8284 shows
Clear filtersBrothers Coleman and Valene bicker after their father's death, which Coleman caused and Valene covered up. Their priest Father Welsh's attempt to reconcile them ends in suicide; the brothers then reveal past cruelties and attempt to make peace.
Across ninety years, the Bayard family gathers for Christmas dinner as generations are born, customs change, and the family accumulates property. The action compresses ninety dinners and a broad sweep of American life into a single one-act play.
During a Christmas drive to their grandparents’ home, two parents and their three young children experience conflict and turmoil that reverberate through the family’s later life. The play uses bunraku-style puppetry alongside actors.
As a man moves out of his childhood apartment, memories of his family’s four-person household unfold in flashbacks: his father leaves, his mother dies, and his sister falls from grace.
Archie Lee and Baby Doll Meighan reluctantly house Aunt Rose, an elderly relative passed among the family. An unsatisfactory supper brings their resentment and the family’s treatment of Rose to a head.
In AD 410, as Roman rule in Britain collapses, the play follows Julian’s family near Richborough amid the departure of the legions and the threat of Saxon invasion. The source also describes the family’s attempts to resist the invaders and its eventual conversion to Christianity.
A British patrol in Malaya in 1942 takes refuge in an abandoned jungle hut as its radio fails and a Japanese soldier appears. Tensions rise among the soldiers as they confront the threat and their own conflicting temperaments.
A woodland scene frames a dialogue between Orpheus and Mania, followed by dances from Mania and her companions. Prometheus reveals star-dressed masquers descending on clouds; statues of women come to life, then dance with the masquers and the newly married couple. A final vision and Sibyl's prophecy celebrate Elizabeth's imperial future and the union of British and German peoples.
A two-person play about domestic tension; part of its dialogue develops Alasdair Gray's idea of the Epic, discussed in Lanark's epilogue.
Paul Green’s outdoor historical drama portrays Sir Walter Raleigh’s effort to establish a permanent English settlement on Roanoke Island. It follows the 1587 colonists, including Eleanor Dare and her newborn daughter Virginia, through the hardships that led Governor John White to seek supplies in England and the mystery of the colony’s disappearance.
A Restoration comedy whose characters include country gentleman Sir Rustic Good-Heart, his son Wilmore, and Belira, Wilmore’s secret mistress.
Jack Wright, a handsome, well-travelled young newspaperman with a gambling problem and debts, has been fired by his employer over losses that he caused to the paper with some shoddy reporting. To turn in a sensational story that will get his job back, and also raise some cash, he decides to conduct a lottery through the newspaper with himself as the prize in marriage; he will also supply the paper with weekly tales of his adventurous exploits, and each installment will tantalize readers a hint about his identity. He promises the paper that if he fails to go through with the marriage, the winner will get all the lottery money. As soon as the piece goes to press, he falls in love with a charming girl, Helen, and realizes that the lottery will ruin his new relationship. The lottery is a big hit, raising $300,000. In an attempt to prevent matrimonial disaster, he buys up all the lottery tickets he can. When Helen learns of the stunt, she is upset and breaks up with Jack. On the last day of the lottery, a nervous spinster, Lizzie, wins the lottery and refuses to give up her prize. It turns out, however, that she has stolen the lottery ticket. All ends well, and Jack marries Helen.
Irish immigrant Terence O'Halloran leaves a life of crime to become an amateur detective, facing counterfeiter Mordie Solomons. The play was first written as a burlesque of sensational drama before Brougham revised it into a more plausible, though still improbable, piece.
In a small Queensland sugar port, union leader Sid Brady disrupts ship loading to advance his career, frustrating the long-suffering English employer Harold Barker. Their conflict becomes a verbal farce satirizing unions, employers and the pressures of assimilation.
The Love Chase is an 1837 comedy play by the Irish-born writer James Sheridan Knowles. It premiered at the Haymarket Theatre in London on 10 October 1837 with a cast that included Robert Strickland as Sir William Fondlove, Edward William Elton as Waller, Benjamin Nottingham Webster as Wildrake, Julia Glover as Widow Green and Charlotte Vandenhoff as Lydia. Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett's role as Constance became one of her two signature parts. The Haymarket had just come under the management of Benjamin Webster that year.
A Japanese domestic tragedy originally written for bunraku puppet theatre and adapted into kabuki shortly after its premiere.
Honest oil merchant Tokubei refuses an arranged marriage because he loves courtesan Ohatsu. After his uncle dismisses him and his friend Kuheiji falsely denies a loan, Tokubei is beaten and the lovers flee. Facing disgrace and separation, they journey to Sonezaki Shrine and die together.
An elderly bachelor marries the much younger Belisa at his servant's urging and her mother's encouragement. After the wedding, he discovers her infidelity but responds with an elaborate strategy: he writes her love letters as a mysterious red-caped admirer, then stages a fatal duel that reveals his identity and wins her love at the cost of his life.
The Love of Four Colonels is a play by the British writer Peter Ustinov, first performed in 1951. It is a fantasy set around military officers from the four Allied Occupation Powers (American, British, French and Soviet) of postwar Germany. It premiered at The Alexandra, Birmingham before transferring to London's West End where it ran for 816 performances between 23 June 1951 and 9 May 1953, initially at Wyndham's Theatre before transferring to the Winter Garden Theare.The original West End cast included Ustinov, Moira Lister, Alan Gifford, Colin Gordon, Eugene Deckers, Theodore Bikel, Paul Hardtmuth, Patricia Jessel and Mary Hignett. Due to the length of the run, a number of replacements took the roles of original cast members including Cyril Luckham, Clifford Mollison, Ruth Trouncer. It subsequently ran for 141 performances at the Shubert Theatre on Broadway in 1953 with a cast that included Rex Harrison and Lilli Palmer. That year it was chosen as the Best Foreign Play by the New York Drama Critics' Circle and won a Donaldson Award.
