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Four Plays: Come Back, Little Sheba / Picnic / Bus Stop / The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
'Inge has presented with astounding veracity the oppressive banality of the lives of his characters: the events of their lives have the nerve-lightening regularity of a dripping faucet. His female characters especially are engulfed by the bathos of their lives, and Inge capitalizes on this fact in order to heighten dramatically the moment of personal crisis which comes to each of them. In his four major successes--Come Back, Little Sheba; Picnic; Bus Stop; and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs--the play carries the audience through the moment of crisis; and the final curtain falls upon a note of hope and fulfillment.'--R. Baird Shuman
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1964
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About the author
William Inge
59 books43 followersDramas of American playwright William Motter Inge explored the expectations and fears of small-town Midwesterners; his play
Picnic
(1953) won a Pulitzer Prize.
Works of this novelist typically feature solitary protagonists, encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, Broadway produced a memorable string. Inge rooted his portraits of life and settings in the heartland.
Works of this novelist typically feature solitary protagonists, encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s, Broadway produced a memorable string. Inge rooted his portraits of life and settings in the heartland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 13, 2022
This is a wonderful Kindle edition with good navigation. I will post my reviews under the title but read and record here.
March 11, 2018
Four plays from a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright.
William Inge was from, and wrote about, America’s Midwest.
In this garland we have,
Come Back Little Sheba
Bus Stop
Picnic
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
This author, who I was unaware of, had a keen eye for human behavior during the mid-twentieth century in the rural heartland.
His characters and their struggles, I imagine, during that period, were somewhat unfamiliar to Broadway audiences. Rather, the way in which they handled the messy affairs of living, varied slightly in an age without instant global information.
I detected a very strong admiration and consideration for females, as I have with a Pat Conroy or a Wally Lamb type of male writer.
All four plays I enjoyed reading as did many other people who attended his shows during their day. I have learned since finishing it, that two or three of the plays were subsequently made into films.
I also discovered, after the fact, that Inge committed suicide at the age of sixty.
An affinity exists, in my mind, between a swath of artists who have suffered for so long, silently and imperceptibly, and the great creations they were able to produce.
Delightful and recommended.
William Inge was from, and wrote about, America’s Midwest.
In this garland we have,
Come Back Little Sheba
Bus Stop
Picnic
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs
This author, who I was unaware of, had a keen eye for human behavior during the mid-twentieth century in the rural heartland.
His characters and their struggles, I imagine, during that period, were somewhat unfamiliar to Broadway audiences. Rather, the way in which they handled the messy affairs of living, varied slightly in an age without instant global information.
I detected a very strong admiration and consideration for females, as I have with a Pat Conroy or a Wally Lamb type of male writer.
All four plays I enjoyed reading as did many other people who attended his shows during their day. I have learned since finishing it, that two or three of the plays were subsequently made into films.
I also discovered, after the fact, that Inge committed suicide at the age of sixty.
An affinity exists, in my mind, between a swath of artists who have suffered for so long, silently and imperceptibly, and the great creations they were able to produce.
Delightful and recommended.
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March 29, 2024Come Back Little Sheba 3.5⭐️
January 17, 2025
William Inge was a troubled man (a closet homosexual) whose plays reflected the loneliness of never finding that one person to love and be loved by.
Major characters in three of the four plays are lonely, middle-aged women who are trying to live vicariously through the lives of younger women. The life cycle of a woman goes as follows: young girl catches the attention of a free-spirited man caught up in a moment of passion, the man gets roped into a marriage because of his actions, the woman gradually grows bored with life because her passionate youth is over and her marriage is dull and troubled. The woman then tries to live vicariously through a younger woman who is facing their own romantic future, and she eventually comes to terms with the fact that her daughter/roomer/acquaintance will make their same mistakes and learn for themselves that loneliness is inevitable.
Inge didn’t have a very high opinion of men in general, I surmise, because nearly every man in his plays are brutes: men who can’t control their wild natures. The only men I did like in the plays were portrayed as emotionally absent and undesirable for one reason or another.
Although I didn’t love the attitudes toward relationships and love in general, I did love many of the female characters. They were witty and obnoxious in relatable ways. I also felt like the pace of the plays was spot-on. The flow of events felt natural and everything had a purpose. I think he was a great play-write, but his subject matter too redundant.
