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Phil Olson Playwright, Producer |
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Plays
Available for licensing at Samuel French/Concord Theatricals:
Polyester The Musical A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol
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LOVE...OR BEST OFFER Comedy
A Two Act Play (in one act)
Licensing:
Love...or Best Offer - Play Synopsis: Cheryl is a widow of two years, Stan is newly divorced. After failed blind dates, their best friends, Lori and Dave, convince them to try online dating with the new dating website, “Friends, Love or Whatever.” With the worst dating advice in the world from their friends, Cheryl and Stan set out to find happiness and true love, online. All the struggles of online dating come to the forefront, including overcoming heartbreak and rejection, all in an effort to find love, or best offer. “What a fantastic surprise this quiet show is!…How very clever of the Group Rep to treat us all to such a warmly funny and genuinely memorable show!” – NoHoArtsDistrict.com “The protagonists in Love…or Best Offer makes looking for love an exciting game worth trying…A perfect gift for the month of love!” - Glamour _____________________________________________________________
BIRTHDAY CLUB Comedy A Two Act Play
Birthday Club had 25 Zoom
readings in theatres around the U.S. and Canada from March, 2020, to
February, 2021. The play has been a winner in Five playwriting
competitions. It premiered with the Persimmon Tree Players, Fluvanna
County, VA, in a virtual production in March, 2021, and went on to a
live, on stage production, with the Mighty Richland Players,
Orangeville, IL,in April, 2021. Birthday Club - Play Synopsis:
Five women. Five Birthdays. Anything goes.
Five women get together
for their birthdays, each with their own story, to drink, celebrate,
commiserate, and support each other as they negotiate through
marriage, work, divorce, birth, kids, and solve the problems of the
world.
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A TWISTED CHRISTMAS CAROL Family Comedy A Two Act Play
This past Christmas (2019), A Twisted Christmas Carol opened and ran concurrently in 8 cities,
something that has never
happened before in live theatre.
A Twisted Christmas Carol - Play
Synopsis & Reviews:
What the theatres said about A Twisted Christmas Carol:
“The show was a hit!! We sold out all performances!!” - Watertown Players, Watertown, South Dakota
"We sold out 6 of 7 performances in our 220 seat theatre.... The show now holds the Box Office record for a December Production." - Alton Little Theatre, Alton Illinois
“It was the best attended Christmas show at HCCT since I started five and a half years ago, and over-all the third highest attended play just behind 39 Steps and two tickets behind Baskerville.” - Hill Country Community Theatre, Cottonwood Shores, Texas
"Sold out 9 out of 10 performances. We had to put extra chairs out!" - The Group Rep Theatre, North Hollywood, California
What the critics said:
"A TWISTED CHRISTMAS CAROL is a wonderful addition to your Holiday season, and a wonderful gift to give to your friends and family!...You will fall on the floor laughing!" - NoHoArts.com
“Check-out this brilliant and hilarious new comedy by Phil Olson which is oh, so much more than merely funny!... This play with non-stop hilarity punctuated by heartfelt sincerity is nothing but genuine honesty amid ever-present lunacy!" - At the Theatre
“A tasty holiday treat!” - The Tolucan Times
“Funny throughout!… It ends in a very Happy Christmas for all.” - Carol's Culture Corner
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DON'T HUG ME, WE'RE FAMILY Musical Comedy Wrote the book & lyrics for Don't Hug Me, We're Family including 14 songs and 12 north woods radio jingles. Don't Hug Me, We're Family is the sixth in the Don't Hug Me series of musicals that have had over 200 productions around the U.S. and Canada. Set in a little north woods Minnesota town, bar owner Gunner Johnson hosts a radio show devoted entirely to ice fishing. He loses his only advertiser while Clara, his wife, hosts a popular book show, and has all the advertisers, putting the competitive couple at odds. Their marital problems are compounded when two, fish-out-of-water, Brooklyn Italians come to the rural Minnesota town, buy the radio station, and turn everything upside down. It's "Fargo" meets "My Cousin Vinny" (without the blood or the trial lawyers). 100% Positive Reviews! - Betterlemons.com “A TON OF FUN!...The laughs are non-stop and the storyline is BONKERS!...It’s a musical laugh-fest!...This is the sixth in Olson’s zany series and all have been even funnier than the last one! Need a good hearty laugh? This is the one to catch!” - The Tolucan Times “A true theatrical gem!” - LA Post Examiner "Run do not walk to the World Premiere of the Don’t Hug Me Productions presentation of 'Don’t Hug Me, We’re Family!'...This play is nothing less than a funny and furious journey between a laugh and a tear!" - At The Theatre “You can’t help but laugh!” - HainesHisWay.com “Often twisted but always hilarious!” - Norwegian American Weekly
