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Ulysses

Play · 1705

Ulysses is a 1705 tragedy by the British writer Nicholas Rowe. Rowe turned back to writing tragedies following his unsuccessful comedy The Biter of the previous year. The cast included Thomas Betterton as Ulysses, Barton Booth as Telemachus, Elizabeth Barry as Penelope and Anne Bracegirdle as Semanthe. Many of the actors also appeared in Rowe's following work The Royal Convert. It is set during the reign of Ulysses. Focusing on a succession dispute at the Greek court, the Whig Rowe shows his support for both the proposed Act of Union between England and Scotland and the coming Hanoverian Succession in preference to the Jacobite claimants. SUMMARY The play begins at the time of Ulysses' return to Ithaca; for the preceding twenty years, he has been away from Ithaca and his Queen, Penelope. In his absence a mob of aspiring consorts to Penelope have gradually taken over the Ithacan Court. These rival suitors, increasingly emboldened by Ulysses' absence, cause riot and tumult in the Court and threaten the sovereignty of Ithaca. Chief among the suitors are Eurymachus, King of Samos and Antinous, an Ithacan nobleman and false friend of Penelope and Ulysses' son, Telemachus. Telemachus, meanwhile, is in love with the daughter of the Samian king, Semanthe, who ardently loves him in return, notwithstanding a foreboding dream she has in which Telemachus is replaced with the dead body of her father. Eurymachus attempts to win the Queen's affections, but when he realizes that she isn't to be swayed by routine appeals to love and tenderness, threatens to have his soldiers kill her son, Telemachus. She relents and promises herself to him later that night, not without a great deal of anguish and self-mortification; she even goes so far as to attempt to stab herself, but Aethon (who appears to her to be an agent of Eurymachus, but who is actually Ulysses in disguise) prevents her from accomplishing the deed. By contrast, in the Homeric epic, Ulysses is disguised as a beggar. Shortly afterwards, Ulysses reveals himself to her, and then to Telemachus, who knows him only as Aethon. Once introduced, Ulysses concocts a plan to descend upon and kill the rival suitors -- "send their guilty Souls to howl below"—and asks that Telemachus meanwhile stand guard in Penelope's chambers and slay anyone who dares pass into it. Act three, in which these introductions and plotting take place, closes with a powerful, albeit short speech by Ulysses in which he proclaims his confidence in his scheme. Eventually, Eurymachus comes to the Queen’s chambers, to consummate his desires, but Telemachus is there, guarding his mother. Eurymachus insists that he be permitted to enter, Telemachus refuses, the two draw swords, and Eurymachus is killed. Shortly after this, Telemachus runs for help and in that time away Semanthe arrives and sees her dying father on the floor; Eurymachus tells Semanthe that Telemachus was the one who has mortally wounded him, and, upon his return to the chambers, the two lovers exchange anguished words and part ways. Antinous arrives with help and manages to kidnap the Queen from her chamber and announces plans to turn the town against Ulysses (or possibly discredit his identity as Ulysses). He appears to be gaining success in turning the Ithacans against Ulysses, as well as Mentor, Telemachus, and the small band of faithful, original followers of Ulysses. Meanwhile, the body of Eurymachus is taken into the street; Semanthe is proclaimed Queen of the Samians and the soldiers vow to follow her command. In the closing scenes of the play, Antinous and the Ithacan army (and mob) confront Ulysses and his diminished band of followers. On the verge of victory, Arcas arrives to announce that Telemachus has been fighting the supporters of Antinous because they were told by Semanthe that it was Antinous who killed the Samian king, Eurymachus. Invigorated by the support of the Samian army, Ulysses and his men fight the shocked and unsteady Ithacans, led by Antinous, and defeat him. The play closes with a speech by Ulysses on the inevitability of pain in the life of a man, illustrated best by his twenty year voyage preceding the start of the play.