Major characters in three of the four plays are lonely, middle-aged women who are trying to live vicariously through the lives of younger women. The life cycle of a woman goes as follows: young girl catches the attention of a free-spirited man caught up in a moment of passion, the man gets roped into a marriage because of his actions, the woman gradually grows bored with life because her passionate youth is over and her marriage is dull and troubled. The woman then tries to live vicariously through a younger woman who is facing their own romantic future, and she eventually comes to terms with the fact that her daughter/roomer/acquaintance will make their same mistakes and learn for themselves that loneliness is inevitable.
Inge didn’t have a very high opinion of men in general, I surmise, because nearly every man in his plays are brutes: men who can’t control their wild natures. The only men I did like in the plays were portrayed as emotionally absent and undesirable for one reason or another.
Although I didn’t love the attitudes toward relationships and love in general, I did love many of the female characters. They were witty and obnoxious in relatable ways. I also felt like the pace of the plays was spot-on. The flow of events felt natural and everything had a purpose. I think he was a great play-write, but his subject matter too redundant.
July 4, 2019
.??? 2000s: this was pulitzer-prize material in mid-century midwest american popular culture which i came to as plays, through movies hollywood made of ‘picnic’ and ‘bus stop’... i had thought of the movies as i read the plays, believing that they had been corrupted by hollywood, but found them very close to the originals. i find them interesting as cultural documents of their time. they feel dated. they feel sexist. they feel closed-cultured and the worlds explored helplessly naive: on the other hand, one of my favorite nonfiction is about that era (moment of grace: american city in the 1950s), so there is something fascinating about that time. we might remember as classic things like ‘on the waterfront’, ‘a streetcar named desire’, ‘rebel without a cause’… but this was true mainstream and well-regarded work of the era...
July 22, 2024
Although American playwright William Inge wrote plays right up to his suicide in 1973, he is best known for these four plays from the 1950's. They are very typical of that decade, dealing with bored housewives, their bored children, respectability, dysfunctional families, and in short all the things which caused a reaction to the other extreme in the sixties. All four are set in the rural Midwest.
Come Back, Little Sheba (1950) is about a bored wife and her alcoholic husband, who take in a young woman boarder; the two lovers of the young woman are a rather crude athlete and a rich college student, a pairing which returns in the second play, Picnic (1953). In that play, we have two widows living next door to one another, one with her aged mother and one with two daughters, who also takes in a spinster schoolteacher as a boarder; an athletic "vagabond" shows up to do some yardwork for one of the widows, and we have a triangle involving him, the older daughter, and her rich college student boyfriend.
Bus Stop (1955), best known because of the Marilyn Monroe movie, takes place at a bus stop in Kansas during a blizzard, where the stranded passengers (two cowboys, a nightclub singer, the waitresses, the bus driver and an alcoholic ex-professor) interact; Inge is trying to portray various forms of "love" here, but again one cannot really imagine things happening quite this way after the fifties (or at all, but that's another question.)
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957) is set in the 1920's rather than the 1950's, but apart from the transition from horses to automobiles, the feeling is still 50-ish, although perhaps the two periods were pretty similar outside the major cities. It is about a traveling salesman and his wife and two children, a dysfunctional family. There is a "happy ending" but it is not really credible and is too late in any case.
I enjoyed all four; Inge is a good playwright, but no Arthur Miller.
Come Back, Little Sheba (1950) is about a bored wife and her alcoholic husband, who take in a young woman boarder; the two lovers of the young woman are a rather crude athlete and a rich college student, a pairing which returns in the second play, Picnic (1953). In that play, we have two widows living next door to one another, one with her aged mother and one with two daughters, who also takes in a spinster schoolteacher as a boarder; an athletic "vagabond" shows up to do some yardwork for one of the widows, and we have a triangle involving him, the older daughter, and her rich college student boyfriend.
Bus Stop (1955), best known because of the Marilyn Monroe movie, takes place at a bus stop in Kansas during a blizzard, where the stranded passengers (two cowboys, a nightclub singer, the waitresses, the bus driver and an alcoholic ex-professor) interact; Inge is trying to portray various forms of "love" here, but again one cannot really imagine things happening quite this way after the fifties (or at all, but that's another question.)
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1957) is set in the 1920's rather than the 1950's, but apart from the transition from horses to automobiles, the feeling is still 50-ish, although perhaps the two periods were pretty similar outside the major cities. It is about a traveling salesman and his wife and two children, a dysfunctional family. There is a "happy ending" but it is not really credible and is too late in any case.
I enjoyed all four; Inge is a good playwright, but no Arthur Miller.
