Magic: A Fantastic Comedy In a Prelude and Three Acts


G.K. Chesterton - 1913
    This play was originally presented under the management of Kenelm Foss at The Little Theatre, London, on November 7, 1913.

Saint Joan


George Bernard Shaw - 1923
    With SAINT JOAN (1923) Shaw reached the height of his fame and Joan is one of his finest creations; forceful, vital, and rebelling against the values that surround her. The play distils Shaw's views on the subjects of politics, religion and creative evolution.

Avenue Q - The Musical: The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Broadway Musical


Jeff Marx - 2010
    Hairspray (978-1-5578-3514-7); Rent (978-1-5578-3737-0); Fiddler on the Roof (978-0-8791-0136-7)

The Moving Body


Jacques Lecoq - 1997
    Here, for the first time in English, and in Lecoq's own words, are his philosophy and his teaching methods - probably the greatest influence on world theatre over the last thirty years. In chapters entitled Personal Journey, The World and its Movements, The Road to Creativity, & New Perspectives, Lecoq sets out his unique architecture of the body in space and explains his most famous techniques such as neutral mask, acrobatics, bouffons and the grotesque and play, and discusses the actor's approach to situation, character, environment, emotion, physical and vocal preparation and of course movement."In life I want students to be alive, and on the stage I want them to be artists." Jacques Lecoq

The Juggler


Rachilde - 1900
    Its author, Marguerite Vallette-Eymery (1860-1953), who used the pseudonym Rachilde, was a prolific novelist (over sixty works of fiction), playwright, literary critic and reviewer, and a forceful presence in French literary society of her time. The protagonist of the novel, Eliante Donalger, is in some sense an exaggerated double for her creator--bizarre in appearance, clothing, and interests. Instinctively grasping a medical and psychological truth that the turn-of-the-century scientific world was only beginning to understand, Eliante maintains that there is nothing "natural" about human sexual expression. She claims to be in love with an inanimate (though anthropomorphic and sexually ambiguous) object, a Greek amphora, and the novel traces the rivalry between this faithful partner and an ardent human suitor, a young medical student. It is only through juggling, both literally and metaphorically, that Eliante is able to use her seductive power to maintain desire. The surprise ending challenges the limits of such power in a controversial and surprising twist. Although Rachilde's work has been neglected in the past, the women's movement and feminist criticism have stimulated renewed interest in her fiction. The Juggler is a major rediscovery.

Caligula and Three Other Plays


Albert Camus - 1962
    This English edition includes the plays Caligula, The Misunderstanding (Le Malentendu), State of Siege (L'État de siège), and The Just Assassins (Les Justes).

The Barber of Seville / The Marriage of Figaro


Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais - 1964
    A highly engaging comedy of intrigue, The Barber of Seville portrays the resourceful Figaro foiling a jealous old man's attempts to keep his beautiful ward from her lover. The Marriage of Figaro — condemned by Louis XVI for its daring satire of nobility and privilege — depicts a master and servant set in opposition by their desire for the same woman. With characteristic lightness of touch, Beaumarchais created an audacious farce of disguise and mistaken identity that balances wit, frivolity and seriousness in equal measure.John Wood's lively translation is accompanied by an introduction discussing the author's turbulent life and multifarious careers, and examines each play in detail. This edition also includes Beaumarchais's notes on the characters and costumes.'He has everything — pleasantry, seriousness, reason, vigour, pathos, eloquence of every kind' VOLTAIRE

Anatomy of Gray


Jim Leonard - 2006
    At first, the new doctor cures anything

La guerre de Troie n'aura pas lieu


Jean Giraudoux - 1935
    Written in 1935, an exploration of the looming threat of World War II, set against the backdrop of the familiar story of the Trojan War

Before the Party


W. Somerset Maugham - 1922
    Somerset Maugham’s “Before the Party” is a novelette first published in the December 1922 edition of “Nash’s Magazine.” After the death of her husband, an alcoholic colonial administrator in Borneo, Millicent returns to England to live with her parents and sister. Did Millicent’s husband die of a fever, as Millicent claims, or was his throat cut? And if the latter, was it suicide or homicide?Sample passage:Mrs. Skinner had thought it very peculiar that her daughter should have no photographs of Harold in her room. Indeed she had spoken of it once, but Millicent had made no reply. Millicent had been strangely silent since she came back from Borneo, and had not encouraged the sympathy Mrs. Skinner would have been so willing to show her. She seemed unwilling to speak of her great loss. Sorrow took people in different ways. Her husband had said the best thing was to leave her alone. The thought of him turned her ideas to the party they were going to.About the author:W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was a British novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. Notable novels are “Of Human Bondage,” “The Moon and Sixpence,” and “The Razor’s Edge.”

Platonov


Anton Chekhov - 1930
    Once again, we are introduced to a great Russian playwright who is funnier, more exuberant and more wildly romantic than anyone expects.Platonov, in this adaptation, was premiered at the Almeida Theatre, London, in September 2001.

The Cid / Cinna / The Theatrical Illusion


Pierre Corneille - 1641
    The Cid, Corneille's masterpiece set in medieval Spain, was the first great work of French classical drama; Cinna, written three years later in 1641, is a tense political drama, while The Theatrical Illusion, an earlier work, is reminiscent of Shakespeare's exuberant comedies.

Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight: A Comedy in Three Beds


Peter Ackerman - 2000
    Ever been racially slurred in the sack? Ever been subjected to strangers yelling at you at 3am about the most intimate details of your life? Ever been to New York? Six characters from wildly different backgrounds make love, war and hysteria late one night in the cultural, sexual and generational smorgasbord that is Manhattan.

As Bees in Honey Drown


Douglas Carter Beane - 1998
    Book annotation not available for this title.

La Sagouine


Antonine Maillet - 1971
    The story of La Sagouine, a scrubwoman, a woman of the sea, who was born with the century, with her feet in the water. Water was her fortune: the daughter of a cod fisherman, a sailor’s girl, and later the wife of a fisherman who took oysters and smelts. A cleaning woman also, who ends up on all fours, with her bucket in front and her hands in the water." -Antonine MailletWith well over 10,000 copies sold in French and English editions, La Sagouine is fast becoming a classic of its genre. The single character is that of La Sagouine, the washerwoman, who fills the stage with the voice of poverty, and of pride. Straight from the heart of Acadian New Brunswick, she is the embodiment of her world, and yet touches the hearts and souls of readers and audiences from all walks of life.