Uncle Vanya

Play · 1897

At Professor Serebryakov's country estate, Astrov and Marina discuss how old Astrov has grown and his boredom with life as a country doctor. Vanya enters and complains of the disruption caused by the visit of Serebryakov and his wife, Yelena. Serebryakov, Yelena, Sonya, and Telegin return from a walk. Out of earshot of Serebryakov, Vanya calls him "a learned old dried mackerel" and belittles his achievements. Vanya's mother, Maria Vasilyevna, who idolizes Serebryakov, objects. Vanya also praises Yelena's beauty, arguing that faithfulness to an old man like Serebryakov is an immoral waste of vitality. Astrov is forced to depart to attend to a patient, after making a speech on the preservation of the forests, a subject he is passionate about. Vanya declares his love to an exasperated Yelena. Several days later. Before going to bed, Serebryakov complains of pain and old age. Astrov arrives but the professor refuses to see him. After Serebryakov falls asleep, Yelena and Vanya talk. She speaks of the discord in the house, and Vanya speaks of dashed hopes. He feels that he has misspent his youth and he associates his unrequited love for Yelena with the disappointment of his life. Yelena refuses to listen. Vanya believed in Serebryakov's greatness and was happy to support Serebryakov's work; he has become disillusioned with the professor and his life feels empty. Astrov returns and the two talk. Sonya chides Vanya for his drinking, and points out that only work is truly fulfilling. A storm starts and Astrov talks to Sonya about the house's suffocating atmosphere; he says Serebryakov is difficult, Vanya is a hypochondriac, and Yelena is charming but idle. Sonya begs Astrov to stop drinking, telling him it is unworthy of him. It becomes clear that Sonya is in love with him and that he is unaware of her feelings. Astrov leaves; Yelena enters and makes peace with Sonya, after mutual antagonism. Yelena reassures Sonya that she had strong feelings for Serebryakov when she married him, though that has proved illusory. Yelena confesses her unhappiness, and Sonya eulogises Astrov. In a happy mood, Sonya goes to ask the professor if Yelena may play the piano. Sonya returns with his negative answer. Vanya, Sonya, and Yelena have been called together by Serebryakov. Vanya urges Yelena, once again, to break free. Sonya complains to Yelena that she has loved Astrov for years but he does not notice her. Yelena volunteers to question Astrov and find out if he is in love with Sonya. Sonya is pleased, but wonders whether uncertainty is better than knowledge. When Yelena asks Astrov about his feelings for Sonya, he says he has none, thinking that Yelena has brought up the subject of love to encourage him to confess his own feelings for her. Astrov kisses Yelena, and Vanya sees them. Upset, Yelena begs Vanya to use his influence to allow her and the professor to leave immediately. Yelena tells Sonya that Astrov does not love her. Serebryakov proposes to solve the family's financial problems by selling the estate and investing the proceeds, which will bring in a significantly higher income (and, he hopes, leave enough over to buy a villa for himself and Yelena in Finland). Angrily, Vanya asks where he, Sonya, and his mother would live, protests that the estate rightly belongs to Sonya, and that Serebryakov has never appreciated his self-sacrifice in managing the property. Vanya begins to rage against the professor, blaming him for his own failures, wildly claiming that, without Serebryakov to hold him back, he could have been a second Schopenhauer or Dostoevsky. He cries out to his mother, but Maria insists that Vanya listen to the professor. Serebryakov insults Vanya, who storms out. Yelena begs to be taken away, and Sonya pleads with her father on Vanya's behalf. Serebryakov exits to confront Vanya further. A shot is heard from offstage and Serebryakov returns, chased by Vanya, wielding a pistol. He fires again at the professor, but misses. He throws the gun down in self-disgust. A few hours later, Marina and Telegin discuss the planned departure of Serebryakov and Yelena. Vanya and Astrov enter, Astrov saying that in this district, only he and Vanya were "decent, cultured men" and that years of "narrow-minded life" have made them vulgar. Vanya has stolen a vial of Astrov's morphine, presumably to commit suicide; Sonya and Astrov beg him to return it, which he eventually does. Yelena and Serebryakov bid farewell. When Yelena says goodbye to Astrov, she embraces him, and takes one of his pencils as a souvenir. Serebryakov and Vanya make their peace, agreeing all will be as it was before. Once the outsiders have departed, Sonya and Vanya settle accounts, Maria reads a pamphlet, and Marina knits. Vanya complains of the heaviness of his heart, and Sonya, in response, speaks of living, working, and the rewards of the afterlife: "And our life will grow peaceful, tender, sweet as a caress…. You've had no joy in your life; but wait, Uncle Vanya, wait…. We shall rest."

