THE MONEGASQUE
A Play in Two Acts
By Albert Meglin

It is early summer in the 1930s, at one of Europe's luxury resort hotels.

MARCUS, a newly rich merchant, is on a buying trip.  He has taken along his wife, ROBERTA, and his recently divorced daughter, CORINNE, for the continental tour.  Over the course of several weeks, two young members of the hotel staff, NICOLA, the bellhop, and GUNTHER, the sweep-boy, will undo this troubled, uniquely American family unit.

Almost from the first of their stay, CORINNE'S lies to her parents propel the downfall.  She has fallen in love with NICOLA, the Monegasque of the title, who is years younger than she.  The affair is discovered, and capitalized upon, by the disreputable GUNTHER.

Always prowling about, always on the scene when crucial events occur, always in possession of too much knowledge about the hotel guests, GUNTHER reports regularly to MARCUS what he has seen and heard.  And when, finally, GUNTHER sets a trap for CORINNE and her lover, it would appear that he has nothing but contempt for NICOLA.

But the surprising final scene proves otherwise.  GUNTHER and NICOLA are exposed as con artists who have worked in concert the whole time.  Hotel bums, they practice their tawdry little schemes on nouveau-riche American "innocents" across the European spa circuit.

Set in pre-War Europe, The Monegasque is a story about class distinctions, social chasms, and the small everyday wars between the haves and the have-nots that reveals these issues to be as timely and relevant today as during that bygone era.

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Playwright

Albert Meglin
Albert Meglin’s writing career began with television’s “Golden Age” of drama.  More than two dozen half-hour, full-hour, and 90-minute TV plays, including the very first piece of writing of any kind he had done, were sold to and produced by CBS, NBC, and ABC Television.  Anthology shows for which he wrote include Matinee Theatre, U.S. Steel Hour, The Nurses, Look Up And Live, and Confidential for Women.   Early in his career, a full-length play was produced commercially on the Toronto, Canada stage. 

In recent years, Al has concentrated on writing for the stage.  His credits include:  The Band Takes A Short Break, winner of playwriting contest sponsored by Great Neck local access TV station; At the Boathouse in Central Park, produced in showcase Off-Off-Broadway; The Blue Kangaroo, finalist, New Hampshire College new play contest; and The Visiting Room, Critics Choice – 22nd Annual Samuel French Short Play Festival, and Off Season. 

His plays Emily, on her Glider, The Band Takes a Short Break, Two Sisters Sitting On A Bench, Resting From All The Excitement, and Two Old Men Talking in a McDonald’s in Plainview, have been developed and presented in workshop by Stageplays Theatre Company (Stageplays®). 

In 2009, Al's short plays The Biggie, Stalking Eugene Onegin, W. 57th St, 1BR, Sunny Steal, On A Westside Roof, Miss Monroe Regrets, On an Uptown Lottery Line, In a Riker’s Island Waiting Room, and Trailer Trash, were published by Stageplays in a two-volume set: The "Biggie" and Other One-Act Plays, Vol. I, and Testosterone and Other One-Act Plays, Vol. II. 

Al Meglin has worked in the fields of newspapers and advertising, and has been a teacher of English in the New York City high schools.  He has taught writing at Hofstra University, and has written film and drama criticism for Long Island weeklies.  Mr. Meglin resides in Malverne, New York.

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