Albee's middle years, and much prime material in this collection. Particularly interesting are Box and Quotations of Chairman Mao Tse Tung, short plays meant to be performed together, and reminiscent of Samuel Beckett. Stock characters appear on occasion, but it could be argued that they are needed for the structure of a particular play to hold together. Many of the plays in this collection are in the grand tradition of George and Martha, though all of these plays lack the sheer raw brutality. Albee writes about the underbelly of middle class life, and most people are probably going to squirm sooner or later as they recognize themselves somewhere within his characterizations. ( )