Books published by Samuel French Ltd

Written in 1941 this book remians the longest-running comedy in the history of the British theatre for three decades.

Double-entendres non-stop as the motley crew of the Grace Brothers department store prepare for a sale of German goods, then depart for their staff holiday at a one-star hotel in Spain. But will the heat, Spanish crumpet, giant woof-n-poofs, and randy revolutionaries prove too much for our lot?

Comedy / Casting: 5m, 4f / Scenery: Combined Interior Half a dozen friends and relatives are celebrating Christmas with Neville and Belinda. Various children are also there and, though unseen, their presence is always felt. Petty squabbles break out and some not so petty. The arrival of Clive, a young writer, leads to what momentarily appears to be a tragedy: Clive is shot by trigger happy Harvey who thinks he is a burglar. Hilarious highlights include a chaotically incompetent puppet show and a midnight love scene that sets off a fearful din among mechanical Christmas toys. "Brilliantly combines cynicism and humor." Sunday Express. "Superbly crafted." Sunday Telegraph.

Little Voice (LV) lives alone with her mother Mari, whose sole purpose in life is to find a man. When Mari's latest catch hears LV's impersonations of famous singers, he rushes to exploit it, and the result destroys LV. Finally, however, LV regains the courage to speak and sing in her own voice.

Mystery/Thriller Arnold Ridley Characters: 7 male, 4 femaleInterior Set A long running success in London and on Broadway and packed with thrills, chills and laughter. In Maine near the Canadian border there's a legend of a phantom locomotive sweeping through a peaceful village leaving death in its wake. Rum and narcotic runners use this and the villagers' superstition to their advantage but a not as incompetent as he seems detective clears up the mystery of the specter and attendant deaths. His seemingly silly actions result in the apprehension of the evildoers and the little village and its station are finally at peace. For sheer, creeping mystery, it's a play without a peer.

This comic thriller uses time travel to explore "rewriting the future". The year is 2014 and Phobe, a prostitute, is dragged into the aftermath of a double murder - only to find herself literally stepping into the past and the lives of the victims.

Noel Coward's glorious wit and dramatic precision combine to form his 1930s masterpiece about modern romance. Private Lives continues to be one of his most performed and read works.

The Royal family has been moved to a housing estate in Leicester and have to live as ordinary people. This play is a satire on the failings of the welfare state, the pretensions, expectations and personal foibles of the Royal Family as they attempt to come to terms with their new situation.

Keen to boost his flagging career, fading Hollywood action hero Jefferson Steele arrives in England to play King Lear in Stratford – only to find that this is not the birthplace of the Bard, but a sleepy Suffolk village. And instead of Kenneth Branagh and Dame Judi Dench, the cast are a bunch of amateurs trying to save their theatre from developers. Jefferson’s monstrous ego, vanity and insecurity are tested to the limit by the enthusiastic am-dram thespians. As acting worlds collide and Jefferson’s career implodes, he discovers some truths about himself – along with his inner Lear!“terrific comedy packed with killer comic dialogue... plenty of twists and turns” ***** Whatsonstage“Deliciously stuffed with Shakespeare...a laugh-a-minute” **** Mail on Sunday

The course of true love never did run too smoothly, and it certainly isn't doing so for Meg, housekeeper to the tyranical Trevor Lloyd. Meg is sweet on Trevor's younger brother Hughie, who feels the same about her, but lacks the con dence and imagination to make the first move.

A woman with two grown-up sons and a daughter surprises her children on the eve of one of their marriage with the news that they are all illegitmate, each with a di erent father. After much ado, they decide to continue as before with the portrait of "Dear Charles" unknown father and patriarch, above the mantle, as 'father' to them all.

Phil Willmott's dazzling musical centres on the iconic Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool which saw the great and the glamorous pass through its doors from its heyday in the 1920s to 1940s. Suitable for a large mixed cast.

This is a comic, ironic look at patronizing bureaucracy. The social services department of the local council is preparing a register of the elderly and eager June Potter is despatched. Mam and Dad are in their 60s, but they are perfectly able-bodied and have no intention of being registered.

In 1974, Alan Bennett encountered Miss Mary Shepherd, an elderly eccentric who was living in a van in the street near his home in Camden Town. He eventually allowed her to park her van in his garden, the idea being that she would stay three months - but those three months extended to fifteen years.

Drama Sean O'Casey Characters: 10 male, 5 female Three interior and exterior scenes This play is gripping from beginning to end. It has to do with the futile efforts of the leader of one of the Irish revolutions. He is finally killed and his wife goes mad after losing her unborn child.

Sir Marcus Pennington appears to have it all: a beautiful actress wife, Victoria, two loving daughters and a successful career as a respected barrister. But behind the facade he is leading a triple life, romancing two other women: Dexie, a prostitute, and Millicent, the widow of his best friend, now his PA.

Eileen has a full time job, a fifteen year old daughter with a lot of secrets, a mother in-law who's showing signs of dementia, a baby on the way, and a husband who doesn't want to deal with any of it. As she tries to clear the way for the new baby, the family push each other's buttons in the way only families know how. There isn't enough room for everybody but no one is leaving without a struggle.