“LOVED
IT!!!…Always funny, always great, always wonderful, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!…“A real kick!” - Carol’s Culture Corner
“DON’T
HUG ME, WE’RE
FAMILY is the funniest play about the folks from “A good laugh, a good time and in no way serious…The point of this show is to bring joy and happiness to the audience, and on opening night, it did exactly that!...If you are looking for a way to de-stress after a long Friday at work or are looking for a fun weekend nighttime activity, by all means attend a performance of this show!” - BroadwayWorld.com ______________________________________________________________
A NICE FAMILY CHRISTMAS Family Comedy A TWO-ACT PLAY
WINNER First Place - McLaren Memorial Comedy Playwriting Competition
WINNER! Second Place (out of 125 plays) - The Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence
Synopsis: ____________________________________________________
MOM'S GIFT Family Comedy A TWO-ACT PLAY
WINNER! First Place - McLaren Memorial Comedy Playwriting Competition
WINNER! Best Stage Play World Series of Screenwriting Competition
WINNER! TRU New Voices Play Festival
WINNER! Northern Writes Playwright Festival
- Finalist, Ashland New Plays Festival,
Ashland OR
MOM'S GIFT is available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers.
Please visit MomsGiftThePlay.com for more information.
Reviews
“If you love the comedy, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ this modern variant by playwright Phil Olson is just for you!” - Not Born Yesterday
“This is a MUST SEE to make your holiday complete!” - NoHo Arts
“Time rarely moves so fast on stage as in ‘Mom’s Gift.’ The rapid-fire succession of uproarious one-liners and poignant family revelations brings the audience to the completely unexpected surprise ending in what seems like a flash!” - Norwegian American Weekly
“A rare treat! If it is indeed holiday entertainment you are looking for, Olson’s play will fill those emotional gaps and turn a routine holiday into an unforgettable journey towards forgiveness, love and self-transformation. It is a unique theatrical experience!” - The Tolucan Patch
“A humorously poignant and thought-provoking story... Touching and hysterical in turns...Heartwarming and compelling...This story is a heartfelt cross between family dynamics, the loss of a loved one, and the power of love.” - Tolucan Times
“An audience pleaser!...There is a surprise ending that will not be divulged here, but suffice it to say, the result is an always engaging, funny evening of love and laughter.” - Stage Happenings
“This new play by playwright Phil Olson, creator of the ‘Don’t Hug Me’ series of comedies, composes a play that is charming, bittersweet (more sweet than bitter), and most of all, is rather comical in terms of one liners and plot situations...Captivating, witty, and most of all, tells a story that speaks about a bonding between mother and daughter, even though this bonding is far from the ordinary.” - Accessibly Live
“A crowd pleaser!...’Mom’s Gift’ demonstrates playwright Olson’s gift at creating the kind of old-fashioned feel-good comedy that hardly gets written anymore, one that not only provides ample laughs but more than a few tears when things take a dramatic turn in its surprise-twisty last half-hour....The popularity of Olson’s Don’t Hug Me series and the upcoming Samuel French publication of his latest could easily make “Mom’s Gift” a community and dinner theater favorite. That it is family-friendly fare is icing on the cake!” - Stage Scene LA
“Wonderful!...There were numerous laugh-out-loud moments. Even better, however, were the twists in the second act. The ultimate resolution of the story was quite touching, and even brought a little dampness to the eyes. It demonstrated (yet again) that a well-written story is the heart of great theatre. If you can get tickets, it is well worth seeing!” - Observations Along the Road __________________________________________________________________________________
DON'T HUG ME Musical Comedy
WINNER! Best Original Musical Best Author Original Play Best Director Best Ensemble Cast Artistic Director Achievement Awards
Received top honors in The Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence, the McLaren Memorial Comedy Playwriting Competition and was selected top 5% in The Chesterfield Writer's Film Project out of 2,600 scripts. Don't Hug Me is available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers.
