Morgan's latest play, which opens this weekend at Helios, tells the story of Jenna (Tanya Fazal), who's been on the streets since she was 14. She's thrilled to be taken in by two seemingly caring strangers, lovers Lisle and Mia (played by Morgan and his wife, Anne Zimmerman). But Mia turns out to be a domineering, ruthless killer, who becomes all the more incensed when the transvestite Lisle is beaten by a john. Suddenly, Jenna's world becomes nightmarish, and she realizes that the couple's charity comes with a tremendous price.
"I try to keep [my plays] as funny as possible," says Morgan. Wait -- what? This all sounds about as funny as organized crime and spousal abuse. Ah, but Morgan has written comedies about those topics, too. (The latter is called Where's My Dinner, Bitch?) Wittingly or not, Morgan seems to be creating a genre. This is comedy at its darkest: His plays are self-indulgent orgies of everything heretical, misogynist and offensive. Call it avant-garde; call it sensationalist; whatever it is, don't bring your kids. Or your grandmother. Or a first date.
For Morgan, who says he "basically started writing to save money and not pay royalties," this stuff is just what interests him. He's really into crime shows and Court TV, and he combs the Internet for tales of the deranged and maniacal. "I think, 'What in the hell would make somebody do this?' " he says. He answers by making up a history to explain the crime. The character of Mia is based on a serial killer named Cameron Hooker, who abducted a woman and held her as his slave for years. The title, incidentally, is lifted from a Tori Amos song. "I read that lyric and said, 'Oh, my God, that's perfect,' " says Morgan.
But Morgan says the show's plot really sprang from the notion that every decision we make has a consequence. "Something that you thought was insignificant is still affecting you today," he says. "Everyone is a victim of their choices." So a word to the wise: Don't move in with a cold-blooded killer and her transvestite roommate.
Speaking of the transvestite roommate, it was a role Morgan had to take. "There is no way in hell I am going to find any other man to play this part," he says. "I had to shave every hair on my body. But I'm not gonna bitch and moan about it. I got no one to blame but myself." It's becoming something of a dos chicas trademark to have Morgan appear nude; a few times it's been a joke at the expense of those who were under the impression the nudity would come in a more, well, female package. Yes, audiences may get the nervous giggles at dos chicas shows, but Morgan and company always have the last laugh.
