Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection [Hardcover]

Amnon Kabatchnik (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810869632 | ISBN-13: 978-0810869639 | Publication Date: November 2, 2009

In Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection: An Annotated Repertoire, author Amnon Kabatchnik continues the focus of his previous volume (1900-1925) and provides an overview of the most important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection of this period. Addressing the development of this genre in the legitimate theatre, Kabatchnik discusses more than 150 full-length plays produced between 1925 and 1950.

Arranged in chronological order, the productions cited are all works of enduring importance, pioneering contributions, singular innovations, and outstanding success. Many of the most notable playwrights of the era are represented, including Edgar Wallace, Eugene O'Neill, Ayn Rand, Jean-Paul Sartre, J.B. Priestley, and Agatha Christie. Each of the plays featured revolves around murder, theft, chicanery, kidnapping, political intrigue, or espionage. Each entry includes a plot synopsis, production data, and the opinions of well known and respected critics and scholars.

The plays in this era include psychological thrillers and baffling whodunits, among them such memorable works as The Threepenny Opera, Rope, The Petrified Forest, Night Must Fall, Arsenic and Old Lace, An Inspector Calls, and Detective Story.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Rich in names, dates, and facts. . . . Kabatchnik is making an extraordinary contribution to mystery scholarship. (Mystery Scene Magazine, Spring 2010 )

This material is astonishingly complete and up to date. The author correctly describes this work as a 'labor of love'. It is also a fascinating document that deserves a place in any library with a sizable collection on theater. (American Reference Books Annual )

Succint, but lively and tantalizing.... If anything, his latest book is bigger and better. In the terminology of the world of theatre, it's a hit! (Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine, Spring 2010 )

About the Author

Amnon Kabatchnik, now retired, was a Professor of Theatre at SUNY Binghamton, Stanford University, Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Elmira College. He is the author of Blood on the Stage: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection, An Annotated Repertoire, 1900-1925 (2008) and Sherlock Holmes: A Chronological Encyclopedia of Plays Featuring the Great Detective (2008), both published by Scarecrow Press.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 868 pages
• Publisher: Scarecrow Press (November 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810869632
• ISBN-13: 978-0810869639
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,040,015 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Amnon Kabatchnik holds a BS degree in theater and journalism from Boston University, where he won the Rodgers & Hammerstein Award, he holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. He has been a member of the director's unit with the Actors Studio in New York and has been appointed professor of theater at the State University of New York at Binghamton, Stanford University, Ohio State University, Florida State University, and Elmira College.

Kabatchnik has directed numerous dramas, comedies, thrillers, and musicals for national road companies, resident theatres, Off Broadway, and summer stock. Kabatchnik's directorial work in New York earned him the Lola D'Annunzio Honorary Citation for Outstanding Contribution to the Off-Broadway Theatre. Recently, Kabatchnk staged the hit off-Broaday revival of the 1940 Gothic drama "Ladies in Retirement." Backstage.com raved "Amnon Kabatchnik's confident production [is] treated with loving care in the hands of this worthy ensemble."

Kabatchnik now shares his knowledge and love of the theatre with us through his writings. The three volumes in his BLOOD ON THE STAGE series covers seventy five years of plays written and produced during the respective eras. The plays covered had at least one public performance in the English language, with an emphasis on New York and London performances. Of course, each entry revolves around murder, theft, chicanery, kidnapping, political intrigue, or espionage.

The entries are arranged in chronological order, each consisting of plot summary (often including significant dialogue), production and performance data, opinions by critics and scholars, and other features.

Kabatchnik received an Agatha Award Nomination in 2010 from the Malice Domestic Committee for BLOOD ON THE STAGE: 1925-1950. His latest release in the series is BLOOD ON THE STAGE: 1950-1975.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love mysteries on the stage, this is a must read., August 14, 2010

By 

Laura - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection (Hardcover)

I was coaxed to read the reference book Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950 because it was a finalist at the prestigious Agatha Awards. As both a theatre lover and an aficionado of suspense literature, I found this hefty book a treasure chest of information about 150 crime and detection plays, all deserving attention and study, some of which we'll never see on stage in our life time. Arranged in chronological order, each of the plays analyzed is described by a concise yet thorough plot synopsis, performance data, and scholarly critiques. I was intrigued by the fact that alongside such lions of the genre as Agatha Christie and Edgar Wallace, surprisingly, also included are many mainstream authors like Eugene O'Neill, Somerset Maugham, Ayn Rand, Maxwell Anderson, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Bertolt Brecht----all proving to have been blood- thirsty, dabbling in all sorts of villainies. Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950 follows an earlier volume, Blood on the Stage, 1900-1925. While I am familiar with studies of crime in the cinema, television, and radio, to my knowledge, this is the only series of books dedicated to suspense on the legitimate stage. Unique, and immensely readable, I highly recommend this book.