Riveted is a musical drama depicting the impact of the cultural, political and social conflicts that bore down on one white, American family through the post-WWII, Viet Nam and contemporary eras. Riveted is set in present-time Pittsburgh, in a 1950’s suburban tract home, along with flashback scenes spanning from the 1940’s through the 1970’s.
Three generations of women reunite in the living room for the weekend. Widowed, elderly Rosie, a WWII riveter, no longer able to be living alone, must leave the home she moved into with her husband, Frank, after he returned from WWII fighting in Europe. Rosie’s 60-something daughter, Betty, who lives in Philadelphia, and her 30-something granddaughter, Emma, living in Brooklyn, have come home for the weekend to sort through Rosie’s stuff.
Betty, liberated from the oppressive restrictions of her mother’s generation by the anti-war and feminist revolutions of the 70’s, has long been estranged from the mother she once adored. Betty’s daughter, Emma, raised to be empowered from the start, bears the burden of bridging the hostile divide between her mother and grandmother. Betty’s brother, Will, named after Rosie’s brother and Frank’s best friend, Billy, who died at Frank’s side in the trenches, is a PTSD survivor of the Viet Nam war, and is still enshrined as prince-of-the-family in his mother’s heart. He lives nearby, but never shows up to help.
Boxes full of Rosie’s artifacts emerge from their attic hiding place. As Betty and Emma begin to unearth this treasure trove of keepsakes, Rosie’s secrets slowly emerge into the tolerant light of her daughter and granddaughter’s understanding. In flashback, we meet Rosie’s vibrant character, brilliant and alive with purpose alongside her friends in the WWII munitions factory. We watch her shrink and adapt to the feminine demands of the post-war 50’s, and the stifling life with her loving, but war hardened husband. We see Rosie’s devotion to raising the perfect son and daughter backfire into loss, animosity and estrangement. We follow Betty’s evolution into personal and political awakening, sacrificing family ties as she commits herself to her egalitarian ideals. We come to see that, while Emma’s generational good fortune enables her to thrive, maintaining her mother and grandmother’s support, their support cannot protect her from the relentless demands of life on the modern working wife and mother.
Scene by scene, the weekend progresses. Artifacts reveal gaps in the family story. Rosie softens as her protective veils of secrecy unwind. Her powerful and heartbreaking revelations deepen mutual understanding and compassion for each other’s suffering. Betty reveals her own secrets. Together, these narratives cast a healing balm, bringing deeply longed for resolution to the family’s fractured relationships.

Exciting News! Hendersonville Theatre in Hendersonville, NC is producing Riveted in May 2027. Here’s a link to their website with more information: www.hendersonvilletheatre.org