The Best American Short Plays 1995-1996 [Paperback]

Glenn Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2000 | Series: Best American Short Plays

A collection of twelve short plays from 1995-1996. Includes: "Fitting Rooms" - Susan Cinoman; "Scribe's Paradox, or The Mechanical Rabbit" - Michael Feingold; "Home Section" - Janusz Glowacki; "Degas, C'est Moi" - David Ives; "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" - Allan Knee; "Old Blues" - Jonathan Levy; "Dearborn Heights" - Cassandra Medley; "American Dreamers" - Lavonne Mueller; "When it Comes Early" - John Ford Noonan; "The Original Last Wish Baby" - William Seebring; "The Mystery School" - Paul Selig; "The Sandalwood Box" - Mac Wellman.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Stein and Young have gathered a sharp, savagely funny, occasionally surreal collection of one-act plays that read like short stories. In David Ives's Degas, C'est Moi, a man escapes from his humdrum life by assuming the persona of the French painter for a day--only to be brought back to earth by the sight of a real-life nude. Marilyn Monroe has a rendezvous with Carl Sandburg in a Washington hotel suite in Lavonne Mueller's American Dreamers. A couple's once-a-year meeting takes on its annual bizarre twist in Allan Knee's St. Valentine's Day Massacre. And, in possibly the only epic one-act ever written, William Seebring unleashes the mother of all tabloid manias when a child is born without a heart--and lives--in his 40-character The Original Last Wish Baby.You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll finish each one in fewer than 15 minutes--but don't be surprised if some of them linger longer. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The latest edition of this useful series offers 12 one-acts reflecting the wide range of contemporary American theater. For those who prefer their theater comic, there is David Ives' humorous meditation on identity, Degas, C'est Moi, and Susan Cinoman's slice-of-life look at shopping rituals, Fitting Rooms. Those who think drama should be made of sterner stuff should sample Cassandra Medley's moving Dearborn Heights, about discrimination in the North, and Jonathan Levy's Old Blues, a touching portrait of a barber-shop quartet suddenly facing aging and mortality. Not every play here will be to everyone's taste. Yet those who find Mac Wellman's surrealistic Sandalwood Box just too weird can skip to Janusz Glowacki's more gently absurdist Home Section, and vice versa. American theater is obviously large and vital enough to contain many voices. It speaks volumes about editors Stein and Young's selective acumen that the collection so well reflects this diversity. Jack Helbig

Product Details

• Paperback: 242 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557832552
• ISBN-13: 978-1557832559
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,942,117 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastically written!, January 25, 2012

By 

Matt Vinson "Book worm" (Eastport, ME United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best American Short Plays 1995-1996 (Paperback)

I directed "Fitting Rooms" directed by Susan Cinoman. It has multi layered characters that peel away through the script like the layers of an onion. The characters are deep, lovable, real, mean, sad & happy! Each character is well developed and could stand on her own, and we all know each & every one of these ladies. I directed this play for high school one-act competition and won with this script & cast. Susan Cinoman is a great writer and this script is definitely one of her best and definitely one of my most favorites I have directed and cannot wait to have the ladies to direct this show again!!!!! The other shows in this book are also incredible including David Ives, which is a given!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Collection, June 22, 2009

By 

Stuart Spencer (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Best American Short Plays 1995-1996 (Paperback)

This is a superb collection representing a wide range of styles from the naturalistic to the surreal. The best play in the collection is Susan Cinoman's `Fitting Rooms' - a sharp, funny, ultimately poignant look at three groups of women shopping for dresses in a stylish boutique in Philadelphia. The story cuts back and forth between the women in the various fitting rooms until slowly the three stories coalesce into a single dramatic moment. In choosing this simple but revealing location, Cinoman is able to limn a range of women of all classes and ages. The writing is quick and cutting. If you like tv shows like Desperate Housewives or Weeds, this short play is similar but better. It's very funny but goes deeper than those shows do, and tells its story concisely but with far more insight into real human behavior. It's also ideal for any college, high school, or community group as all the characters are female. Cassandra Medley's Dearborn Heights is also an excellent play and highly recommended as well.