Wertenbaker reworks the Philomela myth as a feminist drama: Tereus rapes Philomela and cuts out her tongue, then conceals her fate from Procne. Philomela communicates the truth through a puppet performance, and the sisters take revenge before the gods transform them into birds.
In a Soviet prison camp in 1945, honest prisoner Nemov objects to Lyuba's relationship with the camp doctor, which she maintains for better food and living conditions. Their conflict unfolds within a broader picture of prisoners navigating camp life and moral compromise.
After being murdered, teenage Susie Salmon watches from an afterlife as her family grieves and changes: her father searches for her killer, her mother tries to begin a different life, and her sister enters experiences Susie cannot share. Susie wants to ease their suffering but struggles to find a way to reach them.
A husband and wife appear to have separate lovers: the man who visits the wife is revealed to be her husband role-playing as a lover, while she plays a mistress for him. He wants to end their pretend adultery, to her dismay, but finally switches back into the lover's role.
Prince Palador sinks into melancholy after his beloved Eroclea disappears; their identities and disguises are eventually revealed, helping cure him and her father, while secret loves and courtly conceits complicate the relationships among their companions.
In France, Cleander’s friend Lisander remains in love with Calista, who is married to Cleander, while Olinda cannot choose between two suitors. A lawyer named La-Writ becomes obsessed with duelling after a lucky victory, and the lovers’ schemes lead to a murder, an apparent ghost, and a final trial that resolves the couples’ fates.
In Thessaly, Princess Eudina must choose between twin brothers Philargus and Philocles while the ambitious Stratocles plots to take the throne. The twins sacrifice their own prospects for one another, thwarting the plot; a concealed birth reveals their true identities, allowing Philocles to inherit and Eudina to marry Philargus. A comic subplot mirrors the courtship conflict.
The Loving Enemies is a 1680 comedy play by the English writer Lewis Maidwell. It was first staged by the Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. The original cast included Thomas Betterton as Lorenzo, William Smith as Marcello, Joseph Williams as Antonio, Anthony Leigh as Paulo, Cave Underhill as Circumstantio, John Richards as Albricio, Mary Lee as Julia, Elizabeth Barry as Camilla, Anne Shadwell as Lucinda and Elinor Leigh as Paulina. It was dedicated to Charles Fox, son of the politician Stephen Fox, who Maidwell had been a tutor to.
With Adam Smith as narrator, the play follows 18th-century American Jim Trumpett, born outside marriage and raised in a brothel, as he discovers The Wealth of Nations and embraces capitalism. A contemporary scene at a G8 summit connects his story to present-day economic thinking after the 2008 financial crisis.
A group of impoverished lodgers in a cellar endure illness, exploitation, and violence. A wandering pilgrim offers some hope, but after he disappears, the residents return to their brutal circumstances and learn that the Actor has died by suicide.
The Loyal Brother; Or, The Persian Prince is a 1682 tragedy by the Irish writer Thomas Southerne. It was first performed by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The prologue was written by John Dryden. It was Southerne's first play and was written in the context of the recent Exclusion Crisis and the Popish Plot from a Tory viewpoint. Two characters are thinly disguised versions of contemporary figures, the heroic Tachmas is James, Duke of York and the villain is the Whig politician the Earl of Shaftesbury. It was staged at a time when the growing Tory Reaction had swung power away from the Whigs trying to exclude the Catholic York from the throne. The original Drury Lane cast included Cardell Goodman as Seliman, Thomas Clark as Tachmas, Michael Mohun as Ismael, Philip Griffin as Arbanes, Richard Saunders as Osman, Katherine Corey as Begona, Sarah Cooke as Semanthe and Anne Marshall as Sunamire. The published play was dedicated to the Duke of Richmond, Master of the Horse and illegitimate son of Charles II.
The Loyal General is a 1679 tragedy by the Irish writer Nahum Tate. It was first performed at the Dorset Garden Theatre by the Duke's Company. The prologue was written by John Dryden. The original cast included Thomas Betterton as Theocrin, Henry Harris as King, Henry Norris as Theron, Thomas Gillow as Diphilus, Thomas Jevon as Escalus, John Bowman as Pisander, Joseph Williams as Abardanes, Elizabeth Currer as Queen, Mary Lee as Arviola and Emily Price as Edraste.
In Muscovy, loyal general Archas is dismissed by the Duke after correcting him, then recalled when the army refuses to fight without him. False charges bring Archas to torture and his son to rebellion, but Archas’s loyalty ultimately prevents the soldiers from joining the invading Tartars and leads the Duke to punish his corrupt counsellor.
A Royal Navy sailor is nearly framed by an enemy agent for stealing secret documents.
The Luckey Chance, or an Alderman's Bargain by Aphra Behn is a 17th-century comedy in five acts. The play was first staged in the Spring of 1686. Its main theme is romance and it includes devices such as impersonation and disguise, Some songs were composed by John Blow. The play continues to be performed. In 1984 it was performed at the Royal Court Theatre as the first production of the Women's Playhouse Trust (now known as The Wapping Project). A version in 1960s dress was staged by Echo Theatre in 2013 at the Bath House Cultural Center in Texas, United States.