November 7, 2021
Picnic and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs were the highlights of this for me.
January 6, 2023
3.5 overall. didn't expect to have the emotional reaction I did to DATTOTS, wow.
July 12, 2015
Inge is one of my favorite playwrights. Years before there was a David Lynch, there was a writer who looked at Middle America and saw thru its lies and hypocricies to the bleaker realities of its existence. With a sarcastic but not unsympathetic eye, Inge presents characters stuck in predetermined roles and struggling with lusts that would have had no place in the Saturday Evening Post. Inge was not the first to satirize the social realities of small town America (Sinclair Lewis comes to mind), but he did it in a way that was lively, direct, and believable, and his aim was true.
"Come Back, Little Sheba" was not my favorite in the bunch, but it is still a good piece. It concerns a lonely housewife whose husband is a recovering alcoholic. They have a pretty, sluttish boarder who is juggling two guys, one a brutish football player, and the other a young man from a wealthy family. The main character, Lola, occasionally pines for her dog Little Sheba, but what she really pines for is her lost youth.
"Picnic" was my favorite of the bunch. It has an ensemble cast and is set in a space between two houses in Kansas. Flo has two daughters: Madge, a stunning beauty, and Millie, who is smart and offbeat, but plain-looking. Flo wants to marry Madge off to nice rich boy Alan, but who Madge really wants is a ne'er do well hunk. In the other house, another courting drama develops in which aging single schoolteacher Rosemary is willing to take drastic measures to land the bachelor she covets. The play moves in different directions, sparked by Inge's wit and laced with some real pathos. Some critics have called him for using cliches, but it seems to me that he was deliberately and ironically working working with classic American types. There are moments of real feeling, sometimes mixed with satire - no easy trick.
"Bus Stop" is also superb, and it is less biting and more affectionate towards its milieu. A group of people are stranded by a snowstorm in a Kansas diner/bus stop, and during the course of the evening passions arise. The main one concerns the fervent pursuit of a trashy showgirl named Cherie by a bullheaded young cowboy (Bo), who has decided that Cherie will be settling down with him. There are diversions from the main story: a strong but lonely restauranteuse who takes bus drivers to bed, a charming, drunken professor who has the hots for the young counter girl, and the tough but decent town sherriff all get into it. This was made into a very fine, entertaining film starring Marilyn Monroe.
"The Dark at the Top of the Stars" was one of Inge's last successful works (he eventually sank into alcoholism and depression and committed suicide). This was another family story, centered on Cora, a rather weak woman who is having difficulty handling her family's troubles. Her roughneck husband cheats on her, her daughter is crippled by shyness, her son has retreated into fantasies of movie stars, and they are on the verge of losing their house. The plot is weak and the story is left unresolved, but some of the characters keep things interesting enough.
"Come Back, Little Sheba" was not my favorite in the bunch, but it is still a good piece. It concerns a lonely housewife whose husband is a recovering alcoholic. They have a pretty, sluttish boarder who is juggling two guys, one a brutish football player, and the other a young man from a wealthy family. The main character, Lola, occasionally pines for her dog Little Sheba, but what she really pines for is her lost youth.
"Picnic" was my favorite of the bunch. It has an ensemble cast and is set in a space between two houses in Kansas. Flo has two daughters: Madge, a stunning beauty, and Millie, who is smart and offbeat, but plain-looking. Flo wants to marry Madge off to nice rich boy Alan, but who Madge really wants is a ne'er do well hunk. In the other house, another courting drama develops in which aging single schoolteacher Rosemary is willing to take drastic measures to land the bachelor she covets. The play moves in different directions, sparked by Inge's wit and laced with some real pathos. Some critics have called him for using cliches, but it seems to me that he was deliberately and ironically working working with classic American types. There are moments of real feeling, sometimes mixed with satire - no easy trick.
"Bus Stop" is also superb, and it is less biting and more affectionate towards its milieu. A group of people are stranded by a snowstorm in a Kansas diner/bus stop, and during the course of the evening passions arise. The main one concerns the fervent pursuit of a trashy showgirl named Cherie by a bullheaded young cowboy (Bo), who has decided that Cherie will be settling down with him. There are diversions from the main story: a strong but lonely restauranteuse who takes bus drivers to bed, a charming, drunken professor who has the hots for the young counter girl, and the tough but decent town sherriff all get into it. This was made into a very fine, entertaining film starring Marilyn Monroe.
