Chapter 9: Drama School — Summary and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

In fall 1984, Molly Shannon moves to New York to begin classes at NYU. Her father and sister Mary drop her off at Hayden Hall, but the arrival is jarring: two men appear out of nowhere, one strikes the other with a baseball bat, the victim falls onto the family's windshield, and a police officer points a gun at the car. Her father screams for everyone to duck, then calmly says goodbye and wishes her well.

After she leaves, her father is devastated. He had relied on Molly as his primary companion since Mary left for college, and now he is alone. Molly, by contrast, feels liberated—she describes the sensation as being like a divorcée, finally free from a long, emotionally tangled relationship. She is not interested in dating; she had pushed away a high school boy named Tom Lux because she feared intimacy, convinced that getting close to anyone would lead to heartbreak after losing her mother.

At NYU, Molly embraces the diversity of the university. She befriends an eccentric roommate in the nursing program whom others call a witch, and she deliberately chooses to be friends with outsiders rather than fit into a clique. She also visits George Cheeks at Yale, where the two dine-and-dash at a Mexican restaurant and are chased by the entire staff. On another visit, she pretends to have sex with George—making loud moaning sounds from his bedroom—so his suitemates will think he has been with a woman.

For her twentieth birthday in September, her father visits and takes her to the Oak Bar at the Plaza Hotel. He orders vodka neat with a glass of ice, which he calls a sidecar, then drinks it quickly and refills the glass with water when the waiter turns away. He complains the drink is watered down, and the waiter brings a fresh pour from the bottle. They see La Cage aux Folles and continue drinking afterward. Molly, a lightweight, gets drunk, passes out in a restaurant bathroom, and both she and her father are physically ejected from the establishment. Her father takes photographs and claims to work for the New York Times.

Molly works thirty hours a week at a health club called Park Avenue Squash and Fitness, selling memberships and answering phones. She also works as a coat check girl at the Old Homestead Steakhouse, where career waiters hide drugs on a ledge above the ceiling, and as a waitress at the Horn & Hardart Dine-O-Mat, where staff perform doo-wop numbers. She hides in the walk-in freezer during a particular song, sitting on frozen turkeys and eating orange slices, until a manager catches her.

A regular customer named Elliott offers to help her career and takes her to dinner at Barbetta, an Italian restaurant in the theater district. She accepts because she has no money and enjoys the pasta. He later shows up at Horn & Hardart claiming to be her manager. When she visits his apartment, she discovers Irish girls living with him who want to be actresses—they give him sexual favors in exchange for rent and headshots. Molly is disgusted and feels terrible for the girls.

In Terry Hayden's drama class, a sense-memory exercise called a private moment brings Molly to tears. Terry asks probing questions about her childhood, and Molly is emotionally open. Terry tells her she has much to pull from, and fellow students hug her afterward.

The chapter's climax is the Arlecchino performance, the final project in Alan Langdon's class. Students are expected to research the commedia dell'arte character, sew a fake penis prop, and perform a five-to-seven-minute routine based on lazzi—slapstick gags broken into beats of three. Molly does not rehearse at all. On performance day, she improvises wildly: she struggles through a door three times, falls into a trash can, waves the fake penis, and pulls the serious teacher into the scene. The class responds with a standing ovation, with students standing on their chairs. Molly describes this as a turning point—she finds herself as an artist and learns to trust her instincts.

The chapter ends with a troubling episode involving her scene-study partner, Gina Costello. Gina convinces Molly to meet at a hotel bar in Times Square, where a Saudi sheik buys them drinks. Gina persuades Molly to come up to the room, telling the sheik that Molly is a virgin. The sheik becomes excited and pushes Molly onto the bed, but Gina pulls him off. Molly hides in the bathroom while Gina performs a sexual act on him. Molly checks his wallet and finds only fifteen dollars, but the sheik eventually gives them six hundred dollars each from a hidden stash. Molly feels numb and dirty. Days later, a friend named Ruby tells Molly about a similar experience with Gina—Ruby was trapped in a hotel bathroom while Gina negotiated with another man.

Key Events

• Molly arrives at NYU and witnesses a violent street attack during drop-off.

• Her father struggles with her departure; Molly feels liberated.

• She befriends an eccentric roommate and visits George Cheeks at Yale, where they dine-and-dash and she pretends to have sex with him.

• Her father takes her to the Oak Bar for her twentieth birthday; they drink heavily and are ejected from a restaurant.