Please visit DontHugMe.com for more info. Synopsis: The setting is a small bar in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota, up near Canada. It’s the coldest day of the year and Gunner Johnson wants to sell his bar called, "The Bunyan," and move to Florida. Clara, his wife, wants to stay. The waitress, Bernice Lundstrom, wants to pursue a singing career. Her fiancé, Chanute Gunderson, wants her to stay home. When a fast talking salesman, Aarvid Gisselsen, promises to bring more romance into their lives through the magic of karaoke, all heck breaks loose.
Featuring 17 original songs including:
"Clever...Eclectic...More than the typical hotdish
musical review!" - Minneapolis Star Tribune
"The Olson brothers have done for karaoke what
Christopher Guest did for folk music in "A Mighty Wind!"
- Sherman Oaks Sun
- Sons of Norway
A DON'T HUG ME CHRISTMAS CAROL Musical Comedy Wrote the book and lyrics for A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol, including 17 original songs. A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol, the sequel to Don't Hug Me, opened and played in 5 cities simultaneously in 2006, extraordinary for live theatre.
Please visit DontHugMe.com for more information.
A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol is now available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers.
Synopsis:
It's Christmas Eve and cantankerous Gunner gets in an
argument with his wife, Clara. He declares that he doesn't
want to have Christmas this year, storms out of the bar and
goes snowmobiling across the lake. On the lake, he hits a
soft spot, falls through the ice on his skidoo and goes into
a coma. Gunner then comes back to the bar in his dream and
witnesses what goes on when he's not there. He's visited by
world famous folk legend, Sven Yorgensen, who plays the
ghost of Christmas past, present, and future. Sven takes
Gunner (Scrooge) on a journey similar to that in "A
Christmas Carol" only very different. Will Gunner come out
of his coma and find redemption at The Bunyan? Find out. - I'm So Hosed - What Would Barbra Streisand Do?
Best Musical of 2006! -Reviewplays.com
"If you're looking for something to put you in the holiday spirit, be sure to catch A Don't Hug Me Christmas Carol!" -Kane County Chronicle
Click to view
Tolucan Times Review
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A DON'T HUG ME COUNTY FAIR
Musical Comedy
Please visit DontHugMe.com for more information.
A Don't Hug Me County Fair is now available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers.
WINNER! Best Author Original Play Artistic Director Achievement Award
Synopsis: It’s county fair time in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota,
the biggest thing that’s happened since the winter carnival
snowplow parade. This year the Bunyan County Fair means two
things to Gunner and
"It's wonderful!" - Dick Clark, TV Icon
- LA Comedy Examiner
Click to View
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DON'T HUG ME, I'M PREGNANT Musical Comedy Wrote the book and lyrics for Don't Hug Me, I'm Pregnant including 17 original songs. Don't Hug Me, I'm Pregnant first opened at the Secret Rose Theatre in Los Angeles in September of 2011. Once again the Don't Hug Me musical was booked to play in multiple cities before it was written.
Please visit DontHugMe.com for more information.
Don't Hug Me, I'm Pregnant is now available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers.