"The Dark at the Top of the Stars" was one of Inge's last successful works (he eventually sank into alcoholism and depression and committed suicide). This was another family story, centered on Cora, a rather weak woman who is having difficulty handling her family's troubles. Her roughneck husband cheats on her, her daughter is crippled by shyness, her son has retreated into fantasies of movie stars, and they are on the verge of losing their house. The plot is weak and the story is left unresolved, but some of the characters keep things interesting enough.
December 29, 2007
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs for me is a very interesting demonstration of the failings of Victorianism and the consequences that ensue. As society moves now from an agrarian culture to an urban illusion, families and communities begin to feel the crippling effects of their supposed America. The rigid expectations of post victorian comportment coupled with the excessiveness of consumerism so prevalent in the Flood's fast changing world calls into question what now in the 1950's is the true essence of American family values. This is illustrated on multiple levels in Inge's Top of the Stairs...in the desperation of women like Cora who strive to achieve for themselves and their children this illusory lifestyle that exists in a really non-existent realm, moving and transforming so quickly in light of the growing demands of capitalism, consumerism, the ideals of beauty, youth and sexual prowess. All this not withstanding the growing expressions of emotional collapse, paranoia and ethnocentrism that create the rocky terrain of these peoples life.
Let me just comment on the issue of ethnocentrism since its presence is powerful enough to push a child into committing suicides. It would seem that the Victorian idea of "good stock" that we observed in Cather's, O Pioneers reappears as strong and perversely as ever. Sammy is an extension of the empathic nature of our author/playwrite, however, Inge is himself a perpetrator of ethnocentrism as I count as least five (5) references to Indians has heathen, savage, or something less than human, and definitely quite unequal to the caucasion or anglo composition of the Flood community. Sammy is a victim felt for by the Floods, yet the floods has internalized the disease of racism so completely that even the playwrite himself does not see it, for he imparts it into the psyche of his characters sensibilities as they relate to the perceived world around them.On page 230 of my text Rubin lays himself out wide open establishing himself not only as a hard working good old boy, but one who wants to keep the neo-colonial nature of his world just the way he likes it. That means Indians (whatever that means, exactly) have their place and it isn't on an equal footing with universe of people that Rubin considers himself a member of. He says, "I gues they're no exaggertain' much, either, with all this money, those damned Indians ridin' around in their limousines, getting all that money fromt he government...and nobody knows what to do with it." For Rubin, in his understanding, no one knows, and Indians are at the bottom of the list in deserving of the opportunity to figure it out.
Let me just comment on the issue of ethnocentrism since its presence is powerful enough to push a child into committing suicides. It would seem that the Victorian idea of "good stock" that we observed in Cather's, O Pioneers reappears as strong and perversely as ever. Sammy is an extension of the empathic nature of our author/playwrite, however, Inge is himself a perpetrator of ethnocentrism as I count as least five (5) references to Indians has heathen, savage, or something less than human, and definitely quite unequal to the caucasion or anglo composition of the Flood community. Sammy is a victim felt for by the Floods, yet the floods has internalized the disease of racism so completely that even the playwrite himself does not see it, for he imparts it into the psyche of his characters sensibilities as they relate to the perceived world around them.On page 230 of my text Rubin lays himself out wide open establishing himself not only as a hard working good old boy, but one who wants to keep the neo-colonial nature of his world just the way he likes it. That means Indians (whatever that means, exactly) have their place and it isn't on an equal footing with universe of people that Rubin considers himself a member of. He says, "I gues they're no exaggertain' much, either, with all this money, those damned Indians ridin' around in their limousines, getting all that money fromt he government...and nobody knows what to do with it." For Rubin, in his understanding, no one knows, and Indians are at the bottom of the list in deserving of the opportunity to figure it out.
October 10, 2023
Since this is my first kind of review in this format--one where most or all of the stories/plays are listed stand-alone--I get to introduce the new system. Essentially, rather than rewriting my thoughts for every individual piece, I'll link to my reviews of each piece, and for any new material I'll review that here. Then, like other anthologies, I'll rate this based on the average of the individual parts' ratings. Now, that out of the way, the four plays.
Come Back Little Sheba - 4/5
Picnic - 3/5
Bus Stop - 5/5
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs - 3.5/5
Overall rating: 3.875/5 (rounded up)
Favorite Play: Bus Stop
Least Favorite Play: Picnic
Would I own/re-read?: Maybe Bus Stop, but unsure about the others
TW: See individual reviews.
