SYNOPSIS:

Synopsis for Going Solo, a screen and stage play by Drew Keil and Robert Gately The furthest Debbie wanders from home is twelve steps from the porch to her mailbox. An agoraphobic, she works as a realty agent from her Brooklyn home where she shares her fears, hopes and dreams with her two employees, her girlfriends, Patricia and Katherine, who are redefining the limits of middle age. Pushing those limits herself, Debbie, a widow, is estranged from her daughter, Wendy, who hasn’t been home in a very long time. In the office, Patricia is a rambunctious single mother who on occasion antagonizes Katherine, a frumpy-looking heroine whose sexual naiveté and psychic prowess provides comic relief. Through their bickering and the occasional theatrical outburst we get to know this trio and their dreams and insecurities. Wendy, the young daughter with a chip on her shoulder, comes to town to play the cello at Carnegie Hall for the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. She confronts Debbie for never attending her high school recitals and hopes to free herself from the lingering anger she harbors for the years of her mother’s neglect. Wendy confesses a secret to her mother which forces Debbie to face her phobia head-on. Instead of mending their relationship, Wendy may very well be destroying it. Facing her fears, Debbie seeks Patricia’s help and practices leaving the house in preparation for her intended trip to Carnegie Hall. Debbie encounters a Bag Lady who is more than just a vagrant. She’s an angel in disguise and provides the very ingredients of tough love and wisdom Debbie will need if she is ever to overcome her condition. Debbie traverses the streets of New York where shadowy creatures and streaking lights and frightening noises paralyze her. The Bag Lady, the unlikely hero, helps her through her nightmare. The suspense builds on Debbie’s journey as she fights to find the strength and courage to not only to face her demons but to rediscover the loving relationship that she and Wendy so desperately want. As for Patricia and Katherine, we find joy in their exploits. Katherine delights in her first sensual feelings in over twenty years with a secret admirer while Patricia manages to connect emotionally with a lost lover who must see past her feisty façade in order to reunite with her and embrace a son he never knew. Four of these ladies struggle through their growing pains at an age when most people spend their time reminiscing about life and missed opportunities. And with Wendy in the mix, this eclectic ensemble allow us to laugh and cry while showing us we are never too old to dream and never too young to forgive.