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-PLAYWRIGHT-SCREENWRITER-NOVELIST
David MacGregor
FULL LENGTH PLAYS
Vino Veritas is a dark comedy about the truth--how some people need it to survive, while others need to avoid it at all costs. On Halloween night, lives and familiar traditions unravel when two couples share a Peruvian wine made from the skins of blue dart tree frogs, and more than one mask is dropped on this eventful evening.
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Reviews:
“...director Guy Sanville does fine work bringing MacGregor's accomplished, smart, and insightful script to life. (The final scene in particular feels like a rare, perfect gem of a moment.) So here's the truth: there's an entertaining, thought-provoking new show at the Rose. Just make sure to buckle your seatbelts. It is - in the best way possible - a bumpy night.” (Subsequently named “Best New Play of Year”)
--Ann Arbor News
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“Both funny and gut-wrenching, MacGregor's script covers plenty of territory in just under two-hours…the playwright offers wisdom and insight into many aspects of the human condition. A few, some might not want to hear, but MacGregor especially shines with his meticulous planning and realistic dialogue. Nothing occurs by happenstance; even the Halloween costumes are significant. And he continuously digs deeper into the psyches of his characters, there by revealing just how human and unpredictable they—and we—really are.”
--Between the Lines (Michigan)
Scrooge Macbeth takes the meaning of “the show must go on” to a whole new level. Bob, Sylvia, Victor, and Renee are the last four actors standing when a food poisoning outbreak sidelines most of the cast on the opening night of the Hartland Community Theatre’s holiday production, Shakespeare’s classic, The Winter’s Tale. But that’s not the only setback: Sylvia has just discovered a boatload of red ink in the theatre group’s ledger. With impending financial ruin, a shortage of cast members, and an expectant
audience just outside the doors, can these four amateur thespians concoct some kind of holiday entertainment in time to save their theatre? Thanks to the ensuing violent collision between everything Christmas and everything Shakespeare, you will never think of Shakespeare or Christmas in quite the same way again.
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Reviews:
"Theatre-goers are sure to get some huge laughs at this uber-creative holiday play."
--High Plains Reader
"A show that is as festive as ever for the Christmas season…a hilarious holiday show."
--NDSU Spectrum
The play takes place in the rooms of Isaac Newton at Cambridge University in September 1693, when Newton went through what subsequent biographers would call a “discomfiture of the mind.” Newton’s tragic past, conflicted sexuality, heretical religious
beliefs, and alchemical experimentation had led him to lock himself away in his rooms and to do nothing less than attempt to touch the face of God.
Arrogant, paranoid, and absolutely certain that he had been chosen by God to reveal the eternal unity of all things in the universe, the play takes place in a crucible-like atmosphere where Newton’s most ambitious work would finally come to fruition. Or failure. It features Newton’s friend, the philosopher John Locke, and Newton’s nemesis, Dr. Robert Hooke, a brilliant polymath and devoted ladies’ man, whose jealousy of Newton unhinged him from time to time.
Finally, the play features the mysterious woman with whom Newton became “embroiled.” Based on Newton’s letters and journals, the play reveals a man riding the delicate line between divinity and madness, grappling with the choice between
immortality and love, and lays bare the fact that while many people regard Newton as humanity’s first scientist, he was actually our last sorcerer.
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Reviews:
“A masterpiece…MacGregor gets an A+ for a storyline that is crafted like a fine
piece of art…watch for this theatrical treasure at a quality theatre near you.”
--Mientertainment Radio
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“David MacGregor’s Gravity holds an audience with a fierce intensity and paints
a surprisingly human portrait of one of history’s greatest thinkers…the production
is likely to surprise patrons as a wholly fresh, entirely different theatrical
experience.”
--Between the Lines
When Gene breaks his leg after proposing to his girlfriend Marisa, he begins to feel some odd changes. It turns out that the ground up oyster shell the doctors used to help repair his femur is causing him to slowly transition into a woman, just as oysters change gender halfway through their lives. Can Gene learn to live his life as a different gender and will he—or she—be able to find a happily ever after with his fiancée? Consider the Oyster is a romantic comedy that explores the fluidity of gender and our changeable human nature.
