Bücher veröffentlicht von Samuel French Inc

Full Length, Comic Drama / 6 m, 8 f, Doubling is possible. Based on the true story of a mysterious Hollywood death, The Cat's Meow offers a fascinating cross section of Jazz Era characters who intersect for one notorious weekend on board William Randolph Hearst's yacht in 1924. The play was adapted for film in 2002, with a screenplay by the author, directed by Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, and Edward Herrmann. Weekend guests include: Charlie Chaplin, who has been

Various m and f roles / Melodrama / Simple setThe laughs never stop with this collection of four Holiday themed Melodramas. No holds are barred as television favorites to some traditional Christmas classics get skewered in these light-hearted parodies. Each show has a diverse set of characters designed to put a modern spin on the spirit of the Melodrama. CHEER for the heroic, but frustrated Prairie Magician. BOO the villainous land baron with the hypnotic hairpiece, and OOH-AAH the four young single ladies adjusting to life in Manhattan (Kansas). These interactive Melodramas are simple to produce and appeal to all types of groups. Both cast and audience alike will have an uproariously good time!Santa and the City - 3f, 3m (some doubling)The Old Mid-West will never be the same when four young single ladies in Manhattan, KS try to open a shoe store. Little did they reckon a greedy land baron, whose hair has hypnotic powers, would try to take over the town just before Christmas.The Holiday Surprise - 3f, 3mIt's the day before Christmas and Santa is nowhere to be found. The residents of Goosebump, Alaska (the first town South of the North Pole) try to find a substitute. Only a Canadian Mountie can save the day!The Grouch Who Couldn't Steal Christmas - 3f, 3mThe Annual Holiday Pageant in the town of Whooterville goes awry when Phineas P. Grouch seeks revenge from a broken heart. But who is the real villain here?The Magical Christmas of Mistle Toe, Kansas - 3m, 3fThe town of Mistletoe is broke and the land rights are up for grabs. Mayor Georgette Bradley pins all their hopes and dreams on a one night only benefit performance by "The Amazing Ricky and His Magic Wand." You won't believe the magic that occurs when they discover the true meaning of the season.

Comedy / 1m, 2f / Unit SetHelen's life became complicated after her husband Murray's stroke and her sister Gladys's revelation, wanting to set the record straight in case Murray should die, that she and Murray had been having an affair. Helen suspected Murray was no angel when she married him. After all, as a stand-up comic he was always on the road and she knew comics could be loose cannons. Helen knew she was trading the risk Murray would bring to any relationship, let alone marriage, for the excitement of the gamble. While Helen might have been willing to adjust to Murray and his new stroke induced limits, the stakes were raised and the game was changed by Gladys's admission of the affair. So now Helen is left on the horns of dilemma: How can she be a nurturing caretaker for a man who has deceived her (with her own sister, yet) while knowing he is a snake with no visible conscience?

Comedy / Casting: 3 male, 2 female When low morale threatens the Toronto branch of Chime Communications Canada, five ordinary office workers must mount a team-building talent show to savetheir jobs. Meet Stuart, the lovable yet inappropriate office manager, Marcus, the smooth talking sales rep, Diane, the tough as nails marketing manager, Brie, the perky and scheming receptionist, and Jack, the awkward guitar-playing intern. Together, they must use their hidden talents to sing, dance and manipulate their way through the talent show, which ultimately degenerates into a every-man-for-themselves battle of office skills, where only one will walk away without a pink slip. Featuring a sales versus marketing salsa, a fowl-mouthed printer puppet, and more office backstabbing than HR can handle, the team must learn to keep it together without tearing each other apart.This fast-paced, comedic romp through office culture features a catchy, original pop-musical score, and five unforgettable characters that you're bound to recognize from around the water cooler. An exciting and fun new musical, Funny Business is the perfect production for cubicle dwellers and blue collars alike. "A Runaway hit" - Classical 96FM (Toronto)Fresh, tuneful, and full of talent...a guaranteed good time!" -Toronto Star

