Books published by Samuel French Ltd

Poppy is a celebration of Victorian values and exposes the hypocrisy, racism, drug dealing, money worship and sexual repression of the time through its favourite entertainment form. Dick Whittington, his man Jack, Sally the Principal Girl, the Dame, two pantomime horses, a flying ballet, a transformation scene and even the traditional song-sheet are all brought on to tell the serious and finally devasting story of the single most profitable crop of the British East India Company.4 women, 6 men

Newly acquired BA gowns hang heavy on the shoulders of Jane and Timothy. Having got this far, what on earth do they do next? They could get married, of course (so they do), but how can they make a living? In a London park one breathlessly warm summer day they encounter a tramp who trundles round a mobile mini-piano. Even tramps need a holiday now and then, and he invites the young graduates to look after his business interests for a month at OE¿7 per week plus whatever they can collect. The piano is not just any old mobile mini; those who hear it find themselves dancing, even against their better judgment. On this gentle thread of story is strung a series of revue-type scenes providing rich opportunities for versatile comedy players who can also sing and dance. For the chorus Originally, nothing! The production which ran for 2,283 record-breaking performances at the Vaudeville had a cast of twelve, plus a pianist, who between them played fifty-five roles of assorted lengths - the star of one scene being required, perhaps, to do no more than walk on in the next. Needless to say, there is every opportunity for an imaginative producer to use a much larger cast.

This is an adaptation of the haunting stories of Hans Christian Andersen. Act I comprises "The Little Match Girl" and "The Brave Tin Soldier" and Act II "The Snow Queen". There are 57 named characters with many more numbered characters acting as narrators.

Jim and Mary Baxter are in the middle of one of life''s major traumas äóî they are having an extension built on to their house. A great deal of their time is taken up with negotiating with the builder, the charming but evasive David.|1 woman, 5 men

"One must believe in werewolves, one must believe in the people and one must care what happens to them."3 women, 9 men

The departure lounges of ten airports across Europe and America provide a backdrop of delays, dangers and frustration as two business executives, Jim and Steve, embark on a journey of self-discovery.

Adaptation of: The horse and his boy / C.S. Lewis.

In this one-woman play, middle-aged Angela attempts to find a new life when husband Max leaves for a younger woman. Using a blend of comedy and pathos, Geraldine Aron recounts Angela's journey back to happiness...

It is in April 1939. An English couple, Peter and Suzy, are living in Provence in idyllic isolation, far, it seems, from the rumblings of the coming war. Their peace is shattered from within when Suzy discovers she has been betrayed: Peter is not the man he claims to be.

Written for Chiswick Youth Theatre, this play of rich comedy and powerful drama has a large cast, with a preponderance of good female roles. The daughters are the young girls taken in as orphans and cared for by the'sisters of the Piet¿¿. The convent is famous for its girls' orchestra under the direction of Vivaldi and the play follows the fortun's of three of the girls about to enter the harsh commercial world.13 women, 9 men

WINNER! Best Musical - 2015 Tony® Awards!WINNER! Best Score (Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron) - 2015 Tony® Awards!WINNER! Best Book of a Musical (Lisa Kron) - 2015 Tony® Awards!WINNER! BEST MUSICAL - New York Drama Critics'' Circle Award, Obie Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Off-Broadway Alliance AwardFINALIST! The Pulitzer Prize for DramaWhen her father dies unexpectedly, graphic novelist Alison dives deep into her past to tell the story of the volatile, brilliant, one-of-a-kind man whose temperament and secrets defined her family and her life. Moving between past and present, Alison relives her unique childhood playing at the family''s Bechdel Funeral Home, her growing understanding of her own sexuality, and the looming, unanswerable questions about her father''s hidden desires. Fun Home is a refreshingly honest, wholly original musical about seeing your parents through grown-up eyes.

This sparkling and fun filled version of the traditional tale of Dick Whittington is delightfully brought to life by the pantomine specialist John Morley. All the favorite characters are here - Tommy the Cat, Alice Fitzwarren, Sarah the Cook, King Rat, the Fairy of the Bells, and of course, Dick Whittington himself. The pantomime offers scope for lavish production but, if required, the staging can be very simple without in any way spoiling either the comedy routines or the telling of the famous story.-Large flexible cast

Relief drama teacher, Mary faces an uphill struggle when she tries to interest sixteen-year-olds Stacey, Kelly and Maggie in dance. She isn't helped by the science-obsessed headmaster, nor by the girl's patent lack of commitment, nor by the lack of funds and resources, but she ploughs doggedly on.

Based on a true story, The Elephant Man tells the tale of John Merrick, a 19th-century Londoner who became a star of the travelling freak show circuit. When the renowned Dr Teves comes across Merrick during one of his performances, he takes him into his care at the London Hospital. Here, the legend of the Elephant Man begins to grow, and a beautiful actress named Mrs Kendal arrives, determined to meet the man behind it. Teves and Kendal enter into a complex friendship with Merrick; torn between a desire to help him experience life, and the cruelties they must inflict in order to protect him.