Synopsis: The story takes place in Bunyan Bay, Minnesota, in a little bar called "The Bunyan," owned by Clara and Gunner Johnson. Clara is 8 1/2 months pregnant with their first child, and today she's looking forward to her baby shower, getting lots of presents, and taking a break from her raging hormones. Suddenly, a freak snow storm, a "tsnownami," hits Bunyan Bay and they find themselves snowed in. All roads are closed. No one can get in or leave. Gunner's worst nightmare comes true when Clara goes into labor and he realizes he's going to have to deliver the baby in the bar.
Featuring 17 original songs you'll want to sing to your new born, including: - Babies and Beer - If I Only Had a Boy - Bun in the Oven - The 'Just Got Hosed Over by a Dork' Blues - If Men Had Babies, We'd All Be Extinct
CRITIC'S PICK! "Go one, go all to Don't Hug Me, I'm Pregnant! The show is guaranteed to please, and has big hit written all over it!" - BroadwayWorld.com
GO! "Think Rowan and Martin's Laugh In on steroids!" - LA WEEKLY
RECOMMENDED! "With hilarious lines and 17 uproarious songs, Don't Hug Me, I'm Pregnant is a laugh a minute, maybe more!...The Olson Brothers, Phil and Paul have done it again, given us a play that keeps us laughing throughout!" - ReviewPlays.com
RECOMMENDED! "You will find yourself literally laughing out loud at the antics of Gunner, Clara, Kanute, Bernice and Aarvid, and having them bring a bundle of joy into the world is a good thing!" - Topanga Messenger
BROKE BOX OFFICE RECORDS! "The most successful play in our theater's 12 year history!" - Jon Hassler Theater
ENJOY! "Wonderful characters, new terrific original songs, great choreography and belly filled laughs! ...Hysterically funny!...The audience roars with laughter!...Extraordinarily great fun!...For those of you that love silly, funny and entertaining evenings out, this is for you!...Come out and enjoy!" - NoHoArtsdistrict.com
"If you're up for a break from the woes of the world, and ready to laugh until your cheeks hurt, this is the one to catch!...Guttbustingly funny, the nonstop audience laughter was thunderous!...If you're already a Don't Hug Me fan, I know you'll catch this one too. If you've never seen any of the others, it's high time you did! Book a seat today!"- Tolucan Times
"The biggest compliment you can pay a musical comedy is that it is funny...Don't Hug Me, I'm Pregnant is that and so much more...The writing is crisp, intelligent and doesn't miss a beat...proves vastly entertaining and provides a depth uncommon in theatrical comedies and musicals...hilarious yet tender...it touches the funny and musical bones!" - North Hollywood-Toluca Lake Patch
Click to View
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DON'T HUG ME, WE'RE MARRIED Musical Comedy
Wrote the book and lyrics for Don't
Hug Me, We're Married including 17 original songs.
Please visit DontHugMe.com for more information.
Don't Hug Me, We're Married is now available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers.
Synopsis: Don’t Hug Me, We’re
Married takes place in a small north woods bar in Bunyan
Bay, Minnesota. Featuring 17 original
songs including:
WINNER!
RECOMMENDED!
"Adorable!"
"Hilarious!"
“SHEER COMEDIC PERFECTION!...
HILARIOUSLY OUTRAGEOUS!... “DON’T
HUG ME, WE’RE MARRIED is the best yet
with a fantastic script, "The new musical comedy,
"Don't Hug Me, We're Married," proves that you can’t
have
“DON’T
HUG ME, WE’RE
MARRIED Incites Roars of Laughter!…
“‘Don’t
Hug Me, We’re
Married’
is the funniest Don’t
Hug Me yet!...
"'Don’t
Hug Me, We’re
Married' Is Loads Of Fun!
______________________________________________________________________________ POLYESTER THE MUSICAL Musical Comedy Wrote the book and lyrics for Polyester The Musical. Polyester The Musical first opened at Actors Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California in November, 2009, to rave reviews and sold out houses.
