Title: Love and happiness /
Authors: Sheppard, Julian, 1970-
Publisher: Dramatists Play Service,
Year: 2004
Subjects: Children of divorced parents Drama.
Abstract: "A fast-paced comedy with something for the whole family and witha little extra for fans of Arthur Murray, Leibniz and the NRA. Allen's happily underachieving life is changed forever when Margaret, his divorced mother, brings home a new man, Clark. Clark sure likes Margaret and thinks Allen is cool just for being sixteen. ButAllen cannot come to grips with the fact that Clark exists and so launches an all-out assault to rid himself of the interloper, at the same time feverishly attempting to reunite his estranged parents. As Allen struggles mightily to come of age and negotiate the limits ofloving his mother, he loses his virginity to his girlfriend, then loses her to his best friend, and his mother to her boyfriend. When all else fails, Allen resorts to violence, stealing a gun and even firing it at Clark. But even this backfires on him, as the gun proves to be awater pistol, and though Clark is knocked down for a while, he recovers. But through his chaotic and desperate actions, Allen and his mother grow closer than ever, and he is able to see for the first time the true meaning of family in today's fractured world. In the end, Allen realizes how much he is loved and is able to move forward in his life, happy in a nuclear family for the twenty-first century."--Publisher description.