Wrecks and Other Plays
Description
This collection includes one full-length play, WRECKS, and seven short plays, COAX, FALLING IN LIKE, LAND OF THE DEAD, LIARS CLUB, LOVE AT TWENTY, STAND-UP, and UNION SQUARE. WRECKS: Can someone honestly love a person whom they have deceived for thirty years? This is the central question behind WRECKS, Neil LaBute’s latest foray into the dark side of human nature. Meet Edward Carr: loving father, successful businessman, grieving widower. In this concise powerhouse of a play, LaBute limns the boundaries of love, exploring the limits of what society will accept versus what the heart will desire. This collection also features the short plays UNION SQUARE, LOVE AT TWENTY, LAND OF THE DEAD, STAND-UP, LIARS CLUB, COAX, and FALLING IN LIKE. UNION SQUARE: A man headed downtown from Union Square asks directions from a homeless man and winds up sharing the details of his marriage and the unexpected contents of his lunch bag. LOVE AT TWENTY: A college student veers between idolatry and vengeance. LAND OF THE DEAD: A New York couple part. He goes to the office, she to a clinic. As events unfold, it becomes clear that this is very far from an ordinary day. STAND-UP: An amateur comic struggles with his new routine. LIARS CLUB: A group of actors addresses the audience. Are they performing a script or sharing personal stories? COAX: Jacob, a nice young man, eagerly anticipates a meeting with the Internet friend with whom he’s corresponded for months. When the young lady finally arrives, Jacob informs us of his plans for her. FALLING IN LIKE: A woman waits at a table. She’s very sure he’s going to show up. He’s a little late, but he always shows up. It’s their anniversary after all. All right, once or twice maybe he didn’t show up. Perhaps she’ll wait just a few more minutes, because he will show up.
Plays in This Collection
Press Quotes
“[LaBute’s] cruel wit and chronicles of immoral moralizers have made him, arguably, the most legitimately provocative and polarizing playwright at work today.” —David Amsden, New York Magazine
“[LaBute] continues to probe the fascinating dark side of individualism … [His] great gift is to live in and to chronicle that murky area of not-knowing, which mankind spends much of its waking life denying.” —John Lahr, The New Yorker
“A playwright [with] an unparalleled ear for dialogue.” —Jacques Le Sourd, The Journal News
“A tough-minded writer.” —Michael Kuchwara, The Washington Post
Author
Neil LaButeNeil LaBute received his Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic writing from New York University and was the recipient of a literary fellowship to study at the Royal Court Theatre, London. He also attended the Sundance Institute's Playwrights Lab and is the Playwright-in-Residence with MCC Theatre in New York City. LaBute's plays include: BASH: LATTER-DAY PLAYS, THE SHAPE OF THINGS, THE MERCY SEAT, THE DISTANCE FROM HERE, AUTOBAHN, FAT PIG (Olivier Award nominated for Best Comedy), SOME GIRL(S), THIS IS HOW IT GOES, WRECKS, FILTHY TALK FOR TROUBLED TIMES, IN A DARK DARK HOUSE, REASONS TO BE PRETTY (Tony Award nominated for Best Play) and THE BREAK OF NOON. In 2011 his play IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP premiered in London's West End. LaBute is also the author of Seconds of Pleasure, a collection of short fiction which was published by Grove Atlantic. His films include In the Company of Men (New York Critics' Circle Award for Best First Feature and the Filmmaker Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty, Possession, The Shape of Things, a film adaptation of his play of the same title, The Wicker Man, Lakeview Terrace and Death at a Funeral.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 12/19/2016 |
| Pages | 124 |
| ISBN | 9780881456882 |