Selected Plays

by Arthur Laurents, Terrence McNally (Foreword), Gabriel Miller (Introduction)

If he had done nothing more than write the book for the musicals West Side Story and Gypsy , Arthur Laurents would be assured a place in the pantheon of American theater. But he has done much more, including directing, screenwriting, and playwriting. Here, for the first time, is an anthology of seven of Laurents' most acclaimed and challenging plays. It begins with Home of the Brave , the play that launched Laurents' career. This wartime drama known for its frank treatment of anti-Semitism and war trauma remains as potent today as it was when it opened on Broadway in 1945. The anthology continues through some of Laurents' most recent work, including 2 Lives , a witty, frequently poignant portrait of an elderly gay couple confronting mortality and coming to terms with their lives. Also included are The Enclave , Jolson Sings Again , My Good Name , Closing Bell , and Attacks on the Heart . Spanning nearly 60 years and covering a wide variety of topical and emotional terrain, this is an important book from an American theater legend.





• Home of the Brave

• The Enclave

• Jolson Sings Again

• My Good Name

• Closing Bell

• 2 Lives, and

• Attacks on the Heart


• The first-ever anthology of plays by a giant of American theater

• Each play features a new introduction by the author

• Laurents' recent memoir was the most highly accliamed theater memoir in years

• A revival of Gypsy , starring Bernadette Peters, is playing to sold-out audiences on Broadway

• Author Laurents speaks widely on American theater, always to a packed house

• Advertising in Back Stage magazine


From the Hardcover edition.

480 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2004

About the author

Arthur Laurents was an American playwright, librettist, stage director, and screenwriter. His credits included the stage musicals West Side Story and Gypsy and the film The Way We Were.

Reviews

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to get the original play that It’s a Wonderful Life is based from, but it isn’t in this volume.

Also, I don’t usually read plays, so that was new and fun, but my inter-library loan expired and I had to send this book back with reading only one play. -Which I enjoyed very much.

Maybe I’ll have to borrow this again and read the rest.

Good, just ran out of time.