Books published by Samuel French Ltd

Touring an art gallery, Beatrice notices a lone man, Jon, crying before a painting created out of remorse for a tragedy in the artist's life. Intrigued, Beatrice offers help, and it transpires that for Jon, whose wife had died of leukemia while he was with another woman, the painting tells his own story. Beatrice, also, has her own haunting secret...4 women, 3 men

The characters in all four plays are in their twenties to forties and can either be played by the same four artists or by separate casts. The first, Mill Hill, calls for 2 men and 1 woman, the remainder, Bermondsey, Gloucester Road and Marble Arch, call for 2 men and 2 women each. These four plays are linked by their themes of sexual entanglements and by their central or suburban London settings.-Large flexible cast

Seven years ago, Mike Mason, star of TV's "Bargain Basement" and his wife killed young Carol Mitchell in a hit-and-run car accident - and now it seems they have been found out. Mysterious telephone calls, blood on the walls, shots from a car - the play is a combination of devious twists and turns.

Winner! Best Revival of a Musical - 2010 Tony(R) Awards! WINNER! Outstanding Revival of a Musical - 2010 Outer Critics Circle Award WINNER! Outstanding Revival of a Musical - 2010 Drama Desk Award WINNER! Best Musical - 1984 Tony(R) Awards! Much revived, most recently in a 2010 production transferred to Broadway from London's Menier Chocolate Factory, La Cage Aux Folles remains one of the all time biggest hits, adding new dimension to the boulevard comedy. After twenty y

A play about Van Gogh's life from the time he worked in the coal mines as an apprentice preacher through the time of his father's death. It's about family relationships, genius, passion and its toll both on the passionate artist and those around him.

Mortal Terror is set in 1605, the year of the Gunpowder Plot, a terrorist conspiracy to blow up the houses of Parliament. Shakespeare, delicately balancing his allegiances to assure his own survival, is commissioned by King James to write a play to justify his right to the throne. That play is Macbeth. Mortal Terror is the second piece in a trilogy of plays by Robert Brustein about the life of Shakespeare. The trilogy begins with The English Channel and concludes with Th

Nominee for 2008 Pulitzer Prize. The English Channel examines the murky relationship between great writers and their proclivity to "borrow" ideas and material, tracing Shakespeare's relationship with The Earl of Southampton, the Dark Lady of the Sonnets, and Christopher Marlowe during the turbulent months before Marlowe's death. The English Channe is the first piece in a trilogy of plays by Robert Brustein about the life of Shakespeare. The second installment is

Born as the daughter of poor Afghani parents, Nasima's position in society is already compromised. So she has been raised as a boy since the age of five to improve the family's social and economic standing in the community. When Nasima is forced to abandon her employment and education in order to (re)learn how to be a girl so she can marry, she must confront her past relationships and future traditions to discover who she truly is.

Two immigrant Romanian sisters struggle to make ends meet as they attempt to capture a piece of the American Dream. Kara is the provider. She has been working in a factory sending money home for her younger sister Mia, making it possible for her to come to America to finish up her PhD in biochemistry. Everything is working according to their plan. They have a nice house. Mia is making remarkable progress with her research on ants under the guidance of her professor, Adam Kohn. Kara spends her fr

Holly collects dolls. Holly is a born-again Christian. Holly is a fifteen-year-old, brainy, outspoken, spoiled, tyrannical brat. She's also pregnant. During her nine-month odyssey, she must find a way to move forward with the new life she's landed in or remain forever hidden in her own special heaven...of talking dolls. A dark comedy about navigating the treacherous terrain from child to adult.

A worker dies suspiciously while cleaning augers at an animal food pellet factory, bringing two years of intricately tangled relationships to light. Davey-a naive aspiring tattoo artist with romantic feelings for the dead man's wife-pleads his innocence despite being the only worker present during the accident. The factory owners--a pair of estranged brothers feuding over their late father's estate--are only concerned with how this incident will interfere with their plans to sell the struggling

When a successful London television producer returns to his rural hometown, his arrival heralds suffering and domestic turmoil in this sensitive and compelling depiction of varying family relationships.|4 men

Running a Health and Strength Home in a large and somewhat decaying country mansion can be a hazardous undertaking at any time, as Eddie Manchip knows. When one is further beset by a sinister crook to whom one has signed away the deeds of the house payment of a gambling debt; a complete desertion of the staff except for one half-witted and generally hysterically excited maid; an erring, pompous brother; his suspicious wife; a tennis-player in the nude; a quick-change artist who appears as someone different every ten minutes or so; the tennis player's kilted Scottish husband; and a hearty countrywoman grabbing second-hand clothing - then the result can be, in a word - chaos.4 women, 6 men

This hilarious play centers on a voluble cleaning woman who keeps telling the cops how to mind their business and who steps forward with the right evidence in every pinch. She lives in the basement of the office building she cleans and one night finds a body. By the time the police arrive, there is no body and no evidence.|4 women, 4 men

