Hel’s Kitchen, set in The Bronx of 1961, is a watershed weekend in the life of a young woman. Helen, the eighteen-year-old, sewer-mouthed fat girl, along with her friends Vinny (the stud), Stanley (the brain) and Fern, a student of beauty culture, are not quite prepared to leave their teenage years behind them. They discover that their relationships to one another must be re-defined in order for them to survive as a group and emerge as individuals. Helen has always used her clique to insulate herself from life but now that everyone seems to be going their separate ways, she recognizes that she has been standing still while the rest of the world has been passing her by.
Cast:
Helen Hoffer: A heavy-set Bronx girl. Tough, yet innocent with mouth like a sewer. Age 18.
Stanley: A night school college student. Hel's best friend. A misfit who gets by with his wit. Age 19.
Vinny: Attractive greaser. Hel's good friend. He’s a “doer”, not a “talker.” Dating Fern. Works part-time in a candy store. Age 20.
Fern: Senior at Yvonne Dodge Vocational School of Beauty Culture. Wants to be a hairdresser. Vinny's new girlfriend. Age 18.
Sadie Hoffer: Hel's mom. The best mom in the neighborhood. Age: 50's.
Larry Hoffer: Hel's oldest brother. Boorish. Drives a cab and lives at home. Engaged to Bonnie. Age 30.
Michael Hoffer: Hel's brother. A zookeeper. Sensitive with a sense of humor. He is a self-sufficient individualist who rejects the family norms. He lives in Manhattan.
Late 20's.
Bonnie: Larry's fiancée. A well-traveled Bronx Princess. She's been to Manhattan several times. Late 20's.
