Rope's End

Rope's End has just begun a tour of Manitoba. Here's a report from director Robb Paterson:

"We opened last night in Carman and two audience members were over-heard saying" That was the best one yet!" .. It's a good production of a terrific script, Doug, profoundly touching and funny and the acting by Jan and Murray is mighty. Jan is extraordinary in her ability to immerse herself in the moment – playing off of what's coming at her- fresh every time out and Murray bravely lets us in at every turn. I love them ... They got a standing ovation and were called back for a second one! Shout it from the roof tops: ROPE'S END IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!"

Jan Alexandra Smith and Murray Furrow in Rope's End

Drama/comedy. 1m, 1f (3 characters). 2 acts.

The central notion of Rope's End is that somewhere long gone on the road not taken, lingering in some idealized, unreliable corner of memory, is the perfect person for each of us. A hopeless romantic fantasy perhaps, but a pretty universal one.

The play begins with a middle-aged man, Toby Boone, alone in a drab room, talking to himself. He's reached the end of his rope - figuratively - and perhaps literally, because he's trying to tie an ominous-looking loop in a length of rope. The possibility of suicide looms in the air. But he happens across a photo - the love of his life. Maybe she can somehow rescue him, change everything, if he can just get up his nerve to contact her. There's only one small problem. He's let 31 years go by. He last saw her, fleetingly, at summer camp when they were 13. And in 31 years, things change. What if she doesn't remember him? Even worse, what if she does?

A bittersweet comedy about the choices we make in life, Rope's End leads us through twists and turns, and ends up in a surprising and memorable place.

Production History

Thousand Islands Playhouse, Gananoque.
Premiere production, Aug. 30 - Sept. 30, 2006.
Directed by Michael Dobbin. Designed by Art Penson.
Featuring Murray Furrow and Jan Alexandra Smith.

Theatre Aquarius
Hamilton, Ont,
Oct. - Nov., 2007
Directed by Max Reimer

"This is a great play that deserves many productions. Full of wit and affection, folding back and twisting through time, we get an actor's dream and an audience's delight of a romantic story. Rope's End will undoubtedly get produced by many others." - Max Reimer, Artistic Director, Theatre Aquarius

Theatre Orangeville
Orangeville, Ont.
Feb. - March, 2008
Directed by David Nairn

Manitoba Theatre Centre
Provincial Tour
Jan. - Feb.. 2008
Directed by Robb Paterson

Manitoba Theatre Centre
Winnipeg, Man.
Feb. - March, 2008
Directed by Robb Paterson

Domino Theatre
Kingston, Ont.
September, 2009
Directed by Anne-Marie Pap

Sampling of Critics' Comments

"That's Amore." Murray Furrow in Rope's End

"If you feel like you're a member of the faint-hearted club take heart, Doug Bowie's got a hymn for you. Well, actually it's a play, but it does, at times, feel as inspirational as a hymn. Mostly, however, Rope's End is funny and poignant and awkward in a good way ... Although the script is clever and entertaining, its strength is in its absorbing characters, and the actors playing them, Murray Furrow and Jan Alexandra Smith do terrific justice to them, so much so that it's hard to tell where the script ends and the acting begins ... Douglas Bowie captures a little of all of us in Rope's End, a poignant and funny story about a man who dares." - Kingston Whig Standard

"If you've given summer theatre a pass this year, here is one piece of rope that's worth grabbing. Rope's End, by Thousand Islands playwright-in-residence Douglas Bowie, is a finely crafted combination of splendid wit, physical comedy and hairpin emotional turns that shifts from side-splittingly funny to profoundly poignant as quickly as the dimming of the stage lights. It is one of those productions that not only entertains, but leaves the viewer with a little more ... that goes further than a simple comedy." - Brockville Recorder and Times

