Customer Reviews

Christopher Durang Volume I: 27 Short Plays

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Christopher Durang was the playwright of choice for my high school speech team when it came to picking pieces for ensembles or duos. Many will most likely see why after reading some of the one-acts in this brilliant collection. These one-acts include:

A Stye of the Eye- Jake is a hillbilly in his thirties. He is, in the words of Durang, a "rage-a-holic". Infuriated by his actress wife's latest play, Agnes is Odd, where she plays an insane nun who babbles incoherently in Latin, he freaks out and supposedly kills her, only for his "good" brother Frankie to find out that she's not really dead, and then she falls in love with him. Jake finds out, explodes and kills his brother for cheating with his wife. The only catch is, Frankie and Jake are not really brothers, they are two sides of the same person.

Naomi in the Living Room- Naomi is an eccentric woman, who likes to give tours of her house, even to her son John, who used to live there, and his wife Johnna.

Business Lunch at the Russian Tea Room- Melissa is a Hollywood agent with a lot of outlandish ideas. She's heard from others that this guy named Chris is a great writer, and she tries to sell him on the idea of writing a screenplay, either a remake of Cruising/Bugsy Malone, or a story about a priest and a rabbi who fall in love, and then, both get sex changes, unbeknownst to each other.

DMV Tyrant- James Agnes' temporary license has expired so he must pay a visit to the Division of Motor Vehicles, where he comes face to face with a DMV lady from Hell.

Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All- Sister Mary is a crazy nun (insanity and eccentricity seem to be a running motif for Durang) who gives lectures on Heaven and Hell, and fires guns in church.

Other one-acts in this collection are 1-900-Desperate; Mrs. Sorken; Funeral Parlor; John and Mary Doe; For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls; Medea; Nina in the Morning; Canker Sores and Other Distractions; The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From; Wanda's Visit; The Book of Leviticus Show; Woman Stand-up; Women in a Playground; Phyllis & Xenobia; Desire, Desire, Desire; One Minute Play; Diversions; The Nature and Purpose of the Universe; 'dentity Crisis; Death Comes to Us All, Mary Agnes; Titanic and The Actor's Nightmare.

I loved this book. It is a wonderful collection of Durang's plays, though not my absolute favorites. I loved Beyond Therapy, and I think some of these plays could be worked into longer ones, though I'm not sure whether they'll be very funny then. If you liked this book, I also recommend Take Ten: New 10-Minute Plays, edited by Eric Lane. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

These plays are great for any type of speech or theatrical performance. " The Hardy Boys , and the mystery of where babies come from " is the BEST hilarious interpritation ( HI ) ever. " Funeral Parlor " was used on the Carol Brunet show and is one heck of a duet. All the pieces are funny beyond belief. I strongly encourage it. Buy It Now. Chances are any competitor will break.

Christopher Durang is the reason I went into writing. He has a sense of humor that defies set up - punchline comedy. It is the characters who are innately funny in their oblivious insanity. He has found a way to be absurd without alienating his audience... basically he's the funniest playwright i have ever read. These 27 plays are a great introduction to a brilliant humorist. If you are a comic of any sort, you need to experience his style of humor.

Not being an avid reader or attender of stage plays, I had never heard of Christopher Durang until five or six years ago, when I stumbled upon a cable-produced adaptation of his play "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You." Irreverent humor lampooning religious belief systems is a favorite genre of mine, along with gun-wielding nuns, so I wasted no time in picking up this collection of short plays.

While Durang is basically a humorist, many of his plays involve the lampooning of other plays. This can be a detriment to a reader who, like me, is unable to pick out the subtle stabs at the set design and dialog patterns of other well known playwrites. But it is a minor stumbling block, and not a mjor obstacle to enjoy Durang's offbeat sense of humor.

If you aren't hip to the stage scene, but still enjoy humor with an edge, do what I did. Pick up this collection for "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You", then peruse the rest with an open mind.

I have read 27 short plays... And I have to say it is one of the funniest books I have ever read. The beginning starts with a cluster of hilarious short plays. "For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls" is witty and clever. "Business Lunch at the Russian Tea Room" is amazing with cute writing like "Sleeping eith the Enemy in Seattle" (a movie mix of Sleeping in Seattle and Psycho. Hilarious.) Unfortunately the middle is filled with some plays that don't even make any sense, but then the book recaptures it's charm and gives us great work like "An Actor's Nightmare" and "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You" to end with. A comic gem! Oh, by the way, "The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From" sent me into a fit of giggles.

This is a phenomenal book! Never has a book been so useful to me and my speech team (ours is bent from use). Every single play is a masterpiece and everyone who participates in the performing arts should consider this excellent compilation. ---Radford Speech Team Hawaii takes it all!!!!!

This is by far a must have for any person in love with theatrical comedies. Plays such as "For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls" and "The Hardy Boys and The Mystery of Where Babies Come From" had me laughing my butt off for hours on end. Durang is now my favorite playwright just based on this book. It is defintely well worth the money and time.

After reading this book, I fell in love with it and am determined to be the proud owner of every single thing Christopher Durang has EVER written! I think he is the most brillian playwright alive, I absolutely idolize him, I'm applying to the college he is a professor at in the hopes of getting a class with him. His plays are so amazing and clever and witty and insightful, I'm directing 'Wanda's Visit' next year and am so enthusiastic about it that I've already blocked and lighted the entire thing. Would be an absolute dream for anyone to direct or perform in any of his works, I highly recommend anything he's ever written. Ever.

When I was a senior in high school (way back in '97), I took a class called "Dramatic Text and Performance." In previous years, the class had read and performed morality plays and classical drama, but our professor picked this book as our text for the semester. Never before or since have I laughed so hard in any class. I just wish I had stolen the textbook when I had the chance!