Under Two Flags

Play · 1901

Under Two Flags is a play in five acts by Paul M. Potter. It is based on the 1867 English novel of the same name by Ouida. It premiered at Broadway's Garden Theatre on February 5, 1901. It closed in June 1901 after 135 performances. The original production was produced by Charles Frohman and David Belasco. Belasco also directed the play which starred Campbell Gollan as the Marquis of Chateauroy, Francis Carlyle as Bertie Cecil, and Blanche Bates as Cigarette. A. Baldwin Sloane's musical burlesque The King's Carnival, which was mounted at the Olympia Theatre while Under Two Flags was still playing at the Garden Theatre, was a parody of courtly dramas of that period. It spoofed several plays, including Potter's Under Two Flags. Potter's play was the basis for the 1915 silent film Under Two Flags by director Travers Vale for which Potter was a credited screenwriter.

Underground

Play · 1983

Described by the script publisher as follows: A tense and claustrophobic thriller emerges when twelve people become trapped in a London Underground train carriage. The fear of being trapped underground with very little air and apparently no rescue service underway becomes very real as we witness the initial panic and fear experienced by the passengers. As the temperature rises and tempers fray, an electrical shortage on the train shrouds a brutal murder and when the lights eventually come up we are faced with a new and more chilling revelation – there is a murderer aboard and nowhere to run.

Up 'n' Under

Play · 1984

It followed the story of an inept pub team from the Wheatsheaf Arms pub in a rugby league sevens competition in Kingston upon Hull in England. Ex-pro Arthur's only passions in life are his wife and rugby league. When he hears about the 'Cobblers Arms' pub team and their corrupt manager, Arthur bets his life savings with Reg Welch that he can train any team to beat them. However, the 'Wheatsheaf Arms' can only muster a side of four whose pride lies in their unbroken record of defeat. The pitifully unfit set of men have to accept the help of a coach, who just happens to be a woman. They have to struggle through adversity, come up triumphant and become a team. They are given a bye to the final of the competition where they have to play The Cobblers.

Up in Mabel's Room

Play · 1919

Garry Ainsworth is married to Geraldine, who is jealous of his previous relationship with a pretty young widow, Mabel Essington. When they were together, Garry gave Mabel a chemise with their names embroidered on it. He wants to recover the garment before Geraldine learns of its existence. Garry's efforts are interpreted by other characters as evidence of a tryst between him and Mabel, leading to a confrontation between Mabel and Geraldine before the misunderstanding is resolved.

Vanities

Play · 1976

Three best friends journey through high school, college and their later lives, as they remember all of their adventures. Joanne is a sweet, naive southern girl. Mary is very confident. Kathy is the planner. Act 1: In high school in 1963, the three girls are the popular cheerleaders and are planning all of the social events. Act 2: Joanne, Mary and Kathy are in college in the late 1960s, living together in the same sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, still planning events. Kathy expresses confusion about what she wants to do after college. Act 3: Joanne marries Ted, her longtime boyfriend, and becomes extremely conservative. Mary opens an erotic art gallery and explores sexual liberation. Kathy ends up cynical and living day to day in New York City, with no job, and reads all of the books she was supposed to read in college. When they meet at Kathy's fabulous apartment in New York in 1974, they end up fighting. Joanne gets drunk and talks about how she never has a break from her kids and her husband Ted never lets her drink. Incensed by Joanne's sanctimonious airs, Mary reveals she has had an affair with Joanne's husband Ted. Joanne refuses to believe her and ultimately tells her, "Go fuck yourself!" and leaves the party in a huff. Kathy and Mary close the play by drinking "to forget" their "bygone days" together.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike

