Customer Reviews

The Best American Short Plays 1995-1996

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!!!

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.