Please visit
www.PolyesterTheMusical.com for more information. It's "Mamma Mia" meets "Spinal Tap"
POLYESTER THE MUSICAL is the story of THE SYNCHRONISTICS, an
over-the-hill ABBA wannabe group that reunites after 20
years to perform at a public access tv telethon, put their
differences aside, and try to save the station from going
under. The year was 1979 and The Synchronistics were big.
Big enough to be on Johnny Carson. Their hit single, "Better
Together" rose to number two on the Billboard Charts. Then
something terrible happened that drove the group apart. And
now, 20 years later, they're back together in Maple Valley,
their home town, to perform at the 1999 WKLN public access
TV Telethon. Will they overcome their differences from 20
years ago, act professionally and help save WKLN from going
under? Probably not. But you never know what to expect when
this dysfunctional group gets together...one last time. A
farcical 70's time warp. "Be sure to check out this toe-tapping, hilarious journey back to your Dancing Queen days!" - Actors Entertainment
“A rollicking good time!" – The Tolucan Times
"Polyester The Musical is by far the most successful and
well accepted shows in the 10 year history of the Garden
Guest Dinner Theatre. The audiences absolutely adored it. I
was asked several times by audience members, "How are you
going to top this one?"
Click to View
____________________________________________________________________________ A NICE FAMILY GATHERING Family Comedy A TWO-ACT PLAY A Nice Family Gathering, won the Rochester Playwright Festival, was a finalist in the The Robert J. Pickering Award for Playwriting Excellence, and The Phoenix Theatre’s Festival of Emerging American Theatre, and a semi-finalist in the Ukiah Players New Comedy Festival as well as the Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project. The play was produced in Los Angeles at the Groundlings Theatre and at The Group Repertory Theatre, receiving LA WEEKLY Pick of the Week. The play was also produced in Rochester, Minnesota as part of the national playwright competition, and at the Scandinavian Festival in Thousand Oaks, California. Please visit www.anicefamilygathering.com for more information. A Nice Family Gathering is now available for licensing through Samuel French Publishers. Synopsis: A Nice Family Gathering is a story about a man who loved his wife so much, he almost told her. It’s Thanksgiving Day and the first family gathering at the Lundeen household since the Patriarch died. At the gathering, Dad comes back as a ghost with a mission; to tell his wife he loved her, something he neglected to tell her while he was alive. After all, they were only married for 41 years. The problem is, she can’t hear or see him. The trouble begins when Mom invites a date for dinner. WINNER! Rochester Playwright Festival
WINNER! TRU New Voices Playwright Competition
WINNER! Best Play of the Season Eunice Player's Annual Irving Awards
* State College of Florida National Theatre Honorary Fraternity WINNER * Inland Theatre League Award WINNER * Nominated for 5 Encore Awards * Regional Winner, State Finalist in the Texas State High School One-Act Play Competition (Edited Version - to one hour) "Hilarious and touching…" LA WEEKLY Pick of the Week "Exquisite sense of humor…memorable characters…" Daily Variety "A good heart is behind all this family silliness…" Los Angeles Times "Garrison Keillor meets "Topper" by way of "Fargo"…" NPR "A surefire, laugh-a-minute hit…" The Tolucan Times "Hilarious…superbly directed…" American Eagle News "Uniformly superb performances…" NoHo News "It’s packed with mishaps that translates into fun…" Encino News "'A Nice Family Gathering' is that rarest of all plays - a fun evening that is both comic and tender. There is genuineness to the script that is quite unusual. In fact, it is astonishing that the playwright, Phil Olson has remained so little recognized. Discover him for yourself!" - NewJerseyNewsRoom.com "A heart touching comedy that every family can relate to." - Lake Orion Review "It's a wonderful play to take all your loved ones to, and maybe you will come out realizing how much you care for each other and how comparatively "normal" your family is." - JAZ Tech "For a heart warming