The Lying Lover; Or, The Lady's Friendship is a 1703 comedy play by the Irish writer Richard Steele. It was his second play, written while he was an army office doing garrison duty in Harwich during the War of the Spanish Succession. It is described as being both a restoration comedy and a sentimental comedy, and marked the transition between the two. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London. The original cast included Philip Griffin as Old Bookwit, Robert Wilks as Young Bookwit, John Mills as Lovemore, Colley Cibber as Latine, William Pinkethman as Storm, William Bullock as Charcoal, Jane Rogers as Penelope, Jane Lucas as Lettice, Susannah Cox as Betty and Anne Oldfield as Victoria. The published version was dedicated to the Duke of Ormonde, an Irish politician and soldier.
Impoverished Gayless hopes to marry Melissa without revealing his ruined finances. His valet Sharp invents excuses and deceptions to keep the match alive, but unexpected dinner guests threaten to expose their empty household.
Jackie Walker performs a one-woman narrative about her activist parents, her experiences of racism after moving to Britain, and the controversy surrounding her Labour Party suspension. Imagining herself on trial, she plays her mother as the defence, while the audience serves as jury.
As Ben Lyons lies dying of cancer, his wife Rita and their grown children gather at the hospital. After forty years in a loveless marriage, Rita plans her future without him; Lisa is an alcoholic leaving an abusive marriage, while Curtis, who is gay, has been estranged from his homophobic father.
In a subterranean society where the Machine supplies every need and people communicate through screens, Vashti’s son Kuno rebels against its control. His actions bring the system toward catastrophe and reopen the possibility of direct human experience.
In a future society where people live alone in identical underground cells, Vashti’s son Kuno asks her to meet in person, outside the Machine’s video interface. The production uses live acting, puppetry and projections to stage the society’s dependence on the Machine.
In a subterranean future, people communicate instantly across the globe while fearing direct experience. The Machine controls their lives, and the work follows the consequences of living within this enclosed system.
The tragicomedy centers on Memnon, a general suffering from melancholy over an unsatisfactory romantic attachment. The characters stage a masque of beasts and trees, drawing on Orpheus, in an effort to treat his madness.
A fictionalized biographical study of the latter half of George III's reign, focusing on the king's struggle with mental illness and his court's inability to manage his condition.
Alone in his New York room on a hot summer day, aging drag performer Leslie Bright reflects on his attempts at self-invention, past loves, his mother's death, and childhood abuse. Voices from two unreal figures give expression to remembered criticism as Leslie gradually descends into madness.
A five-act historical drama tracing Queen Joanna of Castile's plight in 1506, with its action moving from Tudela de Duero and an inn near Tudela to the Palace of the Constables in Burgos.
A three-character comedy about midlife madness set in motion by an unlikely trip to Burning Man.
The play is set in the café "chez Francis" in the Place de l'Alma in the Chaillot district of Paris. A group of corrupt corporate executives is meeting. They include the Prospector, the President, the Broker and the Baron, and they are planning to dig up Paris to get at the oil which they believe lies beneath its streets. Their nefarious plans come to the attention of Countess Aurelia, the benignly eccentric madwoman of the title. She is an aging idealist who sees the world as happy and beautiful. But, advised by her associate the Ragpicker, who is a bit more worldly than the Countess, she soon comes to realize that the world might well be ruined by these evil men who seek only wealth and power. These people have taken over Paris. "They run everything, they corrupt everything," says the Ragpicker. Already things have gotten so bad that the pigeons do not bother to fly any more. One of the businessmen says in all seriousness, "What would you rather have in your backyard: an almond tree or an oil well?" Aurelia resolves to fight back and rescue humanity from the scheming and corrupt developers. She enlists the help of her fellow outcasts: the Street Singer, the Ragpicker, the Sewer Man, the Flower Girl, the Sergeant, and various other oddballs and dreamers. These include her fellow madwomen: the acidic Constance, the girlish Gabrielle, and the ethereal Josephine. In a tea party every bit as mad as a scene from Alice in Wonderland, they put the "wreckers of the world's joy" on trial, and in the end condemn them to banishment—or perhaps, death. One by one, the greedy businessmen are lured by the smell of oil to a bottomless pit from which they will (presumably) never return. Peace, love, and joy return to the world. Even the earthbound pigeons are flying again.
A young artist and his former-actress wife live in a slum they call their “magic tower”; the play follows their optimism as it gradually fades.
A magistrate's wife has concealed her age and her son is older than he believes. She and her sister visit a hotel to confront old acquaintances; the magistrate and his stepson end up there too, and a police raid sets off a chase that leads him to hear the case involving his own family.
Lady Loadstone’s household is crowded with suitors pursuing her niece Placentia, a financially controlling uncle, and unruly female servants. When Placentia goes into premature labour, a hidden infant switch from fourteen years earlier is revealed: the apparent niece is the governess’s daughter, while the maid is the true heir. The worthy steward Compass and Captain Ironside prove suitable matches for the women.
Jean-Claude Carrière’s stage adaptation of the Sanskrit epic unfolds in three parts: The Game of Dice, The Exile in the Forest, and The War.
Ismenia and Antonio fall in love despite a feud between their families, while their companions’ pursuit and a botched pageant complicate their courtships. At the same time, the miller’s daughter Florimel is abducted by Count Otrante but resists his attempts to make her his mistress; the king eventually discovers she is the long-lost daughter of a nobleman, clearing the way for her marriage and the resolution of the romances.
The Maid of Bath is a 1771 comedy play by the British actor-manager Samuel Foote. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 26 June 1771. It was inspired by the life of the singer Elizabeth Ann Linley of the Bath-based Linley family. The prologue was written by David Garrick.
Camiola loves Bertoldo but refuses to marry him while he remains bound by vows as a knight of a religious order. After he is captured in a military campaign, she pays his ransom and secures a marriage contract, but his attraction to another woman leads Camiola to reject him, enter a nunnery, and give away her fortune.
