My In-laws are Outlaws

"Think you’ve got trouble with the in-laws? Try swapping places with Annie. Hers are out to kill her."

Cast: Flexible casting with 4 to 6 female and 2 to 4 male actors. (See character descriptions below for details).
Length: 2 Acts (110 minutes)
Genre: Comedy
Synopsis: Think you’ve got trouble with the in-laws? Try swapping places with Annie. Hers are out to kill her. Annie, the mild-mannered librarian, is taken home by her husband Dane to meet the gangster relatives she didn’t know she had. Until today she had been led to believe that the bond she shared with Dane was the loss of their families. Turns out Dane had only estranged himself from his, but has been “summoned to a meeting” by the family... and no one ignores a family summons. After facing up to formidable matriarch and mother-in-law Audrey, and meeting the rest of the wacky but dangerous family, Annie is left alone in the house while the family leaves town for 24 hours of business. As if being left alone to mind the gang house isn't terrifying enough, Annie is shocked to find herself confronting Natalya, a sinister Russian assassin, who has been hired by the family to bump her off. The two strike up an unlikely alliance when they realise that a second would-be murderer, in the shape of Italian mercenary Rosa Botticello, has in turn been engaged to get rid of Natalya. When Annie unintentionally polishes off Rosa by “frying” her pacemaker, her friendship with Natalya is confirmed. This barmy comedy turns into pure farce as Irish killers Finn O’Reilly and his overly sensitive son Donal join the merry mayhem. Complaining that practically a whole United Nations of professional murderers appears to have been brought in to deal with her, the resourceful Annie surprisingly succeeds in outsmarting them all. Now Annie has an international gang of her own, and she's ready to face Audrey.
Williamson's play takes great delight in having fun with comic stereotypes while affirming that there's so much more to each of us if we'll just look below the surface, or have the courage to break free of our personal limitations. Every role has charm, humor, audacity and verve. Fantastic roles to play, and hilarious comedy for an audience to enjoy.

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Characters

Flexible casting with 4 to 6 female and 2 to 4 male actors.

Annie: 30 – 40 years old. Married to Dane. A librarian, timid, not very adventurous, her family died in a car accident when she was a child. A small scar is only just visible on her neck. Has a lot of knowledge about the world but little experience in it. By the end of the play she has become an independent self-assured woman.
Dane: 30 – 40 years old. Married to Annie. Estranged son of a mob family.
Audrey: 50 - 60 years old (or around 20 years older than Dane). Dane’s mother and current head of the mob family. Hard, manipulative, very short tempered. Tired of running the family business due to her husband being in prison.
Desiree: 30 – 40 years old. Danes sister, dreams of being a notable mobster but only has the intelligence to become a notable moron. Speaks with a thick Welsh accident. She is not Welsh.
Granddad: 70 - 80 years old (or around 20 years older than Audrey). Audrey’s father. Losing his mind. Almost exclusively repeats what other people say. Much loved by the family.
Grandma: (or around 20 years older than Audrey). Audrey’s mother. Hard, violent women in her golden years with an extremely short temper. Devoted to Granddad. Loathes Desiree.
Natalya: 30’s – 40’s Russian hit-woman. Poor English but understands much more than she can speak. Shows little emotion. Speaks in a deep monotone. Very dangerous and surprisingly smart.
Can be played by the actor playing Desiree.
Finn: 50’s – 60’s former IRA fighter. Dangerous and violent. Trying to train his idiot son in the family business of killing.
Can be played by the actor playing Granddad.
Donal: 30 – 40 years old. The idiot son of Finn. Has a fear of doorways. Emotionally unstable with huge emotional swings. Trying his best to learn his father's trade but incapable of doing so.
Can be played by the actor playing Dane.
Rosa Botticello: 90 years old. Legendary Italian assassin. Has a pacemaker.
Can be played by the actor playing Grandma.

What the critics are saying

"...utterly absurd and genuinely funny new play by prolific New Zealand playwright Devon Williamson. Based on my own reaction and the opening night audience response, I suspect that I will see more of Williamson’s work in local theaters – he has a comic sensibility that is a perfect antidote to the anxiety overload many of us are feeling these days."
- Westside Theater Reviews

My Inlaws are Outlaws" is a criminally funny play from the mind of Devon Williamson".
- Hillsboro Tribune

"It really is brilliantly funny. The play will run a bit longer because of all the laughter — we're having a lot of fun staging everything."
- Paul Roder, Artistic Director, HART Theatre

Productions

Shinfield Players Theatre, Reading, UK
HART Theatre - USA
The Hills Players - Australia
Brookfield Acting Troupe - Australia
Bridgetown Theatre - Australia
Capella Theatre - Australia
Theatre Whakatane - New Zealand
Detour Theatre (Premier Season) - New Zealand