Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments xi
4. Introduction xiii
5. Part One: Positions and Polemics
6. No Time for Comedy 3
7. The New Relevance 8
8. Does Theatre Matter? 11
9. Maiming the Messenger 14
10. Words on Fire 16
11. The Rebirth of Political Theatre: The God of Hell; Democracy 21
12. When Dramaturgs Ruled the Earth 27
13. Red and Blue States of Mind: The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee; Terrorism 36
14. Part Two: Plays and Productions
15. Varieties of Histrionic Experience: Medea; The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui 45
16. Mind Over Material: The Invention of Love; Mnemonic 50
17. The Jew Who Buried Hitler: The Producers 55
18. The Harrowing of Hell: In the Penal Colony; Hamlet; and Hamlet 61
19. Angels in Afghanistan: Homebody/Kabul 67
20. Goat Song: The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? 72
21. Comedy Is Harder: Private Lives; The Underpants 77
22. Prescient Plays: Far Away; A Number 82
23. Clever Ladies: Imaginary Friends; Adult Entertainment 87
24. Creations: Uncle Vanya and Twelfth Night; Take Me Out; Our Lady of 121st Street 91
25. Dysfunctional Families, Dysgenic Dynasties: Salome; Gypsy; Long Day’s Journey into Night 96
26. Smelly Orthodoxies: A Bad Friend; I Am My Own Wife 102
27. Shotover’s Apocalypse: Omnium Gatherum; Anna in the Tropics 107
28. Palace and Garden: Maria Stuart; House and Garden 113
29. The Political Power of Puns: Caroline, or Change; The Beard of Avon 118
30. A King and Two Queens: King Lear; Valhalla 124
31. Homeboy Godot: Topdog/ Underdog; Fortune’s Fool 129
32. Pyrotechnics and Ice: Jumpers; Frozen 134
33. The Past Revisited: The Frogs; After the Fall 139
34. In the Jungle: Rose Rage; Hedda Gabler 144
35. Impersonations: Monty Python’s Spamalot; Orson’s Shadow; Julius Caesar 150
36. Prosecution Plays: Doubt; Romance; The Last Days of Judas Iscariot; The Pillowman; Thom Pain (Based on Nothing); The Light in the Piazza 156
37. Theatre of the Mushy Tushy: Le dernier caravansérail (Odyssées) 162
38. Lear’s Lendings: King Lear 167
39. Part Three: People and Places
40. Marlon Brando: Contempt for Acting 173
41. Requiem for Jan Kott 180
42. Pieter-Dirk Uys: The Good Hope of the Cape 182
43. Theatre in Australia: The Cultural Cringe 186
44. Theatre in South Africa: Fronting 192
45. MASS MoCa: A Boom in the Boonies 203
46. Hallie Flanagan Davis and the Federal Theatre: Hallie’s Comet 208
47. Suzan-Lori Parks: Does Race Matter? 218
48. Kenneth Tynan and Peter Brook: The Cavalier and the Roundhead 222
49. Shakespeare in Bloom: The Two Noble Kinsmen; Henry IV; As You Like It 228
50. George S. Kaufman: Keeping Company with Kaufman 234
51. Shakespeare’s Geography 240
52. Primo Levi: The Saved and the Damned 245
53. The Death of Arthur Miller 250
54. Richard Gilman: Prisoner on the Aisle 253
55. Laurence Olivier and Elia Kazan: The Peer and the Pariah 259
56. Index 267