The Ladies of Lawrence
Big Little Lies meets The First Wives Club with a dash of Knives Out. However, instead of a murder mystery, it’s a scandalous social chess game.
Synopsis
A grand birthday celebration is in full swing outside a mansion. Lavish decorations, a Latin quartet, and elegantly dressed guests set the stage. Photographers capture the glittering scene.
SENATOR JEN GONZALES and her partner pose for photos, while across the crowd, SEAN CLINE revels in the company of two women, dodging a cameraman's questions. Meanwhile, the poised but uneasy SOPHIA HALL calls for the champagne to be served. Her husband, the man of the hour, SENATOR LAWRENCE HALL will appear any minute.
Enter BEVERLY HALL, a dramatic socialite draped in mink. She startles current wife Sophia with familiarity, revealing herself as Lawrence’s third wife. Beverly delivers biting wit and harsh truths, dismantling Sophia’s illusions about her marriage. She unveils Lawrence’s history of collecting wives and mistresses like trophies, each woman aging out and being replaced.
The former mistresses—MARIA, an actress, and WENDY, an ex-massage therapist—exchange jabs, painting a portrait of Lawrence as a relentless womanizer. The conversation oscillates between biting humor and painful realizations for Sophia, who learns she was Mistress Number Six before her "promotion" to wife. To Sophia’s horror, Lawrence has already replaced her with a new mistress, VICTORIA BARNES.
As Beverly, Maria, and Wendy toast to their financial settlements and shared history, the evening takes a dramatic turn. The music halts. Lawrence finally makes his grand entrance—seventy years old, surgically taut, and clad in pants that defy public decency. He basks in the guests’ adulation, seizes Maureen McGuire for a dramatic kiss, and attempts a dance.
Disaster strikes. Lawrence clutches his chest and collapses mid-celebration. Gasps ripple through the crowd as the ex-wives exchange knowing glances. Beverly urges Sophia to seize the moment—either as a grieving widow or a social climber. Chaos ensues as the paramedics arrive, and Lawrence is loaded into an ambulance.
Later, the ex-wives, mistresses, and Sophia sit in solidarity, sipping champagne. They toast to Lawrence—not out of love, but acknowledgment of his impact. Sophia, reluctant at first, finally raises her glass, mutters, "Motherfucker." The women erupt in laughter, bound by shared history.
But in the ambulance, as sirens wail through the night, Lawrence’s eyes flutter open. He smirks at the unsuspecting paramedic. “Well. Aren’t you a pretty one?” The medic screams. The ambulance swerves.
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Suzanne BirrellWriter
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Project Type:Short Script
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Genres:Absurd, satirical comedy
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Number of Pages:17
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Country of Origin:United States
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Language:English
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First-time Screenwriter:No
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Student Project:No
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Arthouse Festival of Beverly HillsBeverly Hills, CA
June 5, 2024
Semi Finalist -
Outstanding Screenplay Shorts
December 14, 2023
Quarter Finalist
Coming from small-town America and a multi-ethnic background [2nd gen. Sicilian, 2nd gen. Scotch, 3rd gen. German, & Potawatomi (not registered) ] Suzanne Birrell brings a unique perspective to her scripts.
Suzanne teaches middle school (where children are wild and hormones rage), plays bass in a country band, and generally observes life as inspiration for her stories. All of her screenplays feature great roles for women of all ages and are based on real-life and actual events albeit with a bit of exaggeration.
I like good mysteries, satirical comedies, and tear-jerking dramas. I write with passion and strive for depth. My focus is on character pieces for ensemble casts. I have written numerous features, TV scripts, and short staged proof of concepts.