Books published by Samuel French Ltd

A series of sketches and vignettes. They are brief, witty and pointed. They are love encounters - the games people play. Here is the idiot way quarrels start up, or the way people meet and fence with one another. After Liverpool is not a play, but a suite of pieces. Published with Games.|Flexible casting

Max, an MP, comes to discuss a radio programme, which will trace his life through his favourite music. The show''s presenter, Amelia Cruikshank, is unavailable so Hector deputizes - but he is not what he purports to be. His questioning reveals shocking details of a story from the past and their repercussions in the present day, leading to the final shattering moments of this intriguing play.|1 woman, 2 men, 1 woman or man

The highly moral Mr Potter presides over a health farm and prides himself on his high standards of decency and decorum. But when Gerald Corby, arrives in search of peace and tranquility - only to be followed by a trio of ladies - the resulting misunderstandings prove more than a headache.

Robson has created a play about East and West in which a lonely man and a resouceful woman try and mend their broken lives. Martin and his spinster sister Ivy live on a farm - the arrival of his Filipino bride causes Ivy to dig up information about her past, with shocking consequences for them all.

Louise's house is turning into rubble as her architect husband takes a sledge-hammer to it as he has to their marriage - Louise escapes her unhappiness through fantasies of a former lover, who appears in guises culled from movies and fiction, and through her close, but stormy, friendship with Bibi.

It is 1957 and the Noone family is moving into a new house in Dublin. Presiding over the event is the Removals Man, who steps in and out of the action to explain the characters and their stories. The second half of the play is set in 1987 and the same family, no older than before, is moving into an even better house, their new relationships reflecting the revolutions that have taken place in family life in the intervening years.|4 women, 5 men

In this deeply moving and astutely observed play, we hear two monologues from two members of a family in a small, closely-knit, North of England town.|1woman, 1 man

When Sylvia''s boyfriend Robin walks out on her she decides on a rather unconventional method of finding a replacement. Determined not to be let down a second time, she has carefully arranged a timetable in order to "try out" various assorted lovers and assess their suitability before making her final choice of a potential husband. But timetables have a way of going wrong...|2 women, 3 men

Ted Forrest is a playwright with a problem ΓÇö writer''s block. When we first meet him ΓÇö bitter, disillusioned and consumed with envy of Miles Whittier, a younger, more successful playwright ΓÇö he has retreated to the country in an attempt to stimulate his creative impotence by writing an autobiographical novel.|2 women, 3 men

A hectic children''s birthday party provides a noisy background to a series of domestic crises. Robin has left Emma and Emma has become friendly with her solicitor, Tom; both Tom and Robin arrive for the celebrations. The mishaps of the party spill over into the kitchen''situation, the behaviour of the young visitors affecting the adults. By the end of the party however, thin''s look a little brighter for Robin and Emma.|4 women, 3 men

This domestic comedy explores the drama of a teenage marriage and the effects on a working-class British family. By the author of Alfie, this 1960''s Broadway hit was made into the film The Family Way which starred John and Hayley Mills.|4 women, 7 men

On the Feast of Stephen, the Chancellor of Bohemia is preparing a surprise for the King - a golden statue. The King, however, is beginning to have doubts about the difference between his wealth and the poverty of his subjects, a difference created, without his knowledge, by his Chancellor's cruelly hard taxes. The King leaves the palace in disguise and discovers the true nature of his Chancellor's actions on his behalf.2 women, 5 men

In a mock Tudor manor gone to seed lives 70 year old Maud and her younger son, forty five year old Mo. She speaks more to the soundless television than to him and he plays New Orleans jazz on his drums. An attempt to destroy this happy way of life is made on the occasion of the father's funeral by Hedley, the older son, and by Queenie, Mo's twin sister from California. But the cloistered pair prefer to remain in what is, in effect, a shed in the garden of Heartbreak House.2 women, 2 men

Its the swinging 1660s. King Charles II wants nothing too heavy: politics are a bore. When Nell and her friends join the new Drury Lane Theatre, Charles is delighted by their saucy songs and cheeky antics. Nell rises to stardom and she and Charles embark on one of the most infamous love stories.

With Catesby's Cabaret Club as its central setting, this musical show traces the conspirators' fated attempt to blow up Parliament in 1605 by planting gunpowder under the House of Commons.

Divorce Me, Darling! is a nostalgic and amusing take-off of the musical comedies of the 1930s and a sequel to the technique used in The Boy Friend for the 1920s. The charming young pupils of Mme Dubonnet's finishing school who married their respective 'boy friends' now come together again after ten years of marriage at the Hotel du Paradis in Nice.13 women, 13 men

It is Christmas Eve and Fergus, Santa Claus's Chief Forebrownie, is bustling about preparing Santa's sleigh. However, three goblins - Sneergripe, Snottle and Bug - are plotting to kidnap Santa Claus and hold him to ransom! The goblins stage the kidnap and it is up to Tommy and Anna to find Santa and safeguard Christmas for the children of the world.12 women or men

There is trouble brewing at Camelot! Paul Reakes' pantomime "Camelot" is a world of magical adventure - an Arthurian tale with a twist.

Alan Brown's pantomimes recreate those of Victorian times, blending traditional elements - including Harlequin interludes and suggestions for period songs- with subtle updatings to suit modern young audiences.Large flexible cast

Alan Brown's pantomimes recreate those of Victorian times, blending traditional elements - including Harlequin interludes and suggestions for period songs - with subtle updatings to suit modern young audiences.Large flexible cast

Giant Rumblebottom is about to destroy the kingdom, but if there is anyone with more important worries on his mind it is our unlikely hero, Olaf, who thinks he's so ugly that he has to wear a balaclava. When he wins the lottery, plastic surgery comes within his reach.

The story of Hans, a young medical student, and his search for the Princess who has lost her memory to a witch called Daisy. Hans, who is aided by the Gobbin - a gormless kind of Goblin with magical powers - goes through many adventures before he wins his Princess.6 women, 7 men

Howard, a well-known book publisher, is concerned for his wife, Joanna, who has become unusually distressed and nervous. When Howard arrives home one day to find that Joanna has shot his former friend, Perry, during a struggle, he decides to protect her by confessing to the shooting himself.

Nancy, recently widowed, lives in a luxurious beach house overlooking the sea near Puerto Escondido on the Pacific coast of Mexico. When her son, Jack, arrives after a year-long disappearance she is overjoyed to see him but perturbed by his mysterious lifestyle. Fuelled by alcohol, Jack's emotional turmoil begins to disrupt Nancy's peace of mind and to fracture her new relationship with the sensitive Charles. Then Jack discovers that Nancy is financially supporting Charles. One of the men has to go...-1 woman, 2 men

Martin Dawson, a 33-year old theatre studies teacher, separated from his wife and children after an affair, has invited his parents, Joan and Len, to visit him in the Lake District. This "enjoyable" weekend break evolves into an opportunity to release the pent-up frustrations of a lifetime.

Captain Anthony Cole, confined to a wheelchair, dreams of being able to walk again and marry his beloved Chrissy. When he is informed that he won't regain the use of his legs, he lashes out at Chrissy, declaring that he will never marry her. Sister Winifred, who combines professionalism as a nurse with a slightly unorthodox vocation as a nun, saves the day, ensuring that the couple get the wedding they have longed for.-6 women, 6 men

Mid-life crisis is hitting Ted. A row is the catalyst for his decision to leave Beryl, his wife of 32 years. At first she is shattered, but events give her a new lease of life. When Ted decides that the grass is not so green, Beryl makes a decision that six months ago would have been unthinkable.

Veteran TV talk-show host Patrick Sumner is desperate to impress his new producer Reg Godfrey, who visits Patrick's smart London flat for drinks. But Patrick reckons without the intervention of Jenny, a pretty girl who arrives on the same evening as Reg, intent upon infiltrating Patrick's private life and even passing herself off as his wife. When Patrick's real wife returns unexpectedly from a Paris trip, Patrick is forced into a spiralling series of lies and subterfuge.-3 women, 3 men