Van H. Cartmell (1896–1966)

Plays dating from the early part of the 20th century, all before WWII, including some well known classics such as Miss Julie and Waiting for Lefty Many of them read strangely to a 21st century reader accustomed to the expectations of a stripped down theatre; the long speeches and abundant exposition sound strange and forced in many ways. Still, it is an interesting bit of history, and many of these plays would work on stage today, at least if the directors ignored the rather elaborate sets show more envisioned by the authors, difficult to do in an evening of one acts. Overall, a good read, though not a particularly fast one. As usual in such an anthology, there are duds and groaners, things that leave you wondering why on earth anyone would have included that. show less

Plays from the early 20th century British stage, all of them noted in their time in America. Most of these are in the realism mode, though there are traces of romanticism in at least some of the works. Many of them are drawing room plays, but some of them go for a grittier subject matter, including war. At times, to a modern reader, a play does not go where we expect, and it is important in those times to remember that this was a different time, and certain subjects were seen as too delicate show more to actually deal with, though they were from time to time hinted at. Several of these plays reflect traces of nascent feminism, and a couple are even more blatant with their disgust with the roles society had limited women to in the Victorian era. To read these is to harken back to a time when it was possible to do plays that could truly be called epic. Long speeches were permissible, huge casts, and lavish sets. Definitely worth a read if you are interested in theatre, especially if you are interested in theatrical history. show less

Reading “The Front Page,” I was a bit shocked at the hostile attitudes toward women and of the characters firm racist views – an accurate portrayal of the place and time, I suppose.
“The Man Who Came to Dinner” one can never get enough of. Too hilarious.
I have always been fond of “Our Town” but it really has to be seen in production. The imagery is pure magic on the stage.

A collection of plays running from William Gillette's version of Sherlock Holmes (which did much to create the popular image of Homes, including the deerstalker) to Angel Street -- which I have seen very effectively performed, about a villain trying to drive his wife insane. On the whole, I prefer the earlier plays; the later ones tend to be grimmer and more psychological.