Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays [Paperback]

David Mamet (Author), Shel Silverstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2010

Bobby Gould in Hell by David Mamet

Short Play, Comedy

Characters: 3 male, 1 female

Interior Set

This is Bobby Gould's day of reckoning. The conniving movie mogul from Speed the Plow awakes in a strange room. A loquacious interrogator in fishing waders enters. Gould argues his case. A woman he has wronged appears and gets so carried away that she says some sassy things to the Interrogator. In the end, Bobby is damned for being "cruel without being interesting."

"Funny and pungent."-N.Y. Times

"Lifts the soul."- N.Y. Daily News "Hilarious ... with flashy magic tricks."-Newsday

Published with The Devil and Billy Markham by Shel Silverstein

Short Play, Comedy

Characters: 1 male

Bare stage

In this amazing rendition of a tall tale written in rhymed couplets, Billy Markham loses a sucker's bet with the Devil but ultimately outwits him.

"A tour de force with the jokes coming Faust and furious."-N.Y. Post. "A rip snorting, raunchy delight. Very, very funny."-Associated Press

Product Details

• Paperback: 84 pages
• Publisher: Samuel French, Inc. (December 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0573692548
• ISBN-13: 978-0573692543
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #765,607 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funniest thing in H***!, March 17, 2001

By 

Q (Point Lookout, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays (Paperback)

I've only actually seen the first one act play in this book performed but it is worth it just to buy it for BOBBY GOULD IN HELL. It is about Bobby Gould, who dies and goes to Hell where he is met by the "Interogator"(either a strange portrayal of the devil, God, a sur-demon, or just some guy who has been put in charge of Hell, I would tend to guess the latter) and his secratarial assistant whom he tries to convince he shouldn't be there (in Hell) and verbal jousting and antics ensue. Eventually Bobby's girlfriend is brought in to act as a sort of witness but she is even crazier than he is. Eventually it leaves you feeling sorry for the initially callous Interogator who gets embeded in a frantic situation with his job just as he is trying to go off and do a little fishing. This is tied in the "funniest thing I have ever seen or read" category with Tom Stoppard's ROSSENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD and in my opinion, has reached heights of language-based commedy. CAUTION, if you are not used to having to think about what you read/see performed you may get board and confused. HOWEVER, if you enjoy seeing or reading a piece which has been crafted by a master of words and will surprise you with any number of twists and sudden hilarious confusion on the parts of the characters, then by all means purchase this book. BOBBY GOULD IN HELL, as part of OH HELL! is well worth the low price for which is offered. Also you might check out the aforementioned ROZENCRANTZ AND GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD by Tom Stoppard.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read!, February 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays (Paperback)

There are two one-act plays in this book... Bobby Gould in Hell by David Mamet. It says that it premiered at the Lincoln Center in December 1989. William H. Macy played the INTERROGATOR. Well, the first review talks a lot about this play. I want to talk to you about the other play... The Devil and Billy Markham by Shel Silverstein. That's right, by the same Shel Silverstein that wrote Where the Sidewalk and Ends and A Light in the Attic. This play is absolutely hillarious. Billy plays a game of chance with the devil... he's has to role a 13 with two dice, which is of course impossible. The first time he loses his life and goes to hell... but the devil offers him a second chance, but this time the stakes are for the lives of his family. He takes the challenge... and you'll have to read it to find out the many twists and turns this play takes us through.

3.0 out of 5 stars What the heck?, October 16, 2009

By 

Musa Ghaznavi (Herdon, Virginia) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays (Paperback)

This is a book with two very short one-act plays. "Bobby Gould in Hell" by David Mamet and "The devil and Billy Markham" by Shel Silverstein. Mamet's peace is about Bobby Gould (from "Speed-the-Plow) who is sent somewhere for being bad and is interrogated by a character named "INTERROGATOR".