Dramatists Play Service is pleased to announce the publication of:
CAROL MULRONEY by Stephen Belber3 men, 2 women“Clever, ingenious, thoughtful.” —Boston Globe. “The play floats magically…” —Boston Phoenix. “A remarkable achievement…warm, funny and hopeful…Belber has a keen eye and ear for the comedy of human existence.” —Patriot Ledger and Providence Journal.
COMPLEAT FEMALE STAGE BEAUTY by Jeffrey Hatcher9 men, 5 women (doubling)“A clever exploration of rich territory, the world of the English theater at the seventeenth-century moment when women were first allowed on the stage.” —New York Times. “Lush…world class…clever…” —Variety. “An intimate psycho-sexual backstage historical comedy. Splendidly theatrical, it’s a witty allusive game with some feeling payoff, to boot.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
THE DEAD GUY by Eric Coble3 men, 3 women (doubling)“Inspired and ruthless, Eric Coble has preempted the network vultures with THE DEAD GUY.” —Variety. “Daringly staged and thrilling to watch.” —Denver Post. “Whether you are entertained or disgusted, Coble’s skillfully woven comedy is a humorous and thoughtful critique on society’s obsession with other people’s realities.” —L.A. Splash. “Playwright Eric Coble has built THE DEAD GUY around one of the brightest notions of recent seasons.” —Houston Chroni-cle. “A brilliant twist by playwright Eric Coble on today’s fascination with pseudo stars.” —What’s Doing in Denver. “A slapstick satire on ultimate reality TV shows that will tickle your funny bone no end.” —Colorado Backstage. “The laughs roll and Coble alights on intriguing thoughts in his script. The result looks a lot like reality TV, and thereby implicates our own real-life viewing behavior.” —Rocky Moun-tain News. “Amoral, mercenary and totally devoid of good taste, it’s not such a far-fetched idea. A must-see.” —Houston Press.
DEDICATION OR THE STUFF OF DREAMS by Terrence McNally4 men, 3 women“A wistful and potent new play by Terrence McNally…Mr. McNally gives new proof of the vitality of his chosen art form by showing that there is room on the stage for theater past, theater present, and theater future; and that if you are as good as he is, they can all be brought together behind one curtain.” —NY Sun. “McNally’s bittersweet valentine to an art form that has the power to change lives on both sides of the footlights…We should all be grateful to Terrence McNally for reminding us just how important theatre (and plays about the theatre) can be.” —TheaterMania.com. “Fearlessly funny, strikingly serious…DEDICATION has some of the funniest lines Terrence McNally has written in years.” —BackStage. “A scintillating and inspiring new play by Terrence McNally.” —Talkin’ Broadway. “A heartfelt, original valentine to relationships, death, and theater…McNally’s most original play in years.” —Gay City News.
THE LEARNED LADIES OF PARK AVENUE by David Grimm, translated and freely adapted from Molière’s LES FEMMES SAVANTES5 men, 5 women (doubling)“A brave, brainy and barmy revision of Molière…An elegantly composed variation on a society comedy from art deco Hollywood. Grimm reflects on our own neoconservative plots to undo the New Deal.” —Hartford Courant. “Dramatic verse is not just alive and well on the cutting edge of theatre but thriving in David Grimm’s spanking new THE LEARNED LADIES OF PARK AVENUE…A rare but welcome bird in contemporary theatre.” —New Haven Register. “Roll over Cole Porter.” —Boston Globe.
LOVELY DAY by Leslie Ayvazian2 men, 1 woman“It’s about time a playwright explored how the war in Iraq affects family members who have opposing political viewpoints…Ayvazian has the guts to write about the divisive war in Iraq, even though she doesn’t go into any specifics about it. Besides showing how a global conflict affects a family seemingly far removed from it, she also points out how differently men and women feel about war and parenthood.” —Broadway.com. “There are moments when Ayvazian’s spousal dialogues breathe close to the edge of the great plays that have been written about human beings driven by war and political dissension.” —Village Voice. “LOVELY DAY ends on a tantalizing but satisfying note of ambiguity, the ideal conclusion for this thoughtful, emotional play.” —BackStage. “Not nearly as realistic a play as it seems, LOVELY DAY is gently stylized with succinct talk and a casual structure to sneak up on unsuspecting viewers…Tersely composed by Leslie Ayvazian, a surprising amount of ethical and emotional ground is covered in these scenes in a mere 75 minutes.” — Star Ledger. “Leslie Ayvazian’s latest work is a rare thing these days: a family drama about a functional family…Ayvazian remains impartial, so the evening doesn’t tip into a harrangue.” —Time Out. “These are real people dealing with big but troubling issues that have personal consequences. Ayvazian balances her characters with care, attempting to offer equal weight to conflicting perspectives…[She] understands that silence and stillness can be more eloquent than words and movement.” —Pittsburgh Tribune.
A PICASSO by Jeffrey Hatcher1 man, 1 woman“Artful, remarkable and genuinely dramatic, with impressive sensitivity and wit.” —NY Daily News. “Sex, art, Nazis, and a classy twentieth-century icon, all wrapped up like a tasty cultural burrito. Expertly done.” —Star-Ledger. “A polished production with carefully sprung surprises.” —NY Times.
THE RADIANT ABYSS by Angus MacLachlan1 man, 2 women“…paints an unnervingly acute portrait of a privileged nation…what Maclachlan puts his finger neatly upon with this funny-until-it-gets-scary play is the trouble that can arise when competing value systems clash in a culture that insists on the equality of everyone’s beliefs.” —Washington City Paper. “…ABYSS’ fast-paced, dark humor has many laughs and some pointed insights…MacLachlan has a keen sense of how people’s morals and motivations can be skewed, of how peer pressure can erode one’s values and also of how average people can be manipulated to dehumanize their neighbors…” —CurtainUp.
THE RUBY SUNRISE by Rinne Groff3 men, 4 women (doubling)“With her stylish new play THE RUBY SUNRISE, Rinne Groff demonstrates both vaulting thematic ambition and sinuous theatrical flair.” —Broadway.com. “Entertaining…thought-provoking…commentary on the transformative powers of storytelling.” —New York Sun. “…reflective, ambitious play…emotional resonance.” —Variety. “Measured and intelligent, optimistic yet clear-eyed—in other words, just right for our hysterical moment.” —New York Magazine. “Smart and absorbing.” —Star-Ledger. “Channelling the power of television, THE RUBY SUNRISE is a gem.” —Boston Globe.
THE SUGAR SYNDROME by Lucy Prebble2 men, 2 women“If there’s a funnier, sadder, wiser play looking at paedophilia and prejudice this year, even this decade, I’d be amazed.” —Daily Telegraph (London). “This year has been a good year for new plays, but THE SUGAR SYNDROME is the first that strikes me as a must-see.” —Financial Times (London).To read about these titles and purchase acting editions, click on the links above.
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