Water Gap Play Analysis

DIRT CHEAP is a broad comedy with elements of a fish out of water and romantic comedy. The premise is high concept and one can easily envision the script as a film. The eccentric characters feel very castable and could attract talent.

The premise is fun and entertaining. The idea of a man faking his family home as an exclusive resort to convince a wealthy investor to invest in the ranch is a delightful setup for comedy, romance, conflict, and character growth.

The script has a consistent comedy tone and offers extremely likable and distinctive characters that the audience effortlessly roots for.

There’s a defined three-act structure. The goal is clear and the stakes are personal and high. The script is goal focused.

The first act sets up the ordinary world of the protagonist, of Chad

The fish-out-of water style works for Jerry, as well as physical and visual humor. There are some witty one-liners.

The cockatoo also adds an element of fun and delight, especially when he tattles about the game. Chad pretending to shoot him, “bang” makes one smile.

Chad makes for a good comedic character. He’s charming, but deceitful. He’s used to faking his way through life. Make sure at the end that his character arc is well understood. It’s nice that he realizes Australia is his home. Make sure the audience understands that he doesn’t want to fake his way through life anymore and that he wants to live it... with Justine.

Justine is very likable. One likes how she has to pretend and go along with the fraud. Perhaps there should come a time when she confronts Chad about how he has faked his way through things and always takes the easy way out and thinks he can lie and charm his way, but it’s time for him to grow up and face reality.

Kate is a fun character. She has some good one-liners and her drinking is amusing, “I’ve already had a few”. It’s difficult for her to be a fake and this is endearing. Her line about the kangaroo being on a diet is