visit, and Jack (their caretaker) accepts a new job.
Tom Griffin (playwright)
Tom Griffin is a playwright. The Boys Next Door is his most successful work. His other plays include Amateurs, Einstein and The Polar Bear, Pasta, and Mrs. Sedgewick's Head.- References :**...
. It deals with four mentally disabled men who live in a group home
Group home
A group home is a private residence designed or converted to serve as a non-secure home for unrelated persons who share a common characteristic.-Types of group homes:...
. It takes place over roughly a two month period of time and consists of brief vignettes about their lives. Though the play is quite humorous in its non-mocking way of dealing with the handicapped men in real situations, the play takes a surprising turn as Barry's one-armed father comes to visit, and Jack (their caretaker) accepts a new job.
Characters
- Arnold Wiggins is a mildly retardedMental retardationMental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
man who works at a movie theater. He is hyperactive and talks constantly. He's often abused by coworkers and is afraid to fight back. He tends to be very obsessive compulsive. When he gets angry, he often repeats the word 'no' in Russian, and threatens to run away to RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
- Norman Bulansky is a middle-aged retarded man who works at a doughnut shop. The doughnuts at his job have caused him to become overweight. He has a girlfriend, Sheila, a woman from another group home. He is very proud and possessive of a large ring of keys.
- Lucien P. Smith is a large man who is profoundly retardedMental retardationMental retardation is a generalized disorder appearing before adulthood, characterized by significantly impaired cognitive functioning and deficits in two or more adaptive behaviors...
. He checks out armloads of books from the library, despite the fact he cannot read. He is in danger of losing his disability funds, when the state senate accuses him of faking his condition. He doesn't understand what is going on when he goes to the "State Sneck" and has a very profound scene when there.
- Barry Klemper is a 28-year-old, schizophrenic man who believes he is a golf pro. He gets highly agitated over small things. Barry has had a traumatic life growing up, and later, when his abusive father visits him for the first time in years, it proves to be harmful to his mental condition.
- Jack Palmer is the social worker for the four men. He's found that he's becoming burned out and is thinking about a new line of work. At the end of the play he leaves the four men and becomes a travel agent.
- Sheila is Norman's girlfriend. Like Norman, she also faces mental disabilities. She is obsessed with Norman's keys and is "no skinny minnie herself".
- Mr. Klemper is Barry's abusive father. It is told that he comes to Boston during the course of play and decides to visit Barry while he is in the New England area.