THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF SANJAY GUPTA
A play in two acts by Michael Buss

TIME: The present

PLACE: New Jersey, USA 

STAGE SETTING: The set variously represents a living room, a hospital office, and a poolside area at a mountain Spa resort. 

CHARACTERS: (A cast of 3 men and 2 women)
SANJAY GUPTA, a Ugandan Asian immigrant US mail man in his mid forties
MARTHA GUPTA, his American wife
MILLIE GUPTA, their pretty nineteen year old daughter
DR. DAVID STURDY, an ER doctor – initially dating MILLIE
HARVEY KLUTZ, a federal agent working part time with each of 5 agencies

PLOT SYNOPSIS: Mailman Sanjay Gupta is about to realize his American Dream having secretly saved enough money to buy his own photographic developing business complete with US Post Office counter. His wife, however, has an obsessive antipathy to germs and tips from skepticism to outright hostility when news breaks of a possible anthrax scare in a nearby postal facility. Both Sanjay’s dreams and his marriage are under threat. He is hit harder when Millie announces she wants to leave home. Doctor Sturdy became involved in the family struggles, as does investigator Harvey Klutz who, as his name implies, manages to mess up everything he ever tries to do.

The action moves to a mountainside Spa as part of Sanjay’s plans to recover his wife’s composure and win her approval for his business aspirations, but things go from bad to worse. The intrusions of Harvey only add to the comic complications and pose a rival love interest in Millie. In an extraordinary twist a salmonella infection from David’s hospital transfers to the Spa and a legal threat looms over the hotel owners – which Harvey successfully resolves. Doctor Sturdy inexplicably runs off with Martha in the night. However, he has taken drastic action to have her taken to an aversion therapy clinic and Sanjay completes Martha’s rehabilitation 3 days later when he attacks her with her own Lysol spray!! All the romantic and financial loose ends get tied up in time for a happy ending.

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All enquiries about this play should be emailed to Michael Buss at busstop9@adelphia.net