
Théâtre de l’Opprimé
Paris, France
Comedy/ 7 characters, written for 5 actors, 3 men, 2 women (some doubling)/ Full Length, Two Acts
Synopsis: Double Dreamburger is a nostalgic comedy that explores the cultural shifts and tensions between two bygone eras — the early 1950s and the late 1960s. Set in the Midwest, it alternates between a domestic living room and the surreal realm of dreams, blending sharp humor with poignant family dynamics.
At the heart of the story are siblings Ron and Milly, whose coming-of-age struggles mirror the era’s generational clashes. Ron’s scientific ambitions and Milly’s romantic entanglements with the eccentric Harvey challenge their overbearing mother Vera’s traditional values. Themes of love, rebellion, and self-discovery intertwine with absurdist comedy as dream sequences reveal deeper truths and personal yearnings.
Rossett employs caricature and satirical dialogue to depict the quirks and excesses of mid-century Americana, creating a vivid portrait of familial discord and societal transformation. The play juxtaposes youthful aspirations with the constraints of parental expectations, offering a bittersweet yet humorous commentary on identity, generational divides, and the fleeting nature of dreams.
“The most irresistibly wild play of the season.” – Le Quotidien de Paris
“A little crazy, sad, wicked, always funny.” – France Soir
“Whatever the exact meaning of the term black comedy, the latest show at the Australian
Theatre illustrates it.” – Sydney Morning Herald
Amateur and professional rights:
Alan Rossett
rossdoal@aol.com
Ph: (33) 1 73 75 57 65
About the Playwright: “Cocteau meets Woody Allen” was film-director Jean Delannoy’s comment on Alan Rossett, the only American to have French language plays produced regularly in France . . . and to receive awards from the Centre National des Lettres. Born in Detroit, he began his career as an actor in New York, where he appeared for a season with the Living Theatre and also as James Earl Jones’ first Iago. Relocating in Paris, he wrote and directed an evocation of Montmartre Light and Shade with Charles Boyer. Then his comedy High Time went from London to Sydney to New York (at the Actors Studio) and wound up, translated, in a Parisian cafe theatre before transferring to La Bruyere, a Broadway category house.
Rossett made the language cross-over into French with two plays set in restaurants which he staged in the midst of diners at a show biz hang-out, running 200 performances. Many other productions followed of his French-language plays, including How It Happened, Cat As Cat Can, Love On Ice, Calamity Jane.
His French plays are published by Avant-Scene Theatre, Editions des quatre-vents, Editions Art et Comedie et Librairie Theatrale. He has adapted into English many of his own works as well as a series of plays by colleagues that have received grants from the Beaumarchais Association of the French Author’s Society. Rossett has done English versions as well of Alain Decaux’s historical pageants (Chateau Blois Comes To Life and De Gaulle: the Man Who Said NO. As an actor, he has appeared in films of Marcel Carné, Woody Allen, and over 50 others.
Double Dreamburger was first produced under the title High Time at the Hampstead Theatre Club, London, England in 1972.
“Always entertaining, often witty and compelling.” – Stage and Television Today