David Lindsay-Abaire Definitely Did NOT Draw on Real Life to Write THE BALUSTERS

What goes into crafting the words that make up our favorite Broadway shows? How do Broadway playwrights and book writers make our favorite characters shine and our favorite scenes come alive? BroadwayWorld is finding out with Notes on a Script.

In The Balusters, the Vernon Point Neighborhood Association is a passionate bunch, whether squabbling over historically inaccurate porch railings or debating trash can protocol. Still, no one is prepared for the neighbor-versus-neighbor battle royale that ensues when a newcomer to the board suggests the unthinkable: installing a stop sign on the corner of the enclave’s prettiest block.

Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire set the scene for the play's first moments: "We are heading down a very dangerous path before the first scene is even finished... Because it's about community, I needed to establish the power dynamic in the room very quickly.  Who's the president? Who are the newcomers? Who needs to make a good impression?  What are the factions? Who are the allies? And is the power within the room malleable? So the characters, the plot, the tone, the world, the rules, all of that is happening in that very first scene in the way that it might happen in the opening number of a musical.  And so that's a lot of plates to spin!"

In this video, watch as Lindsay-Abaire breaks down his words in the newest episode of BroadwayWorld's Notes on a Script and learn even more about the new play.

The Balusters is running on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.