Does the animal die?: See individual reviews.
Come Back Little Sheba - 4/5
Picnic - 3/5
Bus Stop - 5/5
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs - 3.5/5
Overall rating: 3.875/5 (rounded up)
Favorite Play: Bus Stop
Least Favorite Play: Picnic
Would I own/re-read?: Maybe Bus Stop, but unsure about the others
TW: See individual reviews.
Does the animal die?: See individual reviews.
March 2, 2015
William Inge was one of the first serious playwrights I read and liked. I first encountered him in high school, and I recently found this collection in a corner of my bookshelf and decided to reread these four plays.
There’s something a little terrifying about rereading a book that heavily influenced a younger you. In the case of Inge, I can see why his plays caught my attention. Despite some awkward beats and stilted conversations, Mr. Inge was a phenomenally talented playwright. His plays are both specific and vague, providing a clear road map while giving actors plenty of space in which to create and interpret their characters. On the face of it, all of these plays are about family dysfunction, which is not usually a favorite subject of mine, partially due to the overabundance of such plays. Even while creating solid stories, Mr. Inge dealt in grays and vagaries. There’s more he doesn’t spell out than does, resulting in complicated characters that feel much more authentic and human than most of the dysfunctional characters in dysfunctional family dramas. I’m glad I picked up this collection again, as it was fun to appreciate, all over again, these four plays. Recommended.
There’s something a little terrifying about rereading a book that heavily influenced a younger you. In the case of Inge, I can see why his plays caught my attention. Despite some awkward beats and stilted conversations, Mr. Inge was a phenomenally talented playwright. His plays are both specific and vague, providing a clear road map while giving actors plenty of space in which to create and interpret their characters. On the face of it, all of these plays are about family dysfunction, which is not usually a favorite subject of mine, partially due to the overabundance of such plays. Even while creating solid stories, Mr. Inge dealt in grays and vagaries. There’s more he doesn’t spell out than does, resulting in complicated characters that feel much more authentic and human than most of the dysfunctional characters in dysfunctional family dramas. I’m glad I picked up this collection again, as it was fun to appreciate, all over again, these four plays. Recommended.
July 6, 2022
Come Back Little Sheba: (***) Little Sheba is the lost puppy and symbol of lost chance...the road not taken. It made me cry. I don't care who you are I think anybody can find a piece of themselves in here...regret, resignation, sporadic hope.
Picnic: (****) The epitome of late summer--it's hot, steamy, and ooooo those kisses!! A fantastic piece of writing with great dramatic roles. A beautiful, well-written classic and for once I agree with all the lists it's on.
Bus Stop: (*****) A "slice of life" comedy where all the characters are likeable, even the ones you "shouldn't". I enjoyed it so much I'm suspicious.
The Dark At the Top of the Stairs: (**) A symbol of adult knowledge (including, but not limited to, sex) the Dark at the Top of the Stairs is the story of a family teetering on the brink of collapse, what with a chronically absent father, an overly protective mother, and two social outcast children who deal with their social status by isolating themselves further. Tragedy strikes, crises hit, etc. It's a classic for a reason, and I'd enjoy studying this play--as a casual theater-goer I might or might not enjoy seeing it on stage.
Picnic: (****) The epitome of late summer--it's hot, steamy, and ooooo those kisses!! A fantastic piece of writing with great dramatic roles. A beautiful, well-written classic and for once I agree with all the lists it's on.
Bus Stop: (*****) A "slice of life" comedy where all the characters are likeable, even the ones you "shouldn't". I enjoyed it so much I'm suspicious.
The Dark At the Top of the Stairs: (**) A symbol of adult knowledge (including, but not limited to, sex) the Dark at the Top of the Stairs is the story of a family teetering on the brink of collapse, what with a chronically absent father, an overly protective mother, and two social outcast children who deal with their social status by isolating themselves further. Tragedy strikes, crises hit, etc. It's a classic for a reason, and I'd enjoy studying this play--as a casual theater-goer I might or might not enjoy seeing it on stage.
April 18, 2010
Eh, Inge is extremely good at writing dialogue and creating a sense of place, but there's something about his work that never appealed to me. Maybe it's that his plays disproportionately are about small-town life in the fifties, a subject that holds little more than passing interest for most people who didn't live in that era. I understand why this book was assigned in my scene study class (and it served its purpose well), but outside of an academic survey of contemporary American theater I doubt that most people will be drawn to it. Still, Inge does deserve more praise than certain of his overrated contemporaries, particularly Tennessee Williams.