A volume containing the following titles: Ali's Barbara, Spring Song Singers, Sea Side Trippers, Snow White Special, Albert Laddin, Ask a Silly Question, Fiesta Fandango, Forty Winks Beauty, Iron-Hot Strikers, Piccalilli Circus, Red Hot Cinders, Way Out West, What-Ho Within!12 women

Don and Shirley Weston have come to the Scardale Hall Health Hydro to relax, pamper themselves and just possibly rescue their ailing marriage. Don's experiences with exercise and therapy are far from positive and the rifts in the marriage widen as his mid-life crisis becomes more and more evident, and moments of reconciliation do little to improve the situation.3 women, 3 men, 4 women or men

The gruesome discovery of several dead bodies buried on the moor sparks a police investigation and a heavy media presence in the remote North Yorkshire village of Chellingford. When Adrian Brookes shows up at Jessica Scanlon's cottage, however, it's with another line of enquiry in mind. His sister, Laura, has disappeared...

Celebrated children''s author Edith Nesbit (The Railway Children, Five Children & It) retreats to her attic writing room during one of her husband''s tiresome parties with her housekeeper and an unexpected, handsome party guest. As midnight swiftly approaches, Edith gives a reading of her work. Not one of her cherished children''s tales, but her terrifying early horror stories.

For Madame Ranevskaya, her cherry orchard is more than just land. Returning for the first time since her son drowned there, she must come to terms with the fact that in order to free her family of debt the cherry orchard must be sold, the trees must be cleared and she and her family must prepare for life beyond the orchard.

Three sisters gather at their ailing mother's bedside; all have reason to hope her death will be soon. Jean needs some extra cash to start a new business; Fay's wildlife sanctuary could do with money; and the lonely, exhausted Margaret, who has nursed Mum, wants her freedom. Family tensions spill over into arguments and expressions of disappointment and regret.|4 women

Jane and Catherine have an antique cluttered house, unpaid bills, and a memory of marriage to the same man, now deceased. His will states they can live in the house if they don't sell its contents. They discover some jewels and a wily antique dealer gets them to accept a down payment and from then on everything they do to rectify matters gets them in deeper.6 women, 2 men

This intimate, immersive new adaptation of Chekhov's classic from critically-acclaimed playwright Annie Baker, author of Body Awareness, Circle Mirror Transformation, and The Flick, brings colloquial language to this internationaly beloved story of human relationships and yearning. Written with the "goal of creating a version that sounds to our contemporary American ears the way the play sounded to Russian ears during the play's first productions in the provinces in 1898," Ms. Bake

Our Man of the title is a soldier. He gets up, has breakfast and embarks on his mission. That's it! Very straight, very simple, very uninteresting! What makes the play interesting is that 'Our Man' is actually being controlled by six people living inside his head. We see all the events from the perspective of these six characters in the control room. How he fights off the distractions of fear, hunger, exhaustion and homesickness, in an effort to stay alive. We witness all the problems faced by the control team, including all the arguments, all the accidents and all the misunderstandings between them in their running of this "lethal fighting machine".6 men

A pantomime with songs in two acts, dating from 1954. Ronald Parr's lively adaptations can be performed with comparatively small casts, and only modest scenery is required. The songs are mostly set to Sir Arthur Sullivan's music for the Savoy Operas.-6 women, 5 men, 7 women or men

George and Linda Harper's 17 year marriage has gone stale, but George doesn't seem to be aware of it. When confronted with the problem, he gets a vasectomy, which solves nothing, so he moves out. Linda rearranges her life by enrolling in self-improvement courses. Trying for an amicable divorce, they agree to use one lawyer and hire their closest friend. When this backfires, George attempts reconciliation by trying to seduce Linda but is interrupted by the unexpected return of their son from a date. But it does result in their realizing they still care about each other and that their marriage is certainly worth a second chance.-2 women, 4 men

To reduce his medical fees, hypochondriac M. Argan decides to marry off his daughter Angelica to a physician's son. Unfortunately, Angelica loves Cl¿ante. Argan's brother B¿ralde and Toinette, an inventive maid, save the situation for the lovers and expose Mme Argan's schemes to bleed her husband of his fortune. Then they persuade the hypochondriac to turn physician so that he can quack himself free of charge.4 women, 8 men

The Amazon Theatre Group are to perform a little-known, passionate, Spanish drama in a festival. Amid multiple tensions and general chaos backstage, Lesley, the missing member, staggers in paralytically drunk and dressed in motorcycle gear. The adjudicator is impressed with the cast's seething passion and pronounces Lesley's motorcycle regalia a stroke of genius!6 women