Beth Henley Collected Plays Volume I: 1980-1989

by Beth Henley

Plays in Henley's Volume I are presented in the order in which they were first produced in New York. She includes with her introductions to each play a selection of her friends' memories.

Genres: Plays, Drama

315 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2000

About the author

Elizabeth Becker "Beth" Henley is an American playwright, screenwriter, and actress. Her play Crimes of the Heart won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the 1981 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play, and a nomination for a Tony Award.

Reviews

[Ciel Blue Rivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Henley is the most delightful, graceful playwright living in America today, and until she decides to write again, I will continue to revisit her two-volume collected plays with the same pleasure I might take in reconnecting with a lost, beloved friend. Her small tribe of sweet if batty, quicksilver unconventionals is often deeply moving and their quirks and eccentricities ripple through the mundane dreariness with such alacrity and spark that they suggest a smarter and kinder reality sits perhaps just beyond this one, and we too could wend our way to it, if only we were not these coarse creatures made of mud and malice. Henley has a delicate, sensitive touch that is never forced nor grasping, and with a few deft, light strokes, she is able to elevate unassuming commoners lost in the colorless fog of everyday life into some of the liveliest and most enjoyable characters you'll ever read.

[Dan Blackley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although these are her early players and they are very funny, I find that a lot of high schools would not be able to do them due to the subject matter. They are great for community theater ad for college but for high school I would not recommend them.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was actually moved to read this book by hearing about her plays on the Tobolowsky Files. It was one of my first time reading plays casually. I really loved the style of dialog, and the relationships between the characters were simultaneously simple and complex. Definitely worthwhile read.

[Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful souther writer. Her eccentric characters are as clear as crystal and as resonant. These plays are a joy to read and would be wonderful to see staged.