October 20, 2014
Inge was one of the most accomplished playwrights of the 1950s Broadway Stage, and this volume contains the his four most successful. Picnic won him a Pulitzer Prize. It's interesting to note in the 1953 production, a young Paul Newman made his theater debut. Tennessee Williams, Inge's contemporary, praised his talent and power.
I found a lot of strength in the dialogue of these four works, but near their endings at times sentimentality creeps in, especially in Bus Stop. In most of the plays the resolution comes when lovers or married couples patch up strained relationships or go off with each other seeking happiness.
I found a lot of strength in the dialogue of these four works, but near their endings at times sentimentality creeps in, especially in Bus Stop. In most of the plays the resolution comes when lovers or married couples patch up strained relationships or go off with each other seeking happiness.
August 17, 2011
A collection of four of Inge's most famous plays. I had previously seen movies based on Come Back, Little Sheba, Picnic, and Bus Stop and enjoyed reading the stage versions. My favorite of this collection was The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. All four had a major component of aging adults vicariously reliving teenage romance through the youngsters in their lives, tainted with their own sexual attractions to those youngsters. I added this book to my reading list from a Writer's Almanac tribute to Inge's birthday (May 3, 1913).
January 21, 2018
Midwestern kids, and adults, find love while coming together at a picnic. The spinster and the businessman, the perfect girl and the rogue. The lovers run off while the conservative people who love them stay behind to wonder.
Set in Kansas with the big city being Tulsa, this play is pretty straightforward in its geometry. I did not fall in love with any of the characters so ended it on a fine note.
Can't recommend.
Set in Kansas with the big city being Tulsa, this play is pretty straightforward in its geometry. I did not fall in love with any of the characters so ended it on a fine note.
Can't recommend.
October 9, 2012
Inge is great at really delving into the passion and the pain of unrequited love. Plays are meant to be seen, but to be able to read the text and analyze his universal characters (even if they appear dated for today) truly illuminate why he was a master at his craft. Too bad his tragic internal pain forced him to do what he did.
February 5, 2017
This book was originally published in 1958, fairly early in Inge's career, but it includes all of his best known plays. "Picnic" and "Bus Stop" live up to their status as classics, the other two are good but don't quite come up to the same high standard.
Reading Inge's plays now really is a stroll into the past, the attitudes (particularly about sex) are so different now.
Reading Inge's plays now really is a stroll into the past, the attitudes (particularly about sex) are so different now.
February 29, 2008
Inge is a very underated playwright in my opinion. Picnic and Bus Stop really have a quiet power. And what may look like characters who are not doing anything are far from it. It is just that the power of what is going on internally is so forceful, they can be rendered immobile.
October 2, 2009
These plays were really beautiful. I loved the language, and the character's emotions were so wonderfully described. My favorite was The Dark at the Top of the Stairs. That one was so sad it affected me for days! And how could I resist the cowboy or the waitress in Bus Stop?
October 4, 2009
The Four Plays of William Inge was a fantastic books. Those plays were really hard core to the drama and characters were soulfully indepth with their struggles. All beautifully expressed. I give this books 2 tumbs up, and 5 stars. =)~
August 26, 2007
I actually enjoyed the plays, which is actually surprising, because I'm actually a not-so-big fan of plays.
June 16, 2008
I like Inge, his plays usually have a sad undertone, but they're very realistic and enjoyable.
August 18, 2009
Mrs. Potts: I feel sort of excited, Flo. I think we plan picnics just to give ourselves an excuse--to let something thrilling happen in our lives.
Flo: Such as what?
Mrs. Potts: I don't know.
Flo: Such as what?
Mrs. Potts: I don't know.
November 27, 2009
Excellent Compilation.
February 9, 2011
"Come Back Little Sheba" Found in : Contemporary Drama 15 plays pg 453
Also: Found in paperback "William Inge, Four Plays
Also: Found in paperback "William Inge, Four Plays
July 30, 2013
Four great plays, by an insightful author. Each piece really delves into relationships and the nature of love and relationships. Great plays, and wonderful monologues for any actor.
March 24, 2021
My first conference presentation in my professional career was over the play “Come Back, Little Sheba.” The play, and Inge’s work, though regional, speaks universally of loss and longing.
July 8, 2007
Read the play "Bus Stop" in the series. Read "Picnic" in the past
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews