The Best Plays of 2014 (Applause Books) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1480396656 ISBN 13: 9781480396654

Publisher: Applause, 2015

Synopsis

Comical, offbeat, poignant, and fresh, The Best Plays of 2014 presents six of the most original plays of the year in a single volume – selected by renowned editor Lawrence Harbison.
· The Country House, a comedy about a deeply dramatic family, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies.
· Dinner with the Boys, an offbeat, dark comedy by Dan Lauria about some old-time wise guys who want to have a good Italian meal and a few laughs – and tie up some loose ends before dessert.
· Mala Hierba by Tanya Saracho, inspired by Latin American culture, which pits human yearnings against the power of culturally predetermined obligations.
· Based on real events, Our Lady of Kibeho by Katori Hall was hailed as the “most important new play of the year!” by Terry Teachout of The Wall Street Journal.
· When January Feels Like Summer by Cori Thomas presents five lives colliding as a feeling of change hums in the air during one strangely warm winter in Central Harlem.
· Year of the Rooster (New York Times Critics' Pick) by Eric Dufault a fiercely comic play about cockfighting, connections, and clawing your way to the top.

About this title

About the Author:

For over thirty years, Lawrence Haribison (Brooklyn, NY) was in charge of new play acquisition for Samuel French, Inc., during which time his work on behalf of playwrights resulted in the publication of hundreds of plays, by playwrights such as Jane Martin, Don Nigro, Tina Howe, Theresa Rebeck, Jerry Sterner, William Mastrosimone, Charles Fuller, and Ken Ludwig among many others; and the acquisition of musicals such as Smoke on the Mountain, A ... My Name Is Alice, Little Shop of Horrors, and Three Guys Naked from the Waist Down. He is the author of Best Contemporary Monologues for Men 18-35 and Best Contemporary Monologues for Women 18-35, and 25 10-Minute Plays for Teens. His column “On the Aisle with Larry” is a regular feature at www.smithandkraus.com. He is a member of the Outer Critics Circle as well as the Drama Desk and was a member of the Drama Desk Nominating Committee for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons.

Review:

''Harbison, once in charge of new play acquisition for Samuel French, claims these are the best plays of 2014. So what do we have here? Donald Margulies's The Country House is absolute catnip for any actor because all of the characters are actors and the writing is brisk and witty. The challenge will be designing and dressing the well-furnished New England country house in which the action takes place. Three middle-aged or older actors are needed for Dan Lauria's mob comedy Dinner with the Boys, a real treat. Mala Hierba by Tanya Saracho calls for four Latin American actors in their 20s and 30s. It is as intricate in its maneuverings as a chess game and the setting will demand a major thrift store budget. Katori Hall's Our Lady of Kibeho is reminiscent of George Bernard Shaw's St. Joan or Arthur Miller's The Crucible. It's set in Rwanda and requires outstanding young actors. Eric Dufault's Year of the Rooster is a comic romp on the surface, but it will leave audiences breathless with its bite. One of the five characters is a rooster, giving some lucky actor a chance for unbridled, over-the-top acting. Cori Thomas's When January Feels Like Summer is the least of the bunch. ­VERDICT A solid collection practitioners will find useful for study as well as for production. One hopes that the perfect binding will hold up to repeated use.'' --Larry Schwartz, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Moorhead

About this edition

• Publisher: Applause
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1480396656
• ISBN 13: 9781480396654
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 408
• Editor: Harbison Lawrence