Play · 2012

Middle-aged siblings Vanya and Sonia live in the family home in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Named after Chekhov's characters by their theater-enthusiast professor parents, Vanya and Sonia have not had to grow up. After spending their adulthood looking after their now-dead parents, neither has a job, and money is provided by their movie star sister Masha, who owns the house and pays the bills. Vanya (who is gay) and Sonia (who is forever reminding everyone that she was adopted) spend their days reflecting on their lost chances, debating whether the grove of nine cherry trees on their property constitutes an orchard, and bemoaning their rather Chekhovian lot in life. The only other resident of the house is their cleaning woman Cassandra, who, like her namesake, is prone to making dire prophecies that no one believes. This static environment is disrupted when Masha returns home, bringing with her a flurry of drama, an endless litany of insecurity, and a much younger, gorgeous, dimwitted lover named Spike. Sonia's resentments and Masha's competitive nature begin to spark arguments, and while Vanya tries to keep the peace, he is repeatedly distracted by the preening Spike, who takes every opportunity possible to strip down and show off his muscular body. Masha's fifth marriage has recently ended and her career is starting to stall. Spike's career has never started, and his biggest claim to fame is nearly landing a part in the sequel to Entourage, Entourage 2. Another interloper arrives, the neighbor's pretty niece Nina, an aspiring actress who provokes envy in Masha, lust in Spike, and sympathy in Vanya. Masha has returned home to attend a costume party at an influential neighbor's house and insists that her friends and family dress as characters from Disney's animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, choosing to dress as Snow White. When told she will be going as one of the dwarfs, Sonia rebels and dresses up as the Evil Queen, imagining her as portrayed by Maggie Smith on her way to the Oscars. As they prepare for the party, Masha tells them she intends to sell the house, leaving Vanya and Sonia devastated. Things come to a head the day after the party. As Cassandra uses a voodoo doll on Masha, trying to dissuade thoughts of selling the house, Sonia receives a phone call from a man she met at the party, requesting a date. Hesitantly, she accepts. Vanya, who is secretly writing a play inspired by Konstantin's imagined symbolist drama in The Seagull, is convinced by Nina to let her read it in front of the others. During the reading (which stars Nina as a molecule and takes place after the destruction of the earth), Spike rudely answers a text on his phone, and dismisses Vanya's suggestion of a handwritten response. Vanya reacts by launching into an impassioned rant, criticizing America's cultural regression in communication and media, while fondly and wistfully recalling the surroundings and memories of his childhood. Concluding that the intent of such progress seems to make people like him feel lost and forgotten, he retreats into the kitchen in tears. Masha realizes that the person Spike is texting is her personal assistant, with whom he has been having an affair. She ends her relationship with him and kicks him out of the house, announcing she no longer intends to sell it. As the play ends, the three siblings, optimistic for the first time in a very long time, sit quietly together and listen to The Beatles' song "Here Comes the Sun".

Venus in Fur

Play · 2010

Thomas Novachek is the writer-director of a new play opening in New York City; this play-within-the-play is an adaptation of the 1870 novel Venus in Furs by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (the novel that inspired the term "masochism"). The play begins with Novachek on the telephone, lamenting the inadequacies of the actresses who had shown up that day to audition for the lead character, Wanda von Dunayev. Suddenly, at the last minute, a new actress called Vanda (Wanda) Jordan bursts in. At first it's hard to imagine that she will please this very particular and exasperated writer/director: She's brash, vulgar and unschooled. But she convinces him to let her audition for the part of Wanda von Dunayev, with the director/writer reading the part of Severin von Kushemski. Much happens during this dynamic reading, as lightning flashes and thunder crashes outside. Vanda shows astonishing insights into the novel and her character, and she performs what is in effect a terrific audition. They both become caught up in the characters they are reading. The balance of power is reversed, and the actress establishes dominance over the director, which is similar to what occurs in the novel.

Veronica's Room

Play · 1973

A middle-aged Irish couple, John and Maureen Mackey, bring a young couple, Susan and Larry, to the suburban Boston home where the Mackeys are caretakers. Susan and Larry have recently begun to date, and the Mackeys approached them at a restaurant due to Susan's resemblance to a dead woman, Veronica. The Mackeys explain that Veronica's elderly, senile sister, Cissie, is now their charge, and Susan agrees to dress up as Veronica in an effort to bring Cissie a sense of closure. The year is 1973, but Cissie believes it to be 1935. Larry and the Mackeys leave Susan alone in Veronica's preserved bedroom to change into a period outfit. The older couple return with completely different appearances and personalities; they appear about twenty years younger and now have Boston accents. They treat the young woman as if she were Veronica, and they represent themselves as her parents, Lloyd and Nedra. They accuse her of having murdered Cissie after Cissie discovered (and threatened to reveal) Veronica's incestuous relationship with their younger brother, Conrad. They also maintain that it is 1935. When the young woman stands by her identity as Susan from 1973, Lloyd and Nedra regard her as insane and call for the family physician, Dr. Simpson. When he arrives, the young woman recognises him as Larry. The young woman is ultimately broken; she acknowledges that she is Veronica and she confesses to Veronica's misdeeds. Nedra then leads the others in murdering her. It is revealed that the older man and woman are in fact Veronica and Conrad, while the younger man is their son, "Boy." This is not the first time the three have carried out such a murder, nor will it be the last; Boy brings Veronica and Conrad young women who resemble Veronica, so that Veronica can experience murdering herself as a catharsis. They give the bodies to Boy, a necrophiliac, to do with as he wishes. Veronica is left alone in her room.