The Maid of Kent is a 1773 comedy play by the English writer Francis Godolphin Waldron. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 17 May 1773. The original cast included William Parsons as Sir Thomas Richacre, John Hayman Packer as Doctor Goodman, Francis Godolphin Waldron as Metre, John Palmer as George, Joseph Vernon as William, John Moody as O'Connor, Robert Baddeley as La Poudre, Richard Griffith as Robert, Elizabeth Younge as Emily, Jane Pope as Patty and Mary Bradshaw as Dame Quickset.
The Maid of Mariendorpt is an 1838 play by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It was inspired by the 1821 novel The Village of Mariendorpt by Anna Maria Porter. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 8 October 1838. The original cast included Sheridan Knowles as Muldenhau, Robert Strickland as General Kleiner, Walter Lacy as Baron Idenstein, Benjamin Nottingham Webster as Joseph, John Buckstone as Hans, Fanny Cooper as Adolpha, Emma Elphinstone as Meeta, Julia Glover as Esther. The same year it appeared at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.
A five-act tragedy loosely follows Joan of Arc: after falling in love with an English knight she spares him, is accused of sorcery and dismissed, then escapes captivity to save the French army, dying as victory is won.
The Maid's Last Prayer: Or, Any Rather Than Fail is a 1693 comedy play by the Irish writer Thomas Southerne. It was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the United Company. The original cast included George Powell as Granger, John Bowman as Gayman, John Verbruggen as Garnish, Thomas Doggett as Lord Malepert, George Bright as Sir Ruff Rancounter, William Bowen as Sir Symphony, Cave Underhill as Drydrubb, William Pinkethman as Porter, Carey Perin as Christian, Elizabeth Barry as Lady Malepert, Anne Bracegirdle as Lady Trickitt, Susanna Mountfort as Lady Susan Malepert, Jane Rogers as Maria, Mary Betterton as Wishwell, Elinor Leigh as Siam and Mary Kent as Florence. It included music composed by Henry Purcell. The published version was dedicated to Charles Boyle.
When Duke Telemachus orders Eurymine killed for loving his son Ascanio, she escapes into the forest. Apollo transforms her into a boy at her request; she and Ascanio struggle to reunite amid mistaken identity and pastoral comic episodes, until Apollo restores her and her royal parentage is revealed.
In Portugal, Catalina's deceptive courtship of Antonio to conceal his love for her sister Berinthia leads her to plot her sister's abduction and poisoning. When Antonio saves Berinthia, a chain of family commands and duels ends in murder and reciprocal revenge.
When a king forces Amintor to marry Evadne instead of his betrothed Aspatia, Evadne reveals that the king has made her his mistress. She kills him; later Aspatia deliberately receives a fatal wound in a duel with Amintor, Evadne kills herself, and Amintor follows. The tragedy also follows General Melantius's revenge plot and the court's political upheaval.
At the Sicilian court, the queen’s love for her favorite Philocles is obscured by his misunderstanding of her feelings and the court’s expectation that she marry Lysimantes. Their shifting loyalties and restraint keep the outcome uncertain, alongside a comic courtship plot involving Celadon and Florimel.
When wealthy older bachelor Don Diego plans to marry 16-year-old Francisca, he believes she consents. She is in love with his nephew Carlos, who has come to stop the wedding. After discovering their feelings and recognizing the pressure both young people face, Diego lets Francisca choose and she marries Carlos.
Sisters and housemaids Claire and Solange take turns impersonating their absent mistress, Madame, in a ritual of domination and revenge. After their attempt to implicate Monsieur and drug Madame fails, they enact the murder in their role-play, with Claire ultimately drinking the tea herself.
A company hires a pleasure steamer for its staff party, where the boss announces impending redundancies. Employees compete to prove why they should keep their jobs, submitting to intimate confessions and increasingly cruel games. Rat commentators and motivation exercises expose a workplace in which dignity and survival are at stake.
The Major is an 1881 comedic play produced by Edward Harrigan and Tony Hart. It debuted to a full house at the new Theatre Comique on Broadway in New York City on August 29, 1881. Songs contributed by David Braham include "Major Gilfeather", "Miranda, When We Are Made One", "Veteran's Guards' Cadets", "Clara Jenkins' Tea" and "4-11-44". It ran for over 150 performances, closing on January 7, 1882, the longest of any Harrigan and Hart production at that time. The play was revived in March 1885 at the Fourteenth Street Theatre.
After an engineering project causes the death of a local river god, British engineer Frederick Compton and his wife invent a replacement deity, Moo, for the community. Its worship grows into an organized apocalyptic blood cult, eventually led by the Comptons’ son as prophet.
The deposed Duke Altofronto returns to the corrupt court of Genoa disguised as the caustic Malcontent Malevole, exposing his enemies’ schemes and maneuvering to regain his dukedom and reunite with his imprisoned wife.
Postwar soldier Beckmann returns from Russia to find his home and family lost. After failed attempts to reconnect with his former life and a suicide attempt, he confronts those responsible for the deaths of his men, but receives no answer to his questions about guilt, suffering, and responsibility.
A theatrical research piece created through research, improvisation, and ensemble exploration, inspired by Oliver Sacks's book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.
