About
Elevator Pitch for Bail Me Out
Joe, a blue-collar mechanic and life-long Jersey guy, grapples with his best friend, Ray, “coming out of the closet,” which sets off a chain of events that affect his entire inner circle and forces Joe to weigh the pragmatism of his relationships with his beloved friends and family. Ill-equipped to adapt in an ever-changing world, Joe is a 21st century Archie Bunker, lovable but rough around the edges.
Letter from the Writer
The first thing audiences notice about my original play, Bail Me Out, is the language. It is profane, vulgar, sexually descriptive, and relentless. Like many artists raised in North Central Jersey, I empathize with the ups, downs, trials, tribulations, successes, and failures of thousands of people in this region. Although this blue-collar story about a gay man coming out to his life-long best friend is obviously not representative of everyone living in Jersey, my goal with Bail Me Out is to represent the language, tone, drama, and action that occur in many Jersey homes today.
In Bail Me Out, I chose to introduce the lead character (Joe Tidone) with all of his ugly warts up front, so right away the audience knows they
are not dealing with a well-adjusted, self-aware mensch, but rather they are watching an in-depth portrait of “a little guy in chaos.” Bail Me Out introduces seven characters, all of whom have several levels of dysfunction and none of whom can be described as morally centered. They are fallible, but loveable. They are insecure, yet courageous. Why? Because they strive for a better life despite the dark clouds that always seem to surround them.
There is optimism in their darkness, pleasure in their pain, and a constant need to find peace despite not really knowing how to stay still.

Writer