Via Wireless

Play · 1908

The play was never published. This synopsis is compiled from 1908 newspaper reviews. Act I (Library in Home of George Durant, Pittsburgh) Marsh has designed a new marine artillery piece which he brings to Pinckney. Pinckney hires an outsider to pose as the weapons' inventor, as otherwise it would belong to Durant. Pinckney gets the lion's share of the gun's royalties, from which he pays Marsh a small amount. Lt. Sommers visits George Durant to discuss progress on the manufacture of his new cannon. While at Durant's home he meets his wife, and daughter Frances. He and Frances express interest in one another. Sommers learns that another new artillery piece has been produced at Durant Steel, and that Pinckney seems to favor it. (Curtain) Act II (Scene 1:Office of Durant Steel Works.) Frances is told by Lucy Smith that her father is up to something with Pinckney. Frances visits the office, and senses an attempt will be made to wreck Sommers cannon. When Lt. Sommers visits Edward Pinckney to check on the new gun, Frances is already there. Pinckney tries to intimate that he and the girl have an understanding. Later, Pinckney tells Smith to interfere with the oil bath that will temper the new gun. Sommers receives an anonymous message that Smith might try to sabotage his new cannon that night. (Curtain) (Scene 2:Foundry of Durant Steel Works, near midnight.) The scene opens with a noisy cacophony; white-hot metal is poured and trip-hammers reverberate. The workers are bare-chested and sweating in the heat of the works. At midnight, the noise lowers as the workers take their mid-shift meal. Pinckney has left instructions for Smith to work on the new cannon while the others are on break. As Smith works, he is accosted by Sommers, suspecting sabotage. They fight, and Sommers believes he has stopped the sabotage. Later the workers return to their labors and the noise resumes. (Curtain) Act III (Scene 1:Courtyard of Hotel, San Juan, Puerto Rico, several weeks later.) Lt. Sommers and the Durants and their staff had gone to San Juan for a holiday. Word is received that the new cannon exploded, killing seven sailors. Agent Bradley of the Secret Service arrives to question everyone about the weapon's manufacture. Lt. Sommers is ordered to return to Washington for a court-martial. He accepts George Durant's offer to accompany his family, Bradley, Pinckney, Marsh, and Durant's staff on their motor yacht back to Florida. (Curtain) (Scene 2:Wireless Room of Steamship Mongolian.) On board the steamship Mongolian, wireless operator Harling has picked up a distress call from Durant's yacht. It hit a submerged reef during a squall, and is taking on water. Harling informs his ship's officers, who steer the Mongolian towards the endangered yacht. Harling relays that the yacht's lifeboats have been lowered, with all but the wireless operator (Sommers) embarking. (For most of this scene, Harling is the only character speaking, as he continually updates the yacht's condition and location). Frances also stayed behind on the yacht to keep the dynamos powering the wireless dry and running. The Mongolian arrives in time to rescue the lifeboat passengers, and Sommers and Frances from off the foundering vessel. (Curtain) Act IV (Same as Act II Scene 1.) Secret Service agent Bradley has discovered that Marsh really invented the gun Durant pays royalties on. Marsh confesses that Pinckney put him up to it, and that he feels partly responsible for the deaths of the sailors. He kills himself with a gunshot. Bradley arrests Pinckney, and Lt. Sommers is cleared, allowing him to marry Frances. (Curtain)

Vice Reclaimed

Play · 1703

Vice Reclaimed is a 1703 comedy play by Richard Wilkinson. It is also known by the longer title Vice Reclaim'd: Or, the Passionate Mistress. It premiered at the Drury Lane Theatre included Benjamin Johnson as Sir Feeble Goodwill, Robert Wilks as Wilding, Joseph Williams as Gainlove, William Bullock as Fondle, Henry Norris as Ralph, Mary Kent as Widow Purelight, Jane Rogers as Annabella and Frances Maria Knight as Mrs Haughty, Jane Lucas as Malapert and Mary Powell as Mrs Rhenish.

Viceroy Sarah

Play · 1935

Viceroy Sarah is a 1935 historical play by the British writer Norman Ginsbury. It is based on the relationship between Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough and Queen Anne during the time of the War of the Spanish Succession. Its West End run lasted for a 157 performances, premiering at the Whitehall Theatre before transferring to the Phoenix Theatre. Irene Vanbrugh starred as Sarah Churchill, alongside Barbara Everest as Anne and Robert Rendel as the Duke of Marlborough. The cast also included Harcourt Williams as George, Prince of Denmark, Olga Lindo as Abigail Hill and Ian Fleming as Robert Harley.