1m, 2f / DramaSheila Gold, 55, a successful Jewish businesswoman suffering from terminal cancer, is spending the end of her life in a comfortable hospice where her only companion is her 30 year old daughter, Rachel. The two have a tense relationship as Rachel has spent most of her adult life working at Planned Parenthood and is generally a disappointment to her entrepreneurial mother.While in the hospice Sheila has become fascinated by a late night televangelist, Dr. Julian Strong, a black man in his 50's. She finds his message inspiring and comforting and she writes Strong, offering to make a sizable donation to his ministry. Much to her surprise, Strong flies out to visit Sheila, presumably to see her sign the check in person. His physical presence is even greater than his TV persona and the two fall head over heels in love. Sheila begins to toy with the idea of converting to Christianity and spending her final days with Strong's church in California. This revelation upsets her daughter to no end as Rachel is certain that Strong is a crook, promising hope and salvation, when all he really wants is to come between her and her inheritance.Is Strong truly in love with Sheila or is he only out for her money? Sheila must choose between her daughter and a new love and lifestyle, in what will certainly be her final days."When Sheila Gold announces to her grown daughter, Rachel, that she is thinking of trading in her barely used Judaism for late-model, born-again Christianity, it looks as if we're being set up for a play about religious faith. But Gino DiIorio has something else up his sleeve in Apostasy, the absorbing new drama running through Aug. 13 at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch. Sheila's flirtation with Jesus is going to turn into a flirtation of an entirely different kind. And abortion politics will intrude messily on the play's relationships. " - The New York Times

Murder Mystery Farce / 6m, 3f InteriorThe police are baffled after Wilbur Smith, "The Sausage King," is strangled with a roll of his own sausage. After several months, the authorities, unable to unscramble the dilemma, call in the services of Farlow Cranston, ace private investigator and renowned solver or arcane cases. Cranston, with unflappable grandiloquence and fractured logic, unravels the mystery via a farcical route that leads to its conclusion. Expect the unexpected in this delightful melange.

5m, 5f (with doubling) / Ints. This girl loves ghoul rock and roll Off Broadway musical is set in the atomic 1950s at Enrico Fermi High, where the law is laid down by a zany, tyrannical principal. Pretty senior Toffee has fallen for the class bad boy. Family pressure forces her to end the romance, and he charges off on his motorcycle to the nuclear waste dump. He returns glowing and determined to reclaim Toffee's heart. He still wants to graduate, but most of all he wants to take Toffee to the

Full Length, Comedy / 2m, 2f / 2 ints. This laugh filled comedy by the author of Same Time, Next Year explores differences in British and American attitudes and manners that surface during an unlikely romantic liaison. Libby Daniels, a New York film producer, hopes to revive her fading career by acquiring the movie rights to Giles St. James's popular British mysteries. She tracks down the reclusive, eccentric writer, only to discover that he loathes Americans as much as she dislikes the Britis

Comedy / 1m, 1f / Int.A memorable evening with two of the world's favorite characters, this sequel to Same Time, Next Year continues the saga of an extramarital affair conducted one weekend a year into the last quarter of the twentieth century. Maturing into their late sixties, Doris and George share the inevitabilities of aging and the convolutions of parenting and grandparenting as they redefine love outside of their annual tryst and romance within it. Hilarity and tenderness are perfectly b

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson BurnettFull Length, Musical / 12m, 10f, 1 girl (doubling possible) / Ints., exts. This enchanting classic of children's literature is reimagined in brilliant musical style by composer Lucy Simon and Marsha Norman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of 'Night Mother. Orphaned in India, 11 year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with her embittered, reclusive uncle Archibald and his invalid son Colin. The estate's many wonders include a magic g

Drama / Characters: 4 male, 4 femaleScenery: Unit setA finalist for the National Play Award, this funny drama takes place in Vienna, 1900. A beautiful and brilliant young girl enters the office of Sigmund Freud to begin the most famous and controversial encounter in psychoanalysis. Dora is funny, suspicious, sarcastic and elusive. Freud becomes obsessed by her and he moves like a detective through the mystery of her mind, finding a lecherous father, an obsessed mother, an irritating brothe

Comedy / 4 m., 3 f. / Int. Before Daddy's Dyin' Who's Got the Will? there was this award winning comedy set in the west Texas watering hole of Lowake. Gossip, the town's major pastime, ignites a blaze of infidelity that engulfs three couples with the zany precision of a Feydeau farce. The clan includes Bo Bob, the dimwitted mailman, and Clarence, local stud and mechanic who's been messin' with Ovella since high school. His faithful girl is Sara Lee Turnover, the beautician. Teddy Joe, Ovella's

