The Last Sunday in June and Other Plays: Including If Memory Serves and The Twilight of the Golds [Paperback]

Jonathan Tolins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 14, 2004

Jonathan Tolins's hilarious and poignant play The Last Sunday in June follows in the tradition of The Boys in the Band and Love! Valour! Compassion! Set in a Greenwich Village apartment, Michael and Tom plan to spend Gay Pride Day contemplating their move to the suburbs. But with the parade happening outside their window, friends drop by, igniting a chain of events that rocks the foundations of their relationship. Also included in this collection are If Memory Serves, a satire of repressed memory and celebrity scandal, and The Twilight of the Golds, the controversial Broadway play about genetics and homosexuality that was the basis for the Showtime film starring Brendan Fraser and Faye Dunaway.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (May 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802141366
• ISBN-13: 978-0802141361
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,365,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This guy can write!, June 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Last Sunday in June and Other Plays: Including If Memory Serves and The Twilight of the Golds (Paperback)

Last Sunday in June was my favorite theater experience of whatever year I saw it in! And Twilight of the Golds was truly searing and thought-provoking! This man is a writer we'll be hearing more about. Comparisons to Neal Simon are obvious but don't do justice to this writer whose heart is as big as his sense of humour and his compassion for his characters reminds me more of Checkov than Neal Simon. (So if he's so good, why no 5 stars? Simple: I'm an honest man and I haven't read this book yet, and am reviewing it only on the basis of the two productions I SAW. So, when I read If Memory Serves I'll re-check in on this review if it's a warranted 5th star.) But buy this book! You won't be disappointed! This man's one liners and characters are as good as they get.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Lowest common denominator gay fiction, September 27, 2006

By 

Jim Shane (Hillsdale, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Last Sunday in June and Other Plays: Including If Memory Serves and The Twilight of the Golds (Paperback)

When I found out this author was a writer on Showtime's series "Queer As Folk" it came as no surprise, as his fictional work is just a continuation of gay stereotypes. As a gay man with a lover of nine years, I find this material lacking in talent, wit and authenticity. It is sadly typical of how many gay TV writers with marginal talent portray gay life. If Tolins actually had true writing talent, he might choose to look at the multi-layered aspects of gay lives in America, rather than his one-dimensional cartoon versions of gay life.

0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SMART & FUNNY & MORE, October 31, 2006

By 

T. Campbell (West Hollywood, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Last Sunday in June and Other Plays: Including If Memory Serves and The Twilight of the Golds (Paperback)

All of Tolins' work here is relatable, but brave. The characters, gay and straight, are recognizable without being the usual cliches found in some other gay-themed books, TV shows, movies, etc. Best of all, his plays are richly entertaining. I highly recommend.