• Molly works three jobs: a health club, a steakhouse, and a nostalgia-themed diner.

• Elliott, a regular customer, exploits aspiring actresses; Molly discovers his scheme.

• Terry Hayden's sense-memory exercise brings Molly to tears and earns her approval.

• Molly's un-rehearsed Arlecchino performance earns a standing ovation.

• Gina Costello involves Molly in a hotel encounter with a Saudi sheik; they receive six hundred dollars each.

• Ruby tells Molly about a similar experience with Gina.

Character Development

Molly moves from emotional dependence on her father toward independence, though the transition is uneven. She is not ready for romantic relationships and describes herself as a freak who appears normal. Her artistic identity crystallizes during the Arlecchino performance, where she learns that spontaneity and trusting her gut can produce something powerful. The Gina episode shows her naïveté and her willingness to go along with situations she does not fully understand, but also her instinct to protect herself.

Her father is revealed as emotionally dependent on Molly, struggling to let go. His drinking continues, and the birthday celebration shows both his affection and his inability to celebrate without alcohol.

Gina Costello represents a darker side of the acting world—someone willing to trade sexual favors for money and stereo equipment. Her behavior is contrasted with Molly's innocence and Ruby's professionalism.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Independence vs. codependency: Molly's move to New York is framed as an escape from an emotionally enmeshed relationship with her father. She feels like a divorcée, but the chapter also shows her fear of intimacy and her reluctance to form normal relationships.

Self-perception as outsider: Molly repeatedly describes herself as a freak who has tricked others into thinking she is normal. This self-image shapes her choices, including her friendship with the eccentric roommate and her avoidance of dating.

Financial struggle: Working thirty hours a week while attending drama school prevents Molly from auditioning for plays. Her poverty makes her vulnerable to Elliott's advances and to Gina's scheme.

Emotional vulnerability: Terry Hayden's sense-memory exercise demonstrates that Molly's pain is an artistic resource. Her willingness to cry in front of the class earns her approval and connection.

Improvisation and artistic identity: The Arlecchino performance is the chapter's central symbol of artistic self-discovery. Molly's decision not to rehearse, and her trust in spontaneity, becomes her creative philosophy.

Exploitation: Elliott's arrangement with the Irish girls and Gina's transaction with the sheik both show how aspiring actresses can be exploited. Molly recognizes the exploitation but is also drawn into it.

Alcoholism: Her father's drinking is a recurring presence, and Molly's own drinking on her birthday shows her following his example.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter marks a pivotal transition in Molly Shannon's life and career. It establishes the emotional groundwork for her artistic identity: the Arlecchino performance is the first time she experiences the power of un-rehearsed, instinct-driven comedy, a philosophy she later carries into her work on Saturday Night Live. The chapter also deepens the portrait of her relationship with her father, showing both his dependence on her and his inability to let go. The darker episodes—Elliott's exploitation and the Gina Costello incident—reveal the dangers and moral compromises of the acting world, and they show Molly navigating situations that test her judgment. The chapter is essential for understanding how Shannon developed the confidence and comedic instincts that defined her career.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the Arlecchino performance represent a turning point for Molly?

The performance is the first time Molly trusts her instincts as a performer. She deliberately does not rehearse, believing the character should be spontaneous and organic. When she improvises wildly—falling into a trash can, pulling the teacher into the scene, and using her real feelings of suspicion toward authority—the class responds with a standing ovation. Molly describes this as the moment she found herself as an artist and learned that she could make people laugh by letting go of over-preparation.

2. What does the chapter reveal about the relationship between Molly and her father?

The chapter shows a father who is emotionally dependent on his daughter. After Molly leaves for NYU, he is devastated and loses his trusted companion. Molly, by contrast, is ready for independence. Their relationship is also shaped by his drinking: the birthday celebration at the Oak Bar shows his affection but also his reliance on alcohol, and Molly's own drinking that night suggests she is following his example. The chapter captures both the love and the unhealthy patterns in their bond.

3. How does the Gina Costello episode complicate the chapter's themes of artistic identity and exploitation?

The episode shows that the acting world Molly is entering is not only about artistic expression but also about survival and moral compromise. Gina is willing to trade sexual favors for money, and she pressures Molly into a situation Molly does not fully understand. Molly's numbness afterward contrasts with the triumph of the Arlecchino performance, suggesting that artistic success does not protect her from the darker realities of the industry. The episode also foreshadows the exploitation Molly later recognizes in Elliott's arrangement with the Irish girls.

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