# Recommend Me Some Plays **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305 "2003-10-08T15:33:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BytopianDream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@BytopianDream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BytopianDream)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/1 "2003-10-08T15:33:02Z")
Hi there. I have an Acting II class and I’m supposed to do two scenes with a partner. She is a theatre major and asked me to pick one of them. Well, I’m a psychology major and have seen two contemporary plays (both of which I couldn’t stand). I have not read any either since I prefer reading novels and not plays. So anybody have any playwrights or plays they might recommend? The plays have to be contemporary (after 1850), not film or television and professional plays (meaning by the professor: not written by me, actually published and performed). I’m looking for something that excites you. A play that is good meaty acting stuff. Any direction and advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks, BytopianDream ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/2 "2003-10-08T15:59:15Z")
Playwrights…I love Eugene O’Neill! An amazing and prolific 20th century playwright. Recent notable plays…You can google them to find more info…I don’t have time to right now. One fun one that would be quite interesting for you two… **The Vagina Monologues** **Porgy & Bess** **The Emperor’s New Clothes** **Saturday Night Fever** **Fame** **Anything Goes** **As You Like It** **The Graduate** **The Producers** Those are recent notables I have seen in the past two years…Very fun lines and great stimulating plot’s… ---
**Author:** ![h.sapiens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e0b2c6/32.png) [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/3 "2003-10-08T16:10:55Z")
You might try something by Oscar Wilde, such as _The Importance of Being Earnest_. Or maybe Tom Stoppard: _The Real Thing_ or even _Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead_. ---
**Author:** ![saramamalana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@saramamalana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saramamalana)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/4 "2003-10-08T16:11:44Z")
**Prelude to a Kiss** (I forget the playwright) has great dialogue between a man and a woman. That was a fun show to do…and you can rent the movie if you like. **All in the Timing** by David Ives is a great funny play that’s actually 6 playlets. The first playlet is called “Sure Thing” and it’s really funny and challenging, and you need a bell. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/5 "2003-10-08T16:17:19Z")
_Glengarry Glen Ross._ Super-charged drama, very intense. And if you can master the rhythyms of dialogue in it, you’ll be sittin pretty. All-guy cast, though. Don’t now if that’s a roadblock for you. ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/6 "2003-10-08T16:20:16Z")
Definitely David Ives… funny stuff. I did a duet in high school of Variations on the Death of Trotsky. We got a lot of laughs. Also second Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead, or _ **anything** _ by Tom Stoppard. For more dramatic stuff: Giving up the Ghost by Cherrie Moraga, depending on how intense your subject matter can be (rape, lesbianism, crossdressing) ---
**Author:** ![Angler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Angler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angler)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/7 "2003-10-08T16:23:47Z")
Here are two plays loaded with meaty, highly dramatic scenes. “A View from the Bridge” by Arthur Miller. “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” by Edward Albee. Nothing dull or dreary about either of these dramas. They are full of gut wrenching emotion and complicated characters who scream at each other. And there are some very good scenes in each of these plays which involve just a man and a woman on stage. “Break a leg” Angler ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/8 "2003-10-08T16:28:41Z")
Try Edward Albee’s _Zoo Story_. Only two characters in the entire play, good dialogue really well written. I see that **Angler** ’s nominated “Virginia Woolf,” also by Albee - both are good plays, though I’m a big fan of absurdist theatre, so I’d probably go with Zoo Story. ---
**Author:** ![Angler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Angler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angler)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/9 "2003-10-08T16:34:22Z")
BytopianDream — I made have been a dope by assuming you’re a guy and you needed a scene with a male & female on the stage at the same time. Checked your profile - no indication. If you are indeed both female — try this one …but it won’t be easy! “The Miracle Worker” by William Gibson. There are some fantastic scenes between the characters Hellen Keller and her teacher, Annie Sullivan. But like I said … this is pretty tough stuff to pull off. Hellen Keller is deaf & blind, and Annie Sullivan has an Irish accident. “Knock 'em dead” Angler ---