The play is set in the small town of Mesalia, Ohio in the weeks leading to Christmas in the late 1930s. The famously outlandish New York City radio wit Sheridan Whiteside ('Sherry' to his friends) is invited to dine at the house of the well-to-do factory owner Ernest W. Stanley and his family. But before Whiteside can enter the house, he slips on a patch of ice outside the Stanleys' front door and injures his hip. Confined to the Stanleys' home, Whiteside is looked after by several professionals: Dr. Bradley, the absent-minded town physician, Miss Preen, his frantic nurse, and Maggie Cutler, his faithful secretary. Confined to the house for a month, Whiteside drives his hosts mad by viciously insulting them, monopolizing their house and staff, running up large phone bills, and receiving many bizarre guests, including paroled convicts, and the eccentric Professor Metz, who brings him a glass-encased cockroach colony. Although he earns the intense dislike of Mr. Stanley, Whiteside manages to befriend his adult children, June and Richard, as well as his wildly eccentric older sister, Harriet Stanley. He also befriends local newspaperman and aspiring playwright Bert Jefferson but soon learns that Maggie has fallen in love with Bert, and plans to leave her job to marry him. Unable to bear the thought of losing his secretary, Whiteside invites his friend, the glamorous and loose-living actress Lorraine Sheldon, to Mesalia to look at Bert's new play, hoping she can break up the marriage plans. Dr. Bradley tells Whiteside he was mistaken in his diagnosis, and Whiteside is well enough to leave. Whiteside buys the doctor's silence by pretending to want to work on a book with him, and for the rest of the play keeps brushing him off. Whiteside encourages June Stanley to elope with a young union organizer whom her father disapproves of, and Richard to run away and pursue his dream of becoming a photographer. Lorraine arrives, and Maggie instantly suspects Whiteside's efforts to interfere with her and Bert. Whiteside and Maggie then receive a visit from their friend, noted British actor and playwright Beverly Carlton. Maggie learns Beverly can do a great impression of Lord Bottomley, an English lord whom Lorraine is desperate to marry. She gets Beverly to call Lorraine from the train station and pretend to be Lord Bottomley proposing, to get Lorraine to leave. However, Whiteside soon sees through the ruse and when Lorraine realizes Maggie's involvement, she starts to seduce Bert as revenge. The next day, Christmas, Bert is enthralled with Lorraine, and Maggie, hurt by Whiteside's betrayal, tells him she is quitting. Feeling guilty, Sherry tries to think of a way to get Lorraine out of Mesalia. He gets help from an unexpected visit by his friend, movie comedian Banjo. Mr. Stanley, however, furious at Whiteside's interference with his family, has now ordered Sherry's eviction from the house and gives him fifteen minutes to leave. All looks hopeless until an Egyptian mummy case is delivered to Whiteside (a Christmas gift from the Khedive of Egypt). Whiteside and Banjo manage to trick Lorraine into the mummy case and shut her inside. Sherry then sees a photo of Harriet Stanley when she was younger, and recognizes her as a famous axe murderer. Using this information, he blackmails Mr. Stanley into helping them get the case onto Banjo's plane. Whiteside now stands, telling Maggie she is free to marry Bert and prepares to return to New York by train. Unfortunately, as he is leaving the house, he slips on another patch of ice, injuring himself again. He is carried back inside the house screaming as the curtain falls.
The Man Who Changed His Name is a mystery play by the British writer Edgar Wallace, which was first staged in 1928. A young woman begins to suspect that her wealthy, respectable husband may be an escaped Canadian murderer. Its initial run lasted for 77 performances at the Apollo Theatre in the West End. The original cast included James Raglan, Hartley Power and Dorothy Dickson.
David Beeves, a young Midwestern auto mechanic, seems to overcome every obstacle through extraordinary luck while those around him fail. Over several years, his successes bring wealth and family, but he becomes uneasy about whether luck or his own hard work accounts for them; he finally recognizes the care and effort behind his prosperity.
The Man Who Had Three Arms is a two-act play for three actors by Edward Albee. The play ran briefly on Broadway in 1983.
Across 17 years, Daryll Fairley moves from a rebellious young woman seeking independence to a successful dressmaking-business owner who supports her family, then to an unfulfilled wife who returns to work. The play examines how control of family money shapes gender and power.
A young scholar from New York arrives in the frontier town of Twotrees, where he builds a life with a local woman while facing the outlaw Liberty Valance.
A historical play about the Rum Rebellion in colonial New South Wales.
At a south-east English boarding house, Christopher Brent appears to be a lazy coward who refuses to enlist, but is secretly a British agent. He works to expose German spies using a wireless transmitter hidden in the hotel fireplace.
A man falls from a roof and turns into a stick. Two hippies pick it up, and workers from Hell debate whether to return it to the dead man’s son, while the stick’s life of dissatisfaction is recounted and a crowd is likened to a forest of sticks.
