Sexual Perversity in Chicago is a play written by David Mamet that examines the sex lives of two men and two women in the 1970s. The play is filled with profanity and regional jargon that reflects the working-class language of Chicago. The characters' relationships come to be hindered by the caustic nature of their words, as much of the dialogue includes insults and arguments. The play presents "intimate relationships minefields of buried fears and misunderstandings". The play has been adapted for film twice: as the 1986 film About Last Night and the 2014 filmAbout Last Night.
Characters and plot
Dan Shapiro: An urban male in his late twenties
Bernard Litko: Dan's friend and associate
Deborah Soloman: A woman in her late twenties
Joan Webber: Deborah's friend and roommate
Scene: Various spots around the North Side of Chicago, a Big City on a Lake.
Time: Approximately nine weeks one summer. Danny and Bernie balance their mundane office jobs with sexual banter, particularly their experiences and preferences in the bedroom. Likewise, Joan and Deborah frequently discuss the shortcomings of men while at their apartment. The main plot point is Danny and Deborah's relationship, perpetuating much of the dialogue about men and women. Their romance is quickly established by sexual attraction, but as the play progresses and Deborah moves into Danny's apartment, they are unable to talk with each other seriously. Danny complains in frustration, "Everything's fine. Sex, talk, life, everything. Until you want to get 'closer', to get 'better'. Do you knowwhat the fuck you want?" Eventually, the couple breaks up while Danny and Bernie revert to their usual talk about "broads" and what is wrong with the world. Joan says,
Production history
An early version of Sexual Perversity in Chicago was first produced at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont by the members of St. Nicholas Theater. The production was directed by Mamet. The play was a series of blackouts showing various people having discussions about sex. It featured:
The play was subsequently reworked by Mamet with director Stuart Gordon into the four character structure that made it famous and established David Mamet as a playwright. An earlier Mamet play, Danny Shapiro and his Search for the Mystery Princess, was combined with Sexual Perversity, adding the characters of Bernie Litko and Joan Webber. It was produced and performed by Organic Theater Company in Chicago in June 1974 in a production directed by Stuart Gordon. The cast featured:
David De Silva bought the motion picture rights to Sexual Perversity In Chicago and went with David Mamet on Mamet's first trip to Hollywood, to meet with Michael Eisner, head of Paramount Pictures, regarding doing a film version of the play. Eisner was very enthusiastic about the project, but Mamet ultimately was not able to deliver an acceptable screenplay to the studio. Years later, De Silva sold the film rights to a Chicago producer, Stuart Oken. Oken produced the 1986 film, About Last Night, directed by Edward Zwick, with Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, Jim Belushi and Elizabeth Perkins in the cast. The screenplay was written by Tim Kazurinsky and Denise Declue. The title change resulted from many newspapers refusing to advertise a movie with the original title. Mamet disavowed the movie, ruefully recalling that "as a callow youth with hay sticking out of my ears, I sold both the play and the screenplay for about $12 and a mess of porridge...." A second film adaptation, also based on the 1986 film and again titled About Last Night, was released in 2014. This film had an African-American cast and was set in Los Angeles. The film starred Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy, Regina Hall and Joy Bryant.