Mystery / 1m, 5f / Simple unit setThis psychological drama is a thinking person's Gothic thriller, a dark comedy that is both funny and frightening. On a snowy night, Inspector Ruffing is called to a remote house to investigate the headlong plunge of Patrick Roarke down the main staircase. He becomes involved in the lives of five alluring and dangerous women: Marcy, the beautiful Viennese governess with a past; Mrs. Ravenscroft, the flirtatious lady of the manor; Gillian, her charming but po

Adaptation from the Italian by Mario FrattiMusical / 1m, 22f, 4 boys (or 10 m, 13 f, 4 boys) / Unit setThis spectacular winner of the 1982 Tony Award for Best Musical delighted Broadway theatergoers in a hit revival in 2003 starring Antonio Banderas. Based on Fellini's classic film 8 1/2, Nine is the story of a celebrated film director Guido Contini and his attempts to come up with a plot for his next film as he is pursued by hordes of beautiful women, all clamoring to be loved by him and hi

One act review / 6 to 30 children (10 to 15 is ideal), ages 5 to 15Area staging; unit set.This musical romp through the joys and sorrows of being a child is hilarious. Children give 23 lessons in such subjects as how to beg for a dog, how to torture your sister, how to act after being sent to your room and how to laugh hysterically. The pace is fast, the tone subversive and the recognition instant. "Applause, applause, applause!"-- Steve Allen "Delightfully clever."-- Hollywood R

Based on Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. Musical Drama / 9m, 6f, chorus and extras / Unit setThis winner of Tony and Grammy awards as Best Musical ran for three years on Broadway and enjoyed a record breaking national tour. A proud family's quest for a better life meets conflicts that span three generations and set the stage for a drama rich in emotion and laughter. Taking place on Chicago's Southside, it explodes in song, dance, drama and comedy. "Pure magic ... dazzling! Tremen

Comedy/Murder Mystery / 4m, 2f / Unit SetIt's New Year's Eve at the Perry mansion, and Julia and Matthew Perry seem to have it all. But Matthew wants something more -- to be rid of his wife Julia so he can have some real fun! He resolves to murder Julia by the new year's end, and tells her so. She vows to stay alive, and tells him so. And so the game begins -- a hilarious year-long match of wits and the witless. While Julia cleverly dodges Matthew's devious murder attempts, the Perry friends a

One of Manhattan's most established play festivals, the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival fosters the work of young writers, giving them the exposure of publication and representation.The festival resulting in this collection was held July 15th-20th, 2008 at the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre on 42nd Street in New York City.From the initial submission pool, approximately 50 plays were chosen to be performed over a period of one week. A panel of judges comprised of New York area the

Dramatic Comedy / 2m, 2f, 2 either m or fA dark comedy about a clown from the "unhappiest country in the world", Moldova, who pins her hopes on a US work visa. Chased by Homeland Security, a deportation letter deflates Nadia's enthusiasm and a pair of spike heels might be all it takes to burst her American Dream (or turn it into a nightmare...). New York City, with its special energy, seems like the perfect solution for her problems, but is it really? Luckily, Nadia is not alone in her journey

Dramatic Comedy / 5m, 3f Approximate running time: 1 hour and 45 minutes, no intermission. Various settings, some real, some imaginary, in Pennsylvania When Gordon's wife vanishes, the only clue to her whereabouts is a bookmark in dog-eared copy of Traveling to Montpelier. With little help to be found at work, from his son, or from the police, Gordon takes off to a rural bookstore to find some answers. His journey brings him to the town of Cornersville, in the wilds of Pennsylvania. Through

Ron Blicq / Drama / 4m, 3f / Unit SetWinner of the Samuel French Canadian Playwrighting CompetitionDonald Barlow, who lives in Nottingham, England, decides to search for his father who, he has discovered, was a visiting Canadian serviceman during World War II. Following his mother's death, Donald engages a search agency to find his father (Gordon Devereaux) and establish contact. But when the agency does find Devereaux, the elderly man vehemently denies his involvement with Donald's mother a

Thriller / 1m, 2f / Interior Fit to Kill is a thriller about strategy, deception, and betrayal. Adrian, a charming but self-indulgent chess master, enjoys a life of luxury thanks to his marriage to Janice, an older but still sexy and vibrant woman who has made her fortune as the CEO of an exercise empire. The arrival of Amy, a reporter with an agenda of her own, unleashes a whirlwind of deadly schemes that will keep audiences guessing until the final seconds. "Deliciously scary...an event wo