At intervals throughout the play the mandolins and guitarist are heard playing The Fishermen's Song, usually off stage. During the opening of Act III an unseen orchestra softly plays an aria from Pagliacci, the music coming through the open doors of the conservatory at the rear of the salon. Act I (The terrace of the Hotel Regina Margherita in Sorrento. Morning.) Exposition between Mariano and Ribiere identifies the main characters and their relationships. The Earl, his son, Lady Creech, Ethel, Hoarce, and Hélène form one party. The Grand Duke has met Pike at a hotel in Naples and is bringing him along to Sorrento. Hawcastle and Hélène discuss their latest venture, the capture of Ethel and Hoarce's money through promised matrimony. News of an escaped Russian convict alarms Hélène, but Hawcastle assures her it cannot be Ivanoff. Almeric confirms Ethel has accepted him. Hawcastle tells Hoarce the "settlement" will be £150,000. Hoarce acquiesces in order to appear worldly, though this is Ethel's entire estate. Mariano explains a commotion from the village is the arrival of Herr von Gröllerhagen and his American friend. The Earl's party dismiss the German as common and the American as gauche. Ethel and Hoarce are embarrassed by their countryman, and horrified to learn he is Ethel's guardian. Pike, in turn, is astonished at the settlement and Ethel's choice of fiancé. (Curtain) Act II (The hotel's entrance garden. Afternoon.) Pike, working on the engine of Doc's auto, ignores Hoarce's protests. Pike has refused to discuss a settlement with Hawcastle. Pike sends Doc for some clean rags, which amuses him. Lady Creech is seen peering out a second story window, spying on Pike. Ivanoff appears on the garden wall and begs Pike's help. With the reluctant help of Doc, Pike is able to convince the carabinieri that Ivanoff is a chauffeur. Mariano expedites matters by secretly revealing Doc's real identity to the carabinieri. Ivanoff tells his story to Pike and Doc. Doc allows Ivanoff to stay in his suite of rooms, but is troubled. Lady Creech steals away to tell Hawcastle what she has seen. Pike and Ethel argue about the settlement. A letter from England that Pike hoped would dissuade her fizzles out but does let Ethel know Pike is fond of her. Hawcastle now confronts Pike: approve the settlement or face Italian justice for aiding a fugitive. (Curtain) Act III (A private salon in the hotel. Evening.) Pike discusses the situation with Doc about Ivanoff and Hawcastle's threat. He apologises for getting him into this situation. Doc is unconcerned; he has already had Ribiere take steps about which he doesn't tell Pike yet. Pike calls Ivanoff into the room to give him the situation. Doc leaves on an errand of his own outside. Ivanoff notices his silver cigarette box and vodka bottle and realizes Doc is really Russian. He and Pike look out the window to see Doc speaking with the carabinieri, who salute him. Ivanoff panics, but Mariano enters to announce Lady Creech. Pike dismisses Ivanoff, but Lady Creech isn't fooled. She repeats Hawcastle's threat, but Pike has a sudden epiphany about the Earl, Hélène, and Ivanoff. He summons Ethel to the salon, and commands her to stay no matter what. Ethel agrees, and when her brother, the English party and the Cometesse arrive, she resists their demands to leave. Pike forces Hawcastle to repeat his threat in front of Ethel. He then summons Ivanoff, who recognizes his wife and Glenwood in Hélène and the Earl. Hélène is terrified of her husband and Hawcastle alarmed. He urges Almeric to go for the police, but Doc enters and announces the carabinieri have been dismissed. When Hawcastle challenges him, Ribiere identifies Doc as the Grand Duke Vasili, who has arranged a pardon for Ivanoff. Pike is stymied when Ethel still stands by Almeric; she has given her promise. (Curtain) Act IV (Same as Act I. Morning.) Hélène has already gone. Hawcastle urges Almeric to keep after Ethel, as he prepares to flee in fear of a now free Ivanoff. Lady Creech reveals Ethel has wept upon hearing Ivanoff's tale. Ethel also had Pike give Ivanoff a large sum of money. As porters load his carriage, Hawcastle rushes out. Grand Duke Vasili now takes his leave of Ethel and Pike, praising the latter and signaling to the girl he knows where her heart is drifting. Ivanoff then comes to thank Ethel; he will go to London to teach languages and serve as a reproach to Hawcastle. As Ethel is still determined to honor her promise, Pike grants her request for the settlement. Hoarce is angry, but Ethel seems happy. However, Almeric blights it all by congratulating Ethel for "buying off the convict". She repudiates her promise on his opinion of her venality. Most of all she is angry with Pike for acquiescing now, and not earlier. But as she berates him, she realizes he has acknowledged her right to choose the life she wants. Slowly she enters the hotel, and soon the sound of her playing the piano and singing Sweet Genevieve, Pike's favorite song, drifts through the open door. Pike is staggered, then as a man in a dream, goes towards the music. (Curtain)
At an Australian outback station, Stephen Maitland is unaware that his manager colludes with cattle thieves. His daughter Mona and a mysterious stranger, Dave Goulburn, help him confront the scheme.
The Man in Half Moon Street is a 1939 play by the British writer Barré Lyndon. It premiered at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth before beginning a West End run of 172 performances, first at the New Theatre before transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre. The cast included Leslie Banks, Ann Todd, Malcolm Keen, Leslie Dwyer, Michael Shepley and Frederick Piper.
The Man in the Street is a comedy play by the British writer Geoffrey Kerr. It first appeared at the Manchester Opera House before transferring to the St James's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 44 performances between 9 October and 15 November 1947. Presented by the impresario Basil Dean the West End cast included Bobby Howes, Lloyd Pearson, Edward Jewesbury, Kynaston Reeves, Charles Lloyd Pack, Helen Christie and Beryl Measor. The play revolved an ordinary man of the people being celebrated by a newspaper proprietor. While The New Statesman described it as "slick and frequently amusing comedy" the review in The Spectator was more critical.
The Man in the White Suit is a play by Sean Foley, based on the 1951 Ealing film by Alexander Mackendrick, John Dighton and Roger MacDougall.
At an inn in Italy in 1796, Napoleon learns that dispatches have been stolen by a youth and confronts the young person’s sister, an Englishwoman in disguise. She eventually returns the dispatches but withholds a letter about Josephine; Napoleon pretends they remain missing to prevent scandal, and the woman burns the letter.
In Restoration London, libertine Dorimant schemes to end his affair with Mrs. Loveit and pursue heiress Harriet, while disguises and rival courtships entangle two young couples.
The Man of Newmarket is a 1678 comedy play by the English writer Edward Howard. It was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane by the King's Company. The original cast featured John Wiltshire as Passal, Nicholas Burt as Maldrin, Martin Powell as Nonsuch, Joseph Haines as Whiffler, Thomas Clark as Swiftspur, Cardell Goodman as Trainsted, Philip Griffin as Bowser, Carey Perin as Plodwell, Michael Mohun as Breakbond, John Coysh as Pricknote, Mary Corbett as Clevly and Katherine Corey as Quickthridt.
