History Theatre / OnTheVerge

* LoadsAndLoadsOfRoles: one actor plays eight roles (Alphonse, Grover, the Yeti, the Gorge Troll, Mr. Coffee, Madame Nhu, Gus, and Nicky Paradise)

* RomancingTheWidow: Nicky to Fanny. (TheyDo.)
* SharpDressedMan: Mr. Coffee

* NoPronunciationGuide: "Hec-kwhod-ont?"

* BikerBabe: Alex in the final scene, on her way to a date with the Troll

* ManInWhite: Mr. Coffee

* IChooseToStay: [[Spoiler: the ultimate fate of Alex and Fanny]].

* ArcWords: Vaya Con Dios!, On the Verge

* TheGhost: [[UsefulNotes/DwightDEisenhower President Eisenhower, who is apparently a regular customer of Nicky Paradise.

* RockAndRoll: Alex discovers this is her calling.

* TheIngenue: Alex, although she has more depth than the StockCharacter and a bit of a rock and roll personality-- making her more properly a SpiritedYoungLady.

''On the Verge, or the Geography of Yearning'' is a 1986 stage play by Eric Overmyer, best known for his work on ''Series/LawAndOrder'', ''Series/TheWire'', and {{Treme}}. It tells the story of three [[LadyOfAdventure Victorian women explorers]], each with their own specialty, who set off in 1888 to chart Terra Incognita, an unknown and mysterious land. Mary Baltimore is the oldest, an anthropologist whose travels are mostly in Africa. Fanny Cranberry is writing up her journey for the tabloid "True Trek"; she is the most conservative and the only married member of the party. Alexandra Cafuffle is the youngest, an aspiring lyricist whose specialty is cold terrain, especially Tibet.

''On the Verge'' is a celebration of [[ReferenceOverdosed feminism, language, history, and pop culture]]. Not to be confused with ''Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown''.

''On the Verge, or the Geography of Yearning'' is a 1986 stage play by Eric Overmyer, best known for his work on Series/LawAndOrder, TheWire, and {{Treme}}. It tells the story of three [[LadyOfAdventure Victorian women explorers]], each with their own specialty, who set off in 1888 to chart Terra Incognita, an unknown and mysterious land. Mary Baltimore is the oldest, an anthropologist whose travels are mostly in Africa. Fanny Cranberry is writing up her journey for the tabloid "True Trek"; she is the most conservative and the only married member of the party. Alexandra Cafuffle is the youngest, an aspiring lyricist whose specialty is cold terrain, especially Tibet.

* {{Beatnik}}: the Gorge Troll, with a few dashes of '50s greaser and MarlonBrando

* TheBechdelTest: passes quite handily

* GetALoadOfThatSquare: occasionally when Fanny or Mary osmose a hip reference and don't understand it.

''On the Verge, or the Geography of Yearning'' is a 1986 stage play by Eric Overmyer, best known for his work on LawAndOrder, TheWire, and {{Treme}}. It tells the story of three [[LadyOfAdventure Victorian women explorers]], each with their own specialty, who set off in 1888 to chart Terra Incognita, an unknown and mysterious land. Mary Baltimore is the oldest, an anthropologist whose travels are mostly in Africa. Fanny Cranberry is writing up her journey for the tabloid "True Trek"; she is the most conservative and the only married member of the party. Alexandra Cafuffle is the youngest, an aspiring lyricist whose specialty is cold terrain, especially Tibet.

* DragonLady: Madame Nhu

* IAmAHumanitarian: Alphonse

* RealWomenNeverWearDresses: subverted into "[[ProperLady Proper ladies]] never wear trousers," while lampshading the DoubleStandard of the straight trope.

* RhymesOnADime: The Troll, occasionally Alex
* RockAndRoll: Alex discovers this is her calling

** ShoutOutToShakespeare: Alex gets the [[Theatre/TheTempest "O brave new world"]] line and is promptly lampshaded as a plagiarist by Fanny. Although Fanny herself quotes {{Hamlet}} in an earlier scene. Mr. Coffee paraphrases part of [[Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice Portia's "quality of mercy"]] speech.

* TimeTravel: [[InsistentTerminology Chronokinesis]].

* ShoutOut: so many references, where to begin? There's a ton of historical allusions (including a RunningGag on who's the current President), and pop culture references to Burma Shave, {{Gunsmoke}}, Willy and the Hand Jive and everything in between.

* AcceptableFeminineGoals: discussed, played with, and ultimately subverted

* TitleIn: Every scene has a projected title, usually containing [[AWorldwidePunomenon a pun]] (Native Chop) or [[ReferenceOverdosed a pop culture reference]] (In The Jungle, the Mighty Jungle).

* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: Mary: "There are sorts of folks in the world. The sort you eat with, and the sort you drink with. Cannibals you drink with."
** [Later that scene] Fanny: Yes, Mary, there are two sorts of people in the world. There are cannibals-- and there are lunch.\\
Mary: Fanny, you are a Social Darwinist.[[hottip:*: ie, "[[Trivia/TheSocialDarwinist Eat or]] [[MultipleReferencePun be eaten]]."]]

''On the Verge, or the Geography of Yearning'' is a 1986 stage play by Eric Overmyer, best known for his work on LawAndOrder, TheWire, and {{Treme}}. It tells the story of three [[LadyOfAdventure Victorian women explorers]], each with their own specialty, who set off in 1888 to chart Terra Incognita, an unknown and mysterious land. Mary Baltimore is the oldest, an anthropologist whose travels are mostly in Africa. Fanny Cranberry is writing up her journey for the tabloid "True Trek"; she is the most conservative and the only married member of the party. Alexandra Cafuffle is the youngest, an aspiring lyricist whose specialty is cold terrain, especially Tibet.

* FamilyVersusCareer: Fanny's long absences put a strain on her relationship with her husband Grover. There seems to be a great deal of tenderness between them, but they have very little in common.

** ShoutOutToShakespeare: Alex gets the [[TheTempest "O brave new world"]] line and is promptly lampshaded as a plagiarist by Fanny. Although Fanny herself quotes {{Hamlet}} in an earlier scene. Mr. Coffee paraphrases part of [[TheMerchantOfVenice Portia's "quality of mercy"]] speech.