**Author:** ![Angler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Angler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angler)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/10 "2003-10-08T16:39:52Z")
I mean “I may have been…” not “I made have been…” Typing too fast… Sorry Angler ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/11 "2003-10-08T16:51:16Z")
Angler - Welcome to SDMB! Nice name, we share a common interest! Plus great advice on “the miracle worker” I loved it. Oh and don’t wory abut spelling, and grammer see [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=209383&highlight=spelling)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/12 "2003-10-08T16:57:51Z")
**Harold Pinter**. If you are in fact a man partnered with a woman as we seem to be assuming you could try something from _Betrayal_\* or even _The Hothouse_, which have interesting female roles. **Tina Howe** is also great. You could try _Museum_ or _The Art of Dining_. ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/13 "2003-10-08T17:41:57Z")
I’ll third the nomination of David Ives. I went to see his anthology of short plays, _All in the Timing_. I nearly passed out from the pain in my side and oxygen deprivation brought on by laughing my ass off. It was a little awkward, though, since I was just about the only person laughing – you have to love wordplay to appreciate it. _All in the Timing_ includes several plays that can be done with just one man and one woman, though you might need some offstage help for a couple of them. My nomination is _The Universal Language_. Sheer genius. ---
**Author:** ![BytopianDream](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9de0a6/32.png) [@BytopianDream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BytopianDream)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/14 "2003-10-08T18:45:22Z")
Thanks everybody, this has given me some great starting points. And welcome to you **Angler**. Thanks again, time to go searching and reading. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/15 "2003-10-08T23:44:35Z")
A fourth for David Ives. Totally brilliant, sharp, hilarious stuff. I’m giggling right now remembering some of it. ---
**Author:** ![bulletproof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@bulletproof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bulletproof)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/16 "2003-10-09T01:01:56Z")
No Exit is really good. ---
**Author:** ![kung\_fu\_lola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f4b2a3/32.png) [@kung\_fu\_lola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kung_fu_lola)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/17 "2003-10-09T01:37:24Z")
A few of my all-time faves: **After Liverpool** by Some Guy WhosenameIcan’t remember, **A Life In The Theatre** by David Mamet, and **The Bald Soprano** , by the brilliant Eugene Ionesco. If you want to go with some classics, **Antigone** and **Oedipus Rex** are good for heartwrending and tearjerking. The poetry of **Oedipus** just floors me, I mean really. It makes me want to swoon. And of course, being a Madonna fan, I am compelled to mention **Up For Grabs** , which was _hilarious_ (“Oh my GOD, Manny, that’s too BIG for me!”), and **Jesus Hopped The A Train**. ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/18 "2003-10-09T04:40:48Z")
Tennessee Williams’ _The Glass Menagerie_ and _A Streetcar Named Desire_. Most of Neil Simon’s catalogue is good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/19 "2003-10-09T05:40:43Z")
How about **Burn This** , by Lanford Wilson? It’s got some good guy/girl scenes. It’s about a dancer who dies, and his brother, named Pale, comes into the lives of the dancer’s friends. Edward Norton has recently performed this play, and a link can be found [here](http://www.edward-norton.org/burnthis.html) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-me-some-plays/206305/20 "2003-10-09T11:53:30Z")
What, nobody’s recommended George Bernard Shaw? Great stuff, and not all cerebral, despite what you may have heard. **Pygmalion Saint Joan Man and Superman** (especially the “Don Juan in Hell” scenes **Caesar and Cleopatra The Man of Destiny** and a great many others. My personal favorite is Robert Bolt. He wrote the screenplays for Lawrence of Arabia, A Man for All Seasons, Dr. Zhivago, The Mission, and others, but he first made his mark as a plywright: **A Man for all Seasons Vivat! Nivat Regina! State of Revolution** A couple of my other favorites: There’s Peter Schaeffer: **Equus Amadeus The Royal Hunt of the Sun** or Bernard Pomerabnce’s **The Elephant Man**. Or Goldman’s **The Lion in Winter** Or **The Madness of George III**. Don’t forget comedies. I love the plays of Neil Simon, and they’ve been gathered into at least three large volumes. Or try Woody Allen’s old plays **Don’t Drink the Water** and **Play it Again Sam**. Or Steve Martin’s plays. You can get copies of the plays at bookshops specializing in plays, or via the companies that sell them (Baker’s plays, for instance).