The Man of Taste is a 1735 comedy play by the British writer James Miller. It was a success and was performed numerous times during the theatre season. It is also known by the longer title The Man Of Taste or, The Guardians. The original Drury Lane cast included Benjamin Griffin as Sir Positive Bubble, John Mills as Freelove, William Milward as Valentine, John Harper as Sir Humphrey Henpeck, William Mills as Harcourt, Theophilus Cibber as Martin, Richard Cross as Lewis, Joe Miller as Renard, Richard Arne as Almanzor, Frances Cross as Lady Henpeck, Kitty Clive as Maria and Hannah Pritchard as Dorothea and Sarah Thurmond as Dorinda.
The Man of Ten Thousand is a 1796 comedy play by the British writer Thomas Holcroft. The original Drury Lane cast featured William Barrymore as Sir Pertinax Pitiful, John Palmer as Lord Laroon, Charles Kemble as Dorington, John Bannister as Hairbrain, James William Dodd as Curfew, Richard Suett as Consol, Robert Palmer as Major Rampart, Ralph Wewitzer as Herbert, James Aickin as Hudson, Walter Maddocks as Thomas, John Phillimore as Clerk, Jane Pope as Lady Taunton, Maria Gibbs as Annabel and Elizabeth Farren as Olivia.
Two Nazi airmen, Rudolph and Stumer, escape internment in Canada and find themselves in New York where they are arrested. A policeman arranges for them to escape so the policeman may recapture and beat them. Stumer escapes but Rudolph is captured by a gang of kids. They are about to force him to jump off a roof when Ruth, fiancée of one boy Involved, takes him away to her apartment via the fire escape. At Ruth's apartment he is fed and well treated by her mother, while the boys search for him. One of the boys is shot by the police before he is about to spot Rudolph. Rudolph gives himself up to the police.
In a bar late at night, a dying man speaks with a businessman who has missed his train. Their dialogue contrasts the dying man's intense awareness of the little time left to him with the other man's ordinary preoccupations.
The Man's Bewitched is a 1709 comedy play by the British writer Susanna Centlivre. It is known by the longer title The Man's Bewitch'd; or, The Devil to do about Her. The original Haymarket cast included John Bowman as Sir Jeffrey Constant, John Mills as Captain Constant, Benjamin Husband as Lovely, Robert Wilks as Faithful, Benjamin Johnson as Sir David Watchman, Richard Estcourt as Trust, Thomas Doggett as Num, Richard Cross as Slouch, William Pinkethman as Clinch, William Bullock as Roger, Colley Cibber as Manage, Anne Oldfield as Belinda, Mary Porter as Maria, Margaret Saunders as Dorothy and Margaret Bicknell as Lucy.
When a theatre manager learns that all his actors have left, he cancels the season, only for the actors to turn up after all. The comedy includes theatrical in-jokes about Colman himself.
Callimaco conspires with a marriage broker and a corrupt friar to trick Nicia into believing a mandrake potion will help his wife Lucrezia conceive, arranging for Callimaco to sleep with her under disguise.
A collection of autobiographical accounts from people living with mental illness, their family members and friends, and mental-health professionals. The stories address diagnoses including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and PTSD.
The Manor of Northstead is a 1954 comedy play by the British writer William Douglas Home. It is a sequel to his 1947 hit The Chiltern Hundreds. The title refers to the Manor of Northstead. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham before transferring to the Duchess Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 307 performances between 28 April 1954 and 22 January 1955. The original London cast included A.E. Matthews, Jean Lodge, Marie Lohr, Charles Heslop, Bryan Coleman, Ronald Adam, Arthur Hewlett and Viola Lyel.
A promenade drama adapted from the York, Chester and Wakefield Mystery Plays, selecting biblical teachings and episodes from Creation through the Passion.
A four-person Off-Broadway stand-up comedy show whose humor centers largely on marijuana.
A puppeteer presents the eternal struggle between Hero and Demon. Hero, weary of fighting, refuses to act until a fortune-teller warns of his death; he then slays the Demon and is mortally wounded, while the townspeople cannot lift his sword.
In 1735 France, the return of Eloise, a singer and former lover of Count Raoul, disrupts the arranged marriage of their children Adrienne and Miguel. The revelations that Miguel and Adrienne share a mother lead to a forced marriage, a duel and the older generation’s reconciliation.
In a dream, Henryk's childhood home becomes an inn and his father claims kingly status, setting a royal marriage to his fiancée in motion. The dream shifts through political transformations until Henryk's demand that his friend Władzio sacrifice himself leads to the marriage's cancellation.
Marriage counselor Judith Jackson advises others while neglecting her own troubled marriage. When an old college flame tempts her to leave her husband, Hurricane Katrina-displaced parents and family tensions complicate the household; Judith’s choices unravel as Roger tries to renew their relationship.
The Marriage Promise is an 1803 comedy play by the British writer John Till Allingham. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 16 April 1803. The original cast included Charles Kemble as Charles Merton, John Dwyer as Sidney, William Dowton as Consols, John Bannister as Tandem, Robert Palmer as Woodland, Alexander Pope as George Howard, William Powell as Jeffries, Walter Maddocks as Bailiff, Jane Powell as Mrs Howard, Harriet Mellon as Mary Woodland, Sarah Sparks as Mrs Harvey and Dorothea Jordan as Emma The Irish premiere took place at the Crow Street Theatre in Dublin on 8 June 1803.
On the day of Figaro and Suzanne's wedding, Count Almaviva pursues Suzanne while the household schemes, lawsuits, disguises, and mistaken identities expose his plans and reconcile the couples.