Virginius

Play · 1820

Virginius is an 1820 tragedy in five acts by the Irish writer James Sheridan Knowles. It was part of a crop of plays set during the Roman Republic, part of a revival of interest in the period. The play is based on the story of Verginia. The original cast featured William Macready as Virginius, Maria Foote as Virginia, Harriet Faucit as Servia, William Abbot as Appius Claudius, Charles Connor as Caius Claudius, John Faucit as Titus, Daniel Egerton as Numitorius, Thomas Comer as Lucius, Charles Kemble as Icilius and Daniel Terry as Dentatus.

Vivat! Vivat Regina!

Play · 1970

Vivat! Vivat Regina! is a play written by Robert Bolt. It debuted at Chichester in 1970 and later at the Piccadilly Theatre London. Principal actors were Sarah Miles and Eileen Atkins. The play was directed by Peter Dews and designed by Carl Toms. Richard Pearson also played a role. Later, the play had a successful run on Broadway in 1972. The play tells the story of two rival monarchs who never met: Scotland's Mary, Queen of Scots and her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I of England. The play's title is Latin for "Long live! Long live the Queen!", and is taken from the acclamation at the Coronation Service. The first act contrasts the personalities of the two monarchs, as they engage in a battle of wiles. Elizabeth is portrayed as a woman who has given up on love and family in order to maintain a firm grasp on power, while Mary is portrayed as a reckless, impulsive woman ready to risk power for love. The second act concentrates on Mary's term as a prisoner of Elizabeth, during which time she reflected on her own pending execution. Eileen Atkins played Elizabeth in the play's British and American debuts. Bolt's wife Sarah Miles played Mary in the original British production, while Claire Bloom played Mary in the play's Broadway debut. The 1972 Broadway production received four Tony Award nominations: Best Play, Best Actress in a Play (Eileen Atkins), Best Featured Actor in a Play (Douglas Rain), and Best Featured Actor in a Play (Lee Richardson). A 1985 off-Broadway revival featured Geraldine Page as Elizabeth and Sabra Jones as Mary. Janet McTeer as Elizabeth and Barbara Flynn as Mary headlined director Roy Marsden's 1995 revival of Vivat! Vivat Regina! which played the Mermaid Theatre from October 23 to November 25. The play was, next to A Man for All Seasons, Bolt's most successful stage production, receiving several Tony nominations for its Broadway production.

Vortigern and Rowena

Play · 1796

The story begins as the King of the Britons Constantius offers half his crown to his adviser Vortigern for his loyal service. Vortigern immediately plots the king's murder to take the crown for himself. Meanwhile, the court Fool warns two of Vortigern's children, Pascentius and Flavia, of the bad times ahead and the three of them leave the court with Flavia in drag. Constantius' sons Aurelius (Ambrosius Aurelianus) and Uter (Uther Pendragon), studying in Rome, receive word of Vortigern's treachery and go to Scotland to raise an army against their father's killer. In response Vortigern summons an army of Saxons, led by Hengist and Horsus, to defend him from the Scots. He falls in love with Hengist's beautiful daughter Rowena, and proclaims her his queen, much to the chagrin of his wife Edmunda and his two remaining sons, Wortimerus (Vortimer) and Catagrinus (Catigern), who flee. Vortigern's family eventually all join Aurelius and Uter's army, and Aurelius and Flavia declare their mutual love. In the end the Saxons are routed and Aurelius defeats Vortigern but spares his life, and then marries Flavia. The final speech is delivered by the Fool, who admits that the play is not very tragic, as "none save bad do fall, which draws no tear".