"As the summer draws to a close, along comes Rope's End by Douglas Bowie, a perfect complement to bittersweet goodbyes and memories of yesterday ... Rope's End is touching and comedic. The play celebrates "life's infinite possibilitues" to use an expression favoured favoured by Toby, and convincingly argues love's enduring power." - Gananoque Reporter

"Fascinating ...Playwright Bowie has endowed his eccentric but very human character with touches of both Cyrano and Walter Mitty ... Rope's End succeeds in Mr. Bowie's stated objective of "Make ‘em laugh - make ‘em cry." There are plenty of laughs in the play and a couple of definite lumps in the throat ... Four and two-thirds stars (out of five)" - North Country Public Radio (N.Y. State)

"Uplifting romantic comedy goes off without a hitch ... Playwright Douglas Bowie leads his audience around unforeseen corners ... Even the ending is up for debate: some will find it happy, others terribly sad ... A poignant and bittersweet tale with broad appeal about a despondent man brought back to life by a woman, twice ...Rope's End binds viewers snugly to it ... and throws a rescue line to all who will dare, even 31 years late." - Winnipeg Free Press

"Billed as both a drama and comedy by playwright Douglas Bowie, Rope's End is exactly that ... and the result is a sincere and heart-warming story. Bowie has created two lovable characters who react with original comedic charm, but he also manages to resolve difficult personal conflicts ... Rope's End is a unique, entertaining and inspirational tale that will be enjoyed by hopeless romantics and skeptical curmudgeons alike." - Wellington Advertiser

"A captivating two-person comedy ... a pleasant surprise ... draws big laughs." - Winnipeg Sun

"Rope's End squeezes sweet juice out of life's aging lemons ... The themes of life and love are expressed throughout the show ... allowing the plot to propel fluidly towards joy ... The choices made by these characters are so darn entertaining, the actors give charismatic performances, and the overall show has great appeal. Be sure to catch it at the Warehouse." - The Manitoban

"Douglas Bowie navigates the story with charm, comedy and a lovable lead character ... Despite the sometimes serious nature of the story, there are several laugh-out-loud moments and twists that will take the audience by surprise ... and a final outcome that reinforces the moral of the story: a shred of hope goes a long way when you're at the end of your rope." - Orangeville Banner

Playwright's Notes For The Premiere Production

"Marisa please find me
I'm almost 47"

This variation on a Leonard Cohen quote has been tacked on my bulletin board for years, serving as both an epigraph for Rope's End and a goad to make me write the damn thing -- some day.

Toby (Murray Furrow) reaches for the light in Rope's End

The idea for the play has lurked in my psyche for eons. Originally imagined as a short story, I still have the first two yellowing pages, typed on an old Olivetti manual, with the rather literal title -- "The 20 Year Appointment". At some point I scribbled in the margin -- "good idea". Now that it's about to go public, we'll see.

The central idea of Rope's End is this: that somewhere in this vale of tears, somewhere on the road not taken, is the perfect person for each of us. Often we imagine this to be someone from the distant past, childhood even, long gone, but lingering in some idealized, unreliable corner of memory. A hopeless romantic fantasy perhaps -- but a pretty universal one.

Rope's End poses the question -- what would happen if a person were to throw common sense to the winds and set out to put the fantasy to the test -- to find that perfect person from years before? What if she doesn't remember him? Even worse, what if she does?

So is Rope's End a comedy? A drama? A bit of both probably. Perhaps that's how I see life -- that it's neither one nor the other. Alan Ayckburn's first rule of playwriting is "Comedy is an essential part of any play. Without light how can we create shadow" -- a hifalutin way of saying "make em laugh -- make ‘em cry." So if it's good enough for Sir Alan ...

In that vein, Rope's End is undoubtedly the first play to feature Alex Trebek and Helena Bonham Carter's rear end. Shadow and light. Make em laugh -- make ‘em cry.

Rope's End

Production History

Sampling of Critics' Comments

Playwright's Notes For The Premiere Production

Further Reading