Brian is financially dependent on his wife Sheila, and he is in love with another woman. An acquaintance convinces him he would be better off if Sheila were to die and then suggests a "foolproof' murder scheme, adding that he only wants the satisfaction of committing a perfect murder. The murder is successfully carried out but it is not long before Brian realizes he has exchanged the frying pan for the fire.|2 women, 2 men

In a once grand Venetian palazzo an old woman and her niece live in seclusion. An American publisher asks to leases some rooms, his purpose to unearth the mystery of a brilliant author who once loved the aunt. The old woman curtly rejects all inquiries. When she finds him going through the some papers he's discovered, she has a stroke and dies. The lonely niece pathetically proposes to him, but he rejects her when she says she's burned the papers. She locks herself up in the palazzo and then destroys the papers.|2 women, 2 men

"First produced in Boston by the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company and Suffolk University at the Modern Theatre in February 2013"--Page 4.

"Dancing Turtle received its premiere production at the inaugural 2012 Piper Plays: Smart Plays for Young Actors Festival in Brooklyn"--Page 8.

Beanstalk! The Play! is exactly like nothing you've ever seen before, not even in a book! This fun family show follows the adventures of Jack, a young boy with his head in the clouds and his nose in a book of fairytales. When the magic beans Jack trades for the family cow grows into a gigantic beanstalk, Jack finally gets the chance to have a fairytale adventure of his very own. Now if he can only find the treasure, save his family and get the cow back, today might just really be his magi

Preparing for a mystery trip to Scarborough three northern coach drivers pass the time remembering more exciting trips from the past, such as the one down the Rhine Valley. Stick hates his passengers and wishes he was doing the Spanish run, Larry is a seasoned traveller and Mario Lanza fan and Frank is their female counterpart.-1 woman, 2 men

In this colorful and exciting pantomime, Sinbad sets sail for the island of Nirvana in search of the Princess Pearl who was stolen on her wedding day by a wicked Sorcerer. He meets his love and has to overcome evil magic, the cruelty of the Old Man of the Sea and the threat of man eating plants before his quest is over. His crew assist him while providing comic relief. This lively tale can be set lavishly or simply; the script includes detailed production notes on settings, costumes and choice of music.Large flexible cast

Two unemployed teenagers who are uncertain about themselves and the world around them are sent on a quest to find "heroes fit to save the day." They encounter a hodge podge of humanity: violent street gangs, cranky religious sects, unscrupulous pop groups, television characters and even a family of vagrants. In this final encounter they appear to find their hero the elusive Mrs. Jones. Unable to persuade her to return with them, they go back to empty handed only to find that their commander has disappeared. Yet all is not lost they have gained knowledge and gone from being Nobody to Somebody.9 women, 10 men

Lumborg's one-man play tells the story of Eddie. When his small daughter comes into the bedroom during her parents' love-making and then recounts the details at school, he is investigated by the Social Services. In exile, he "kidnaps" the children for trip to the beach, but he is then arrested.

Miggy is a "Sloane Ranger", who has been dumped by her boyfriend Roddy because she is "shallow" and does not care for the environment in the way his new love, Harmony, does. Here, Miggy tells us her story as she wrestles with environmental issues presented by the act of putting the kettle on.

For a brief while in an old house, time merges across four centuries. The Wise Woman, from Tudor times, is expecting a Customer who wishes to make use of her apparently extra-sensory powers. By chance two women from the present day happen to intrude on this event of long ago. An antique buckle provides an eerie link between the two widely-separated periods.6 women

Four friends meet at the Rialto Ballroom to go to the Saturday dance. One of them introduces a shy, gauche newcomer to their hardbitten world. They initiate her into the tough, not to say unscrupulous code of conduct of the dance hall, dressing her up to turn her from her usual retiring self into a sex-symbol - they hope.|5 women

A theatre company on tour includes a star and her understudy who were both married to the same man. When the understudy takes the stage at a provincial theatre, the gun fires bullets instead of blanks and she is killed. Who was the intended victim? Who loaded the gun? Focus is on human motivation rather than police investigation in this theatre mystery.4 women, 2 men

This play centres around a chaotic day in the life of Alex Partridge, Manager of the Thurlow Playhouse. He has a lot to deal with: Doreta Mason, director of an amateur production of "Oklahoma"; Ms Murdstone, the agent from the Arts Council; and worst of all Doreta's husband, Clarence.

A very amusing and sophisticated story of Mrs. Wislack, who is scheming to ensnare Richard Halton. The Duke is considering the sale of his title to Helen Hayle. Thrown into daily contact, it does not take Richard and Helen long to discover that they love each other, leaving Mrs. Wislack and the Duke to their own devices.2 women, 2 men