W;t

Play · 1995

The action of the play takes place during the final hours of Dr. Vivian Bearing, a university professor of English, dying of ovarian cancer. She recalls the initial diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer from her oncologist, Dr. Harvey Kelekian. Dr. Kelekian then proposes an experimental chemotherapeutic treatment regimen consisting of eight rounds at full dosage. Vivian agrees to the treatment. Over the course of the play, Vivian reflects on her life through the intricacies of the English language, especially the use of wit in the metaphysical poetry of John Donne. Throughout the play, she recites Donne's Holy Sonnet X, "Death Be Not Proud," while reflecting upon her condition. (In the revised edition of John Donne's Holy Sonnets, "If Poysonous Mineralls" and "Death Be Not Proud" are sonnets IX and X, respectively.) As a professor, she has a reputation for rigorous teaching methods. She has lived her life alone, is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no emergency contact. Vivian recalls undergoing tests by various medical technicians and being the subject of grand rounds. She remembers sharing a love of language and books with her father. She flashes back to her experiences as a student of Dr. E. M. Ashford, an expert on John Donne. Bearing later finds herself under the care of Dr. Jason Posner, an oncology research fellow who has taken her class on John Donne. At the hospital, she recognizes that doctors are interested in her for her research value and, like her, tend to ignore humanity in favor of knowledge. Gradually, she realizes that she would prefer kindness to intellectualism. Vivian reaches the end stage in extreme pain as Susie Monahan, a nurse at the medical centre, offers Vivian compassion and discusses with her the option of exercising her final option, "do not resuscitate" (DNR), in case of a severe decline in her condition. Vivian decides to mark the DNR option. Dr. Ashford, in town for her great-grandson's birthday, visits the hospital after learning of Vivian's cancer. She comforts her and offers to read a Donne sonnet, but Vivian, scarcely conscious, declines. Instead, Ashford reads from Margaret Wise Brown's The Runaway Bunny, which she had bought for her great-grandson. Dr. Ashford kisses a sleeping Vivian, quotes Hamlet, and leaves. While on a routine visit, Jason notices Vivian has stopped breathing and has no pulse. He immediately calls in a "code blue" and begins CPR, despite the DNR order. Susie enters on hearing the code blue announcement, attempts to stop Jason's efforts, and calls to cancel the code. The resuscitation team arrives with a crash cart and attempts to revive Vivian while Susie tries to intervene, repeating that Vivian is DNR. Jason eventually admits his mistake, and upon examining the chart, the team quickly stops. The play ends as Vivian, unclothed after her death, walks from her hospital bed "toward a little light".

Wait Until Dark

Play · 1966

Susy Hendrix is a blind Greenwich Village housewife who becomes the target of three con-men searching for the heroin hidden in a doll, which her husband Sam unwittingly transported from Canada as a favor to a woman who has since been murdered. "Roat" leads his companions into thinking that they are going to be rich and will get the heroin soon enough, but in the end he murders all of his partners after they outlive their usefulness. The trio tries to convince Susy that her husband will be suspected of murdering the woman, and the only way to protect him is to give them the doll, which connects him to her. Little do the men know that Gloria, a little girl in the upstairs apartment, has stolen the doll after finding out it was not a gift for her. One of the men poses as Sergeant Carlino, a strange police detective, while another poses as Mike, an old friend of her husband dropping by for a visit. Susy relies on "Mike", and he eventually begins to feel sympathy for her. "Roat" poses as both the elderly Mr. Roat and his "son", Roat Junior. Roat Senior ransacks Susy's room and steals a wedding photo from the bedroom. He threatens Susy's and her husband's well-being, so she calls the police. Her call is intercepted by "Mike", and Susy is visited by "Sergeant Carlino". Gloria returns and admits her theft of the doll, and Susy hides it. Susy contacts "Mike" to ask for help now that the doll is found. Gloria has been watching the nearby phone booth used by the con-men, and she alerts Susy that all three of the men she has been dealing with are tricking her. Susy sends Gloria to meet her husband on his way home from work, and begins planning to handle the intruders. Roat kills both of his partners after the men discover Susy has the doll in the apartment. He spills gas around the apartment to destroy any evidence. Susy turns off all the lights so that "Roat" cannot see her. "Roat" uses matches to see until Susy douses him with the gasoline. He uses the refrigerator light to see, threatens Susy, and tries to kill her. She ultimately defeats "Roat". Sam bursts in with the police and finds that Susy has already dealt with Roat. He sees that Mike is also dead. Gloria yells at the police when they appear too patronizing to Susy and defends Susy's ability to take care of herself. After the police leave, Susy and Sam embrace.

Waiting for Gillian

Play · 1954

Waiting for Gillian is a 1954 play by the English writer Ronald Millar. It is based on the 1951 novel A Way Through the Wood by Nigel Balchin. It was first staged at the Manchester Opera House before transferring to St James's Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 101 performances. The cast included John McCallum, Googie Withers, Frank Lawton and Norman Pierce. The play was staged by the Edinburgh Gateway Company in the autumn of 1955.

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