Customer Reviews

The Theatre of Sam Shepard: States of Crisis (Cambridge Studies in American Theatre and Drama)

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

 

 

Working on a production of Fool For Love, I came across this book for background research. Well worth a look.

Bottoms' study is an insightful and surefooted introduction to one of America's most troubling and innovative playwrights. While the book presents itself as a fairly straightforward work of dramatic criticism, with some production history and biography mixed in, it is written in an enliveningly lucid style and is brimming with surprising insights. Its organization is pleasingly straightforward too: the introduction lays out the main 'crises' that run through Shepard's work, and then the book proceeds to use these crises as it goes chronologically through the evolution of Shepard's career, paying attention to its many aesthetic twists and turns. Highly recommended for anyone studying Shepard, or interested in putting on a thoughtful production of one of his plays!