comedy, be sure to catch 'A Nice Family Gathering!'" - The Theater Mirror "A Nice Family Gathering is a laugh-out-loud funny play with great comic performances and a lively script where sibling rivalry and running gags abound!" - Studio City Sun "If you want to spend an evening at the theater laughing until the tears stream down your face, don't miss 'A Nice Family Gathering!'" - The Pantagraph "It's rare for a theater troupe to make the audience members laugh at one scene then dry their eyes at the next. But the Anna Maria Island Players achieve just that with 'A Nice Family Gathering.'" - Bradenton.com "An enjoyable holiday romp that will make everyone pick up their phone and talk to their moms...a perfect opening to the holiday season." - WordPress.com "What makes the play so enjoyable is that everyone can see aspects of their family in the characters and family dynamics of the Lundeens." - Paper Trail Click to view Tolucan Times - World Premiere Review Tolucan Times - Revival Review _____________________________________________________________________________ CRÄPPIE TALK a.k.a. KOLD RADIO, WHITEFISH BAY Comedy TWO-ACT PLAY Cräppie Talk won the Gilmore Creek Playwright Competition and was a semi-finalist in the Chesterfield Writer’s Film Project. The play was produced at The Group Repertory Theatre in North Hollywood, receiving LA WEEKLY Pick of the Week, and at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota as part of the national playwright competition. Cräppie Talk was also produced at the Scandinavian Festival in Thousand Oaks, California, and at the Hostfest; the national Scandinavian Festival in Minot, North Dakota. Please visit www.koldradio.com for more information. Cräppie Talk is available for licensing through Eldridge Publishing under the title, KOLD Radio, Whitefish Bay. Please visit www.histage.com for info about licensing. Synopsis: The setting is Whitefish Bay, Minnesota, up near the Canadian border. Lars Knudsen is the host of a radio show called, "Crappie Talk," devoted entirely to ice fishing for Crappies. Lars has no listeners, so he loses his only advertiser, Ole’s Bait Mart and Deer Petting Farm. Martha Bjorklund, Lars’ love interest, hosts "Book Beat." She has all the listeners, and all the advertisers. Lars has issues with this. The issues multiply when a Brooklyn Italian comes to Whitefish Bay, buys the radio station, promotes Martha and fires Lars. WINNER! Gilmore Creek Playwriting Competition "Olson has actually come up with a two act pilot for a TV series. In high conseptese, it’s Cheers, meets WKRP in Cincinnati, meets Newhart…and throw in Fargo, too…" LA Times "Combine superb comic writing with solid direction and a smart cast with great timing, and you’re headed for a comedy hit." LA WEEKLY Pick of the Week "…hilarious…side-splitting pace…A real audience pleaser, this comedy is totally silly, entertaining and refreshingly unique." The Tolucan Times "A heart-warming tale in cold Minnesota where you’ll find love, laughter and a wonderful time." Irish News "Set in the American Heartland of Whitefish Bay, it is the plain spoken Minnesotan story of Lars Knudsen’s need to find love…" American Eagle News "…a pleasant romantic comedy…very entertaining." Gardena Valley News "This one really reels in the laughs." Arthur Cantor - Tony Award Winning Producer Click to view _________________________________________________________________________ Produced One-Acts: THE SECURITY GUARD a.k.a THE NAM THE FOLKSINGER HURRICANE GRAMMA Three people are evacuated to a high school gymnasium during a hurricane; the work-a-holic advertising executive, the woman of his nightmares, and the most lovable, interfering old woman are all "ruled" by an over-zealous security guard. Hurricane Gramma is available for licensing through JAC Publishing at www.jacneed.com. TODD and BECKY THE FOREST RANGER THE TOUR GUIDE A tour guide at the Gene Autry Museum makes things up to sound impressive.
GIRLS NIGHT OUT Two women meet a man in a bar and discover his disturbing secret. Girls Night Out is available for licensing through Heuer Publishing at www.hitplays.com. Produced Sketch Comedy: APOLLO CREED vs. MOTHRA NO WAXY BUILD-UP PUBLIC DOMAIN
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