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Reviews:
“Mere explanations don’t do justice to Consider the Oyster, which must be seen to be
believed. The script is fresh, curiously topical, and liberally funny…This accomplishment in storytelling has broad appeal for viewers in the mood for lighter entertainment as well as those craving a captivating, thought-provoking experience.”
(Best New Play of 2011)
--Rogue Critic
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“Consider the Oyster delivers a comic pearl. This is a clever, funny, and surprising script
that we can’t say too much about without issuing a big spoiler alert. Don’t miss this
one.”
--Detroit Theater Examiner
London. December 1888. 221B Baker Street. The notorious and as-yet undiscovered genius, Vincent van Gogh presents the master-sleuth Sherlock Holmes with a most unusual case. Aided by his partner Dr. Watson and his paramour Irene Adler, the trio embark on a rousing adventure. Aided by Oscar Wilde, the world's greatest detective dashes forth to solve one of the most audacious crimes of the Victorian era and uncover a Post-Impressionist conspiracy.
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Reviews:
“David MacGregor‘s Sherlock Holmes play masterfully bring these ageless characters to life with delightful intelligence, entertaining intrigue, and a sense of humor found only in the company of Sherlock Holmes.”
--Jeff Daniels (Founder of The Purple Rose Theatre)
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"Playwright David MacGregor has come up with a winning recipe with his action-filled plays featuring the fictional foursome of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Irene Adler, and Professor Moriarty’s evil daughter, along with a sprinkling of real-life historical figures tossed in for seasoning. In Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Elusive Ear, we find Vincent van Gogh and Oscar Wilde as condiments. These incredibly tasty dishes of mystery, comedy, and romance will be savored by any theatrical gourmet."
--Howard Ostrom, Sherlock Holmes media pundit and author of the Sherlock Holmes on Screens series of books.
London. June 1897. It's the day before Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and her son, the playboy Prince of Wales, arrives at 221B Baker Street pursued by anarchist assassins. Coincidentally, the greatest chef in the world, Auguste Escoffier, also arrives at 221B, his career about to be shattered by blackmail and scandal. Can Holmes, Watson, and Irene Adler save the life of the heir to the British crown and the reputation of the master chef? And can they unmask the criminal genius behind both of these sinister conspiracies? This action-filled tale of royal debauchery, priceless gems, and gourmet food will provide Dr. Watson with the material for Sherlock Holmes' most bizarre and tastiest case.
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Reviews:
“David MacGregor‘s Sherlock Holmes play masterfully bring these ageless characters to life with delightful intelligence, entertaining intrigue, and a sense of humor found only in the company of Sherlock Holmes.”
--Jeff Daniels (Founder of The Purple Rose Theatre)
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"Playwright David MacGregor has come up with a winning recipe with his action-filled plays featuring the fictional foursome of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, Irene Adler, and Professor Moriarty’s evil daughter, along with a sprinkling of real-life historical figures tossed in for seasoning. In Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Fallen Soufflé, world famous French chef Auguste Escoffier and Bertie, the notorious Prince of Wales, add a healthy dose of spice to the proceedings. These incredibly tasty dishes of mystery, comedy, and romance will be savored by any theatrical gourmet."
--Howard Ostrom, Sherlock Holmes media pundit and author of the Sherlock Holmes on Screens series of books.
London: November, 1905. England and the world are changing. As civilization edges towards the horrors of World War I, every day brings new tensions in Europe and technological advances that make Victorian England feel like a distant dream. Into the rooms of Sherlock Holmes come Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison—with new inventions that will alter the course of human history—only both inventions have gone missing. Can Holmes, Watson, and Irene Adler somehow unravel the latest diabolical scheme of Marie Chartier—evil daughter of the late Professor Moriarty? Can world peace be achieved by the most powerful weapon ever created? Can death itself be overcome by a scientific genius? And can Sherlock Holmes survive the greatest personal loss of his career?
The Antichrist Cometh is a comedy about a happily married man who discovers that he might be the Antichrist. Will he be able to enjoy a small dinner party with his loving wife, former college roommate, and his roommate's devoutly religious fiancée? Or will their home-cooked meal usher in the Apocalypse?
Premiering at The Purple Rose Theatre in March 2024.
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