3m, 1f / Comedy / Interiors The intersecting lives of four "Save-a-Bundle Discount Mart" employees are explored in Additional Particulars. In the first act, Glenda Balitski, an optimistic but lonely young woman who works in housewares, has recently moved into her tidy apartment after the death of her invalid mother. Assistant Manager Warren Grippo, a generous but awkward man of unflagging good manners, has unexpectedly dropped by Glenda's apartment after work. After the lonely couple disc

Comedy / 3m, 3f / InteriorSam Price, a wealthy entrepreneur, has just recently passed away and, at his request, has been laid out in his townhouse. With the corpse in the bedroom, his immediate family-sister, brother, nephew and niece-have gathered to discuss their inheritance, a meeting that descends into acrimony over the division of property. Much to their chagrin, they learn that Sam has left his entire estate to the church, a discovery that results in them reluctantly seeking the advice of

"A work about how we memorialize the dead and how that remembering changes us, this is the odyssey of a woman forced to confront her own assumptions about morality, redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically-obsessed world"--P. [4] of cover.

1m, 8f, plus / Int. Based on the original play Wild Dust, this engaging Wild West story has been delighting audiences for years. And now, the original playwright, Flip Kobler, has joined forces with veteran composer Dennis Poore to turn Wild Dust the play into Wild Dust: The Musical. It's 1887 and a dust storm is about to hit the town of Willow Creek. The west was still wild, but the wind was wilder. Wild Dust the Musical, takes place at a time when the "west was wild, the women were soft and the men were brave." The worst dust storm in a decade was about to hit the town, and all the men had gone to drive the horses and cattle to safer shelter to ride out the storm. That left the women of town to fend for themselves in the only building strong enough to withstand the pounding sand - the town brothel. So four "fallen ladies" and three "ladies of the town" are thrown together for the next 72 hours, along with a mysterious cowboy and a dancing corpse! For three days they confront the elements, each other, and hardest of all - themselves. It's a comic romp with lots of slamming doors, mistaken identities, and one very dead body. No one is exactly what they seem, and everyone's got a secret hidden up their sleeve. Wild Dust: The Musical is a comic romp that's not to be missed.

Drama / 2h, 2m / Interior/ExteriorEn Barrio Hollywood, un tenso drama familiar, un joven boxeador México-americano sueña con pelear para encontrar una salida a la difícil situación económica de su familia en el barrio. Su hermana, una apasionada bailarina de ballet folklórico y dedicada artista cultural, sueña con ser dueña de su propio estudio de baile para pasar sus tradiciones mexicanas a las próximas generaciones. Su excéntrica madre sueña con tomar sus ganancias del póker y tomar unas largas vacaciones en las Islas Canarias. Los sueños familiares se detienen cuando el joven boxeador sufre una lesión brutal en la cabeza en el ring de boxeo. Mientras la condición de su hermano empeora y su amor por el doctor americano crece inesperadamente, la bailarina y su familia aprenden que tan lejos pueden ir en el nombre del amor.

7m, 8f / Drama / Simple Set David Rimmer, a Pulitzer Prize finalist author for Album, originally wrote New York to raise funds for volunteer psychiatrists dedicated to helping the overwhelming number of patients psychologically affected by 9/11. Depicting the reactions of 15 individuals to the events of that day, the characters all speak to a central psychiatrist. The play has been performed at theaters, schools and colleges throughout New York and the Northeast to great acclaim, called "brillia

Comedy / 3m, 2f, flexible casting, Actors will each play 18 to 32 charactersOn a simple stage, with the clock ticking in front of everyone¿s eyes, the cast speeds through all of Greek Mythology. Its funny, updated and made easy to understand.The Gods walk the Red Carpet. The Creation of Mankind is a botched subcontractors job. Man and Pandora try settling down despite an ominous wedding gift. Love stories are a dating show and the Greek Tragedies are sports highlights! And don¿t forget t

2m, 4f / Farce Mrs. Stancliffe's Rose Cottage Bed & Breakfast has been successful for many years. Her Guests (nearly all women) return year after year. Her next door neighbor, the elderly, silver-tongued, Bud "Bud the Stud" Davis believes they come to spend time with him in romantic liaisons. The prim and proper Mrs. Stancliffe steadfastly denies this, but really doesn't do anything to prevent it. She reluctantly accepts the fact that "Bud the Stud" is, in fact, good for business. Her other nei