Books published by Samuel French Ltd

Kate is paralyzed from the waist down following a horrific car accident four years earlier. Cutting herself off from all friends, she copes bravely in her remote European country cottage with daily help from her "treasure," Mrs. Ponsello. Now Mrs. Ponsello is to move and Kate faces a bleak future.3 women

A stunningly crafted, highly atmospheric play in one act.

Beryl Tidy, whose life is dominated by her elderly, irascible and demanding father, works at the library and finds that it is her only escape. She has a new boss at the library, Mr Gostilow, who has just moved to the North from London. When Beryl storms out of work after an uncharacteristic fit of temper and fails to return, Gostilow visits her to find out why. Despite the idiosyncratic and often hilarious comments from Beryl's father, Gostilow succeeds in showing her that she needs and is needed by the world outside. This is a touching and gently humorous portrait of a woman's life.1 woman, 2 men

Dazzle, a parody of Star Trek, charts the first voyage of the Star Ship Sunburster One under the control of dashingly handsome (and doesn't he know it) Captain Sam Galatic.4 women, 5 men

This musical play bears little resemblance to the traditional tale of Mother Goose. It takes its inspiration from the books of nursery rhymes under the umbrella title "Mother Goose", published over the last two centuries. The play opens with them preparing a surprise Christmas tree for her. It seems they are tired of always being called 'Little' and doing the same things (losing sheep, putting the kettle on etc.), so Mother Goose incorporates them the Big Bad Wolf, the Bigger Badder Wolf, a Giant, and Miss Muffet's Spider.6 women, 6 men

This wild West musical is fun for the whole family. The action takes place on Christmas eve in Diamond Tooth Lil's Saloon where all are busy with preparations for a Christmas party (could be changed easily to any holiday). Word comes that a badman and his gang are headed their way.4 women, 6 men

It is the long-awaited annual Christmas prize draw for the Shelf Union Social Club. The Chairman, the Treasurer and the Organizer await the beleaguered Mr Pessel, a non-committee guest witness, to pick a winning ticket. A humorous moral entanglement begins when Mr Pessel draws a ticket belonging to Mr Brooker, one of the richest men in the area.

The story of a willowy little man who comes to an office for an interview. He has a long wait, and to kill time he shows the receptionist his photographic collection. Finally, the important man arrives and the little man is given his forms to fill out. Don't bother too much with the answers to the questions, he is told; just concentrate on the replies. The little man leaves, but returns shortly a changed man, and forthwith begins interviewing and lecturing the important man himself. A thought provoking, topsy turvy comedy.2 women, 2 men

In the depressing atmosphere of the busmen's canteen, minor irritations become insurmountable problems. The inspector is twittering with nerves; buses are late, staff are missing and a number 642 has disappeared completely. The missing bus eventually reappears, Bert having catastrophically driven under a too low a bridge; now his bus is the first open-top double decker in the fleet.Large flexible cast

Phillipa James has plucked down and out Duncan McFee from London's Embankment and installed him in a luxury apartment, purely as a business arrangement based on Duncan's uncanny resemblance to her late husband Richard who unfortunately died just prior to his forty fifth birthday when he would inherit a million pounds.1 woman, 1 man

An obsessive, psychopathic Scotland Yard detective and a likable but murderous master criminal square off in this fast moving psychological thriller.1 woman, 3 men

Collaborators is a comedy about marriage set in a dingy, infested flat in Belsize Park in the late 1950s. Henry Winter, a struggling young barrister, is also struggling to cultivate his writing career. At the invitation of Sam Brown, an American film producer of somewhat hazy credentials, he starts work on a film strip about marriage.2 women, 2 men

Absurdity, taken with seriousness and decorated with the ridiculous, and logic foundering in bizarre situations these are the farcical formulas well exploited in this play. George is getting into his fifties, his sexual virility nagging at him, one way or another. He is having an affair with twenty year old Jane. His wife, Clare, sensing that something of the kind is going on, fixes up a way of dealing with the situation. Jane has a boy friend, Nick. The quartet play out their charades in a double setting, the living room of George and Clare's home, and Jane's flatlet.|3 women, 3 men

A symbolical play about a man named Francis who bears an unspeakable burden of sin and who is now plighted to Lady Poverty-- a crazy woman who once knew a Francis and once was untrue to her husband and bears the marks and symbols of lust.

"Tells the story of Daphna Feygenbaum, a 'Real Jew' with an Israeli boyfriend. When Daphna's cousin Liam brings home his shiksa girlfriend Melody and declares ownership of their grandfather's Chai necklace, a vicious and hilarious brawl over family, faith and legacy ensues"--Page 4 of cover.

