Oh, Hell!: Two One Act Plays

by David Mamet, Shel Silverstein

Bobby Gould in Hell by David Mamet Short Play, Comedy 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 bei

Genres: Plays

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

David Alan Mamet is an American author, essayist, playwright, screenwriter and film director. His works are known for their clever, terse, sometimes vulgar dialogue and arcane stylized phrasing, as well as for his exploration of masculinity.

As a playwright, he received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). As a screenwriter, he received Oscar nominations for The Verdict (1982) and Wag the Dog (1997).

Mamet's recent books include The Old Religion (1997), a novel about the lynching of Leo Frank; Five Cities of Refuge: Weekly Reflections on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy (2004), a Torah commentary, with Rabbi Lawrence Kushner; The Wicked Son (2006), a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism; and Bambi vs. Godzilla, an acerbic commentary on the movie business.

Reviews

[Mandy Stigant · Rating 5 out of 5]

So Shel Sylverstein wrote for grown-ups too . . . "The Devil and Billy Markham" lilts like "Devil Went Down to Georgia" and you can sort of imagine Johnny Cash singing it to the tune of "Boy Named Sue" . . . which Sylverstein also wrote, incidentally.

And Mamet is in top form with "Bobby Gould in Hell." One of the funniest plays in recent history.

[Amber the Human · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Silverstein play first. Quite amazing how it rhymes. Definitely a mythic, moral play. For sure not for kids. Both plays are quite short (to read, at least). Mamet's play is recognizable as his - I've only seen Speed the Plow, but the way he portrays women in both plays is similar, and, IMO, not fair. Don't really feel the need to seek out more of his stuff.

[William Savage · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devil and Billy Markham, by Shel Silverstein is remarkable. May the language turns people off but this is like a classic country song.

[E7boehm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny witty plays not Faust more tongue and cheek... Bob Gould resurrected.