The Marriage of Kitty is a 1902 comedy play by Cosmo Gordon Lennox. It is an English-language adaptation of the French play La Passerelle by Francis de Croisset and Fred de Gresac which premiered in Paris the same year. It ran for 293 performances on its initial run in London's West End, first at the Duke of York's Theatre before moving to Wyndham's then to the Criterion Theatre. The original cast included Marie Tempest, Leonard Boyne, Gilbert Hare and Ellis Jeffreys. A Broadway production at the Hudson Theatre ran for 51 performances in 1903.
A fanatically driven prosecutor, Florestan Mississippi, seeks a murder confession from the young widow Anastasia and proposes marriage as her punishment. Their entanglement with two other men—one seeking to change the world and another to save it—turns into a bitter comic struggle over ideology, power and human motives.
Politician William Ashe marries the impulsive Lady Kitty Bristol despite her warning about her temperament. Her restless social life and involvement with Geoffrey Cliffe place increasing strain on their marriage and Ashe’s political ambitions.
The Marriage-Go-Round is a 1958 play written by Leslie Stevens. The 1961 film adaptation of the same name, written and produced by Stevens, stars Susan Hayward, James Mason and Julie Newmar, who reprised her role from the play. The play follows a happily married academic couple whose life is upended when a bold young Swedish visitor tries to persuade the husband to father her child. The play was inspired by a suggestion that dancer Isadora Duncan supposedly made to playwright George Bernard Shaw: The two of them should have a child because "with your mind and my body, think what a person it would be!" The play, a sex comedy, was a Broadway theatre success with a run of over 700 performances; it did poorly at the film box office.
The Marriage-Hater Matched is a comedy play by the English writer Thomas D'Urfey. It was first staged by the United Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in January 1692. The original cast included John Bowman as Brainless, William Mountfort as Sir Philip Freewit, Samuel Sandford as Limber, John Hodgson as Darewell, Anthony Leigh as Myn Here Van Grin, George Bright as Bias, Thomas Doggett as Solon, William Bowen as Callow, Colley Cibber as Splutter, Elizabeth Barry as Lady Subtle, Katherine Corey as Lady Bumfiddle, Anne Bracegirdle as Phoebe, Charlotte Butler as La Pupsey and Abigail Lawson as Margery.
The Married Beau or The Curious Impertinent is a 1694 comedy play by the English writer John Crowne. It is inspired by a passage from Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote. Incidental music was composed by Henry Purcell. It was first staged by the United Company in London. The original Drury Lane cast featured George Powell as Loveley, Thomas Betterton as Polidor, Thomas Doggett as Thorneback, William Bowen as Sir John, Elizabeth Barry as Mrs Loveley, Elizabeth Bowman as Cecilia, Anne Bracegirdle as Camilla and Susanna Verbruggen as Lionell. The published version was dedicated to the Tory politician the Marquess of Normanby.
The Married Man is a 1789 comedy play by the English writer Elizabeth Inchbald, inspired by the 1727 French play Le Philosophe Marié by Philippe Néricault Destouches. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 15 July 1789. The original cast included John Palmer as Lord Lovemore, John Bannister as Sir John Classick, James Aickin as Mr Classick, Stephen Kemble as Tradwell Classick, James Brown Williamson as Dorimant, Elizabeth Kemble as Lady Classick and Mary Whitfield as Lucy.
The Married Philosopher is a 1732 comedy play by the writer John Kelly. It was inspired by the 1727 play Le Philosophe Marié by the French writer Philippe Néricault Destouches. The original Lincoln's Inn Fields cast included Lacy Ryan as Sir Harry Sprightly, Charles Hulett as Odway, James Quin as Old Bellefleur, William Milward as Young Bellefleur, Thomas Walker as Horatio, Thomas Chapman as Brush, Anne Hallam as Melissa and Elizabeth Younger as Violetta.
As property magnate Malcolm Boyce faces terminal illness, his youngest son Luke tries to prove he can run the family company. Drawn into its underworld connections, Luke falls for a campaigner seeking to expose his father's wrongdoing.
At a masked ball, Suzanne Blondet feigns drunkenness to influence her dissipated husband and bring about his reform.
After comic scenes at the court buttery, dancing bears and a procession of pilgrims, Apollo descends with mythological figures to present the masque’s serious portion, followed by torchbearers, dancers and Jove. The court spectacle praises the proposed Spanish marriage of Prince Charles.
A court masque sequel to The Masque of Blackness presents the daughters of Niger cleansed of the black pigment they wore in the earlier work. Sixteen court ladies appear on a floating island’s Throne of Beauty, perform dances, and join male courtiers in a spectacle celebrating the refurbished Whitehall banqueting hall.
Niger asks Oceanus for help after his daughters lose confidence in their beauty. They seek a land ending in 'tannia' and are told to travel to Britannia and appear before its sun-like king, James I, whose light is expected to whiten them. The masque allegorizes British union and sovereignty; the promised transformation was not staged.
The Sun stages a contest between Winter and Spring over whether wine or tobacco is superior; men transformed into flowers are restored. The entertainment included Silenus and the tobacco figure Kawasha, followed by flower dancers.
A Chinese magician announces that Indian and Chinese knights have been brought by cloud to Hampton Court. The eight courtiers appear with torches and lanterns, present emblems and gifts to King James, and dance with the king, Anne of Denmark, and her ladies. The magician returns at the end and reveals the masquers' identities.
The Masque of Kings is a 1937 three-act drama written by Maxwell Anderson. It was produced on Broadway by the Theatre Guild and directed by Philip Moeller. Lee Simonson created the scenic and costume design. It ran for 89 performances from February 8, 1937 - April 24, 1937 at the Shubert Theatre.
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