This delightful version of Aladdin and his Magic Lamp is told in time honored pantomine fashion with all the well loved characters and Aladdin himself and, of course, the well hated character of Abanazar, the evil magician, who provides plenty of opportunity for boos and hisses from the audience!2 women, 3 men, 5 women or men

Alexandre Dumas's yarn of those famous swashbucklers, Porthos, Aramis, Athos, and D'artagnan has been transplanted into pantoland. With the Musketeers re-cast a a bevy of thigh-slapping lovelies, a host of hissable villains, this adaptation offers a colourful new setting for this classic tale.

The wise Sophia enters a starving village and declares she will feed everyone with her magical stone soup, thereby gradually encouraging the villagers to share their own hoarded goods for the benefit of the community. She is labelled a subversive by the autocratic government figure, General Mayhem, who attempts to nationalize the pot of soup and place it under government control. However, the play ends with the cast and audience alike dancing merrily.Large flexible cast

The ultimate game of cat-and-mouse is played out in a cozy English country house owned by celebrated mystery writer, Andrew Wyke. Invited guest Milo Tindle, a young rival who shares not only Wyke's love of the game but also his wife, has come to lay claim. Revenge is devised and murders plotted as the two plan the ultimate whodunnit.-5 men

Three women are waiting in a cellar. One is a captain in an organization pledged to bring freedom to the city, which is in the throes of a struggle for power; another is a witness; the third is an informer in the coming trial. A frightened girl is brought in and severely questioned regarding her alleged betrayal to the authorities of hidden stocks of ammunition. She is acquitted of betrayal but led away to be punished for fraternization. The proceedings have, however, uncovered the guilt of another woman present-the informer herself.5 women

The play charts the fortunes of a group of ATS girls from their arrival as a raw, awkward, ill-assortment of individuals to their passing-out parade as a 'perfectly drilled unit of faceless soldiers', following the shifts and tensions of their personal relationships, the comedy, drama and- in one case - eventual tragedy that occur during their period of training together. The action centres on the girls' barrack room, with small insets in adjacent places.3 women or men

In this brilliantly drawn and succinct play with amusing, real characters, Robin is organizing the Muncaster Philanthropists' exercise bicycle ride in the shopping piazza. The members are gathered in the early hours, ostensibly to support each other, but feelings get out of hand. Robin argues with Wolf, slaps down deserted dog-tired Derek and blackmails Gerard into taking his turn. Meanwhile the security guard reports evil doings in the car park, a no go area after dark. The event falls apart after Clooney's dog attacks the do-gooders and only lumpen Krystel is left in the glow with shadowy figures surrounding her.-5 women, 6 men

Set in the library of a provincial newspaper where battle is joined between the forces of order and chaos, between arid organization in the person of the new library assistant, Leslie, and humane confusion in the person of Lucy, the much-loved resident librarian. Drawing on his experience as a journalist, Frayn draws his gallery of characters with the hilarious accuracy which can only come from first-hand experience. Winner of the Evening Standard's Best Comedy Award after a long run at the Hampstead Theatre and on London's West End in 1975. This edition features the author's revised version of the script presented at the Hampstead Theatre in 2009.

Set during the dark and dangerous build-up to the Second World War, Goodnight Mister Tom follows sad young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and builds a remarkable and moving friendship with the elderly recluse Tom Oakley. All seems perfect until William is devastatingly summoned by his mother back to London.6 women, 7 men

Widowed Roger and separated Samantha have recently started dating, but their teenage children are far from impressed about their new relationship. So Liam, Roger's son, and Tabitha, Samantha's daughter, have devised a plan of action to break them up.

Perennially hard-up, lecherous, conceited, dishonest and drunk, the eighteenth-century Squire Amos Haggard was first conceived by Michael Green and subsequently brought to television screens in Eric Chappell's much-loved ITV series.

Once grande dames of Hollywood, by 1962 arch-rivals Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were in danger of becoming has-beens. Then an opportunity came along: to appear together in a new movie called Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?-2 women

Pity poor Streptococcus - it should be a piece of cake for a fairy godmother to tell the story of Snow White but her wand is bent and things aren't going quite as they should. Then, to make things worse, she's interrupted by a couple of English policemen who are hot on the trail of two very devious and dangerous criminals - children who are causing no end of trouble in the forest. Their names? Hansel and Gretel! Streptococcus doesn't believe a word of it and neither do a well-behaved pair of kid

Brecht presents the vivid and changing scene of Hitler's war machine. There is a worker who only mumbles "Heil Hitlers" and a S.A. man whose suspicion of him is enough to mark him for life. There is an assaulted Jew who did no wrong and a judge who has a tragic inclination to be just. There are a mother and father who have good cause to fear that their son has informed on them. The war machine moves across Europe, bringing ruin and misery everywhere.