Christopher Durang: Twenty-Seven Short Plays / Edition 1

by Christopher Durang

Overview

Award-winning playwright Christopher Durang has had plays on and off Broadway. The plays included in this volume are: "Mrs. Sorken," "For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls," "A Stye of the Eye," "Nina in the Morning," "Wanda's Visit," "Business Lunch at the Russian Tea Room," "The Book of Leviticus Show," "Naomi in the Living Room," "Woman Stand-up," "DMV Tyrant," "Funeral Parlor," "Canker Sores and Other Distractions," "The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From," "1 -900-Desperate," and "Women in a Playground."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781880399897
Publisher:	Smith & Kraus, Inc.
Publication date:	11/28/1995
Series:	Contemporary Playwrights Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	419
Sales rank:	667,824
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Christopher Durang had three plays in EST Marathons including For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You and Naomi in the Living Room. Other plays include Beyond Therapy, A History of American Film, and The Marriage of Bette and Boo. He performed with Julie Andrews in Sondheim's Putting It Together at Manhattan Theatre Club. He has acted in films including Housesitter, Butcher's Wife, and Mr. North. He is on the council of the Dramatists Guild.

Table of Contents

One Minute Play
John and Mary Doe
Diversions
The Nature and Purpose of the Universe
Identity Crisis
Death Comes to Us All, Mary Agnes
Titanic
The Actor's Nightmares
Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You

Editorial Reviews

Durang is probably best known for Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, which ignited storms of protest and played to sold-out houses wherever it was produced in the early 1980s Durang uses his absurd humor to challenge the rigidity of some religious beliefs, as well as homophobia, methods of psychoanalysis, marriage, and parenthood. He also has great fun satirizing other playwrights in such pieces as Desire, Desire, Desire and For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls. His plays may offend some, but they are always thought-provoking and entertaining. Many of the plays in this collection have never been published before, making this a useful addition to modern drama collections. Recommended for most public and academic libraries.Howard E. Miller, Alliance Blue Cross Blue Shield Lib., St. Louis

Library Journal