Birds of paradise
David Evans
Paperback
(S. French, March 15, 1988)
The action takes place in the Meeting Hall of the oldest church on Harbor Island, a small fictional island somewhere on the eastern seaboard. The members of an amateur theater group are joined briefly by a professional, and this changes all of their lives. Lawrence Wood visits his hometown for the first time in years and winds up directing and starring in an original zany musical based on Chekhov's The Seagull by Homer, the youngest member of the group. As they work together, Wood changes Homer's script and his life. He also becomes involved with Julia, the spirited young woman Homer loves. As the amateurs approach opening night, their personal lives begin to mirror the plot twist of Homer's adaption of The Seagull in increasingly comic ways. At dress rehearsal, just as Homer announces that he has rewritten the ending, Wood reveals that he's been offered a part on Broadway. He leaves, sending the group into turmoil until they discover Homer's new ending, and how much they mean to each other.