So, how does winning a butt-load of cash in the lottery change your life? Or more intriguingly, what temptations and behaviors do new-found financial freedom uncover? That's at the center of THE WINNERS, written by David L. Williams. This play won HotCity's GreenHouse new play competition last year, and it's receiving a full production in its St. Louis premiere in the cozy black-box confines of the Kranzberg.
What's the first thing Cassie (Shanara Gabrielle) and her husband Kurt (Shaun Sheley) do after raking in $337 million? What else? They buy a hooker for the night! See, Cassie used to have the hots for an Asian classmate in college, but she never experimented, so they hire "Tiffany" (Sasha Diamond) a young attractive escort, so Cassie can live out her fantasy. Naturally her husband was all for it. After awkward small talk and money negotiations they get down to business. All of the "action" takes place offstage, but once the first round is over, there's a bit of animosity in the air. Cassie and Kurt seem to do a little "power-tripping" in light of their upper-hand in the situation, and they proceed to run Tiffany through a series of rather humiliating scenarios. Throughout the night, we also hear from a crying Shirley, the couple's daughter, over the baby monitor. Shirley's almost two years old, but not yet able to talk. Weary of always having to go up and check on the baby, Cassie and Kurt have Tiffany go up to check on her to give themselves a break. Geez. Have the hooker do the dishes too while you're at it.
