Description
Book SynopsisTheatre in America has had a rich historyfrom the first performance of the Lewis Hallam Troupe in September 1752 to the lively shows of modern Broadway. Over the past few centuries, significant works by American playwrights have been produced, including Abie's Irish Rose, Long Day's Journey into Night, A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman, A Raisin in the Sun, Fences, and Angels in America.In 100 Greatest American Plays, Thomas S. Hischak provides an engaging discussion of the best stage productions to come out of the United States. Each play is discussed in the context of its original presentation as well as its legacy. Arranged alphabetically, the entries for these plays include:plot detailsproduction historybiography of the playwrightliterary aspects of the dramacritical reaction to the playmajor awardsthe play's influencecast lists of notable stage and film versionsThe plays have been selected not for their popularity but for their importance to American theatre and includ
Trade ReviewThe best way to experience a play is to see it. If that isn’t possible, reading is always an option. To prepare for either activity, a look at this helpful compilation is highly recommended. In it, Hischak provides concise summaries, brief analyses, cast lists, production histories, and more on 100 American theater works selected in answer to this question: 'Which are the most important nonmusical stage works to come from America since the first colonial-era plays?' The richness of history is displayed in chronologically arranged entries that include seldom-performed antiquities like East Lynne and Ten Nights in a Barroom as well as more recent works like Proof and August: Osage County, and many more in between. All of the major U.S. playwrights are represented, and the production histories also include information about film and television versions. There are a bibliography and one appendix listing the playwrights included along with their represented plays, as well as one listing the winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for American Plays, and the Tony Awards for Best Play. A welcome addition to the literature or performing arts sections of most library collections. * Booklist *
