Books published by Samuel French Ltd

Latch your windows! Bolt your door! Beware of The Witch in 204! You know your property value has plummeted when a witch moves in next door! But, that's not retired schoolteacher, Sylvie Goldberg's only trouble. Sylvie's hopes of living happily-ever-after with Eugene, the "otherworldly" gentleman of her dreams, soon dissipate when the witch next door, Bella, turns out to be Eugene's mysterious former paramour, who proceeds to wreck havoc on Sylvie and Eugene's wedding day as the uninvited gue

"Arje Shaw blends history and family politics in his Broadway dramedy, set in 1985. 'The Gathering' explores the conflicts between grandfather, father, and son which arise over the dinner table when they discuss President Ronald Reagan's planned visit to Bitberg, site of burial grounds for Nazi soldiers. The stakes are high in the discussion because the grandfather is a Holocaust survivor and his son is a speechwriter for Reagan. Caught between them is the young lad, who is preparing for his bar mitvah [i.e. mitzvah]. With a multi-generational cast, 'The Gathering' asks poignant questions about understanding and forgivness in the face of tragedy"--Page 4 of cover.

"Inspired in part by the book 'Where war lives' by Paul Watson."

"Drama / 1m, 1f / simple set"--back cover.

"Drama / 2m, 4f / interior set"--Back cover.

"An unexpected pregnancy ends an ace fighter pilot's career in the sky. Reassigned to operate military drones from a windowless trailer outside Las Vegas, she hunts terrorists by day and returns to her family each night. As the pressure to track a high-profile target mounts, the boundaries begin to blur between the desert in which she lives and the one she patrols half a world away"--Page 4 of cover.

Flip Turn, A Polar Bear in New Jersey, and The Dance Company were presented as part of Keen Teens 2013, a unique and free educational theatre program, run by the Drama Desk and Obie award-winning Keen Company. Keen Teens seeks to improve the quality of plays written for high school students by commissioning scripts from highly regarded playwrights, and gives students the opportunity to work with professional artists in an Off Broadway setting.Flip Turn by Madelei

"Drama / 3m, 3f / unit set"--back cover.

A sequel to Wild Goose Chase. In the ancestral home the nerve-shattered Chester is again menaced by his old enemies Capone and Wedgwood. In the flower beds Lord Elrood lurks with his shotgun ready to repel attacks by the butcher's boy, the postman and other desperate characters. Through the ancestral living-room wander Maggie and Bert, come for two-and-sixpence-worth of gawp and suitably awestruck by the goings-on of the country-house set.|5 women, 6 men

In this play, three women, Jessica, Rachael and Ruth, find themselves emotionally stranded in Jessica's beach home. Jessica's lover of several years standing has died and as they wait for Jessica's daughter, they weigh the choices they have made as women, as daughters, and as mothers.

Gibraltar School was founded as a school for young ladies by the two dear old Misses Pye, now deceased. The long-suffering teachers now have their lives made miserable not only by their pupils but also by the present headmistress, Miss Rowe, known universally as "Hard Rowe". Since Gibraltar is a private school, they resign themselves to the fact that there is little they can do about it, but they find help coming from a very unexpected quarter indeed.9 women

This ingenious comedy is about two sisters and the choices they make (or have made for them) over a few months. There are four versions that can be done on different evenings, each stemming from one random and one deliberate choice. The story starts with a funeral at which Dorcas, Abigail and Simon solve a dilemma by tossing a coin: either Dorcas or Abigail wins the toss and goes with Simon. Later, at a picnic, Dorcas opts for either a camping adventure for Abigail or a day of sports for herself. The inevitable end of either choice is a wedding.4 women, 8 men

A remarkable and true story of a village stricken with plague through the arrival from London of a box of clothing; of the villagers' determination, under the persuasions of the present and former Rectors, to prevent its spread by remaining within the village and containing the disease at the certain risk of their own lives; of the human tragedies and even comedies that ensued; of the idealism and the courage required to live with that idealism.-Large flexible cast

Frederic, who is shy and sensitive, and Hugo, who is heartless and aggressive. Frederic is in love with a hussy who is in love with Hugo. To save Frederic from an unhappy marriage, Hugo tries to distract him by bringing to a ball a beautiful dancer who masquerades as a mysterious personage and becomes the triumph of the occasion. She is a susceptible maiden in her own right. She not only breaks up all the cynical romances that have been going on before she arrived, but loses her own heart as well.6 women, 8 men

Dirty Linen concerns the investigation of a Select Committee into the moral standards of the House of Commons - a somewhat unconventional investigation, rendered not less so by the presence of an ultra-sexy secretary whose clothes have a trick of whisking off in the hands of various members. New-Found-Land is a duologue between two Home Office officials, with a tour-de-force speech on America by one of them.2 women, 8 men

Shirley and Rita, having run away from school, are hiding. They are surprised by two boys who know who they are from the newspapers. The play follows the developing relations among the four, Jeff and Rita becoming immediately attracted to each other. The encounter and the resulting delay alters all their plans.2 women, 2 men

Three households hold a "safari party" - a dinner party, where each course is served in a different house. Hors d'oevres are served by Daniel and Adam, entrees by Lol and Esther, and desserts by Inga. The households are linked not just socially, however: there's the question of the table.

Philip Conway, Deputy Prime Minister, is attending a party conference. He has been tipped to be the new party leader, but his campaign for powers is in serious danger of collapse. This is a play about the underhand dealing that goes on in political circles - who will get their just desserts?

Winner of the Royal Court Young Writers' Festival this brilliant debut play shows two brothers and their working-class parents. Jonathan, the high-flier, causes the death of his errant girlfriend's older lover, whilst David, a fighter pilot, is sent to the Gulf War. Both are killers, but one is revered as a patriotic hero whilst the other is imprisoned for his crime passionel.4 women, 6 men

An unusual and macabre beginning to this play sets the audience's nerves twitching well before any dialogue confuses their minds! Norman apparently murders his girlfriend, Millie, and is in the process of disposing of her body when he is interrupted by a Sergeant Stenning. The ensuing hunt for the victim and the ghoulish discovery of a head burning in the stove is fiendishly climaxed by the revelation that it is only a dummy. Yet is Millie really dead or not?-2 women, 2 men

A man schemes to murder his wealthy wife for the love of another woman the sister, an actress friend or the au pair? Victim and victimized become intertwined in this startling drama.-4 women, 5 men

A wife whose husband takes her for granted finds romance with a dashing man, but has misgivings when the husband offers to be caught in a compromising situation with his secretary to give her grounds for divorce.-3 women, 2 men

This entertainment by and about the Kings and Queens of England includes music, poetry, speeches, letters and other writings. The Hollow Crown has been performed in America and England by stars from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. The four readers enact the writings of royals from William I to Victoria; the three singers intersperse songs from the proper period - some of which are sad tunes on the death of kings while others are uproariously funny.1 woman, 3 men

What if Odon von Horvath, the Austrian playwright who died before he got to Hollywood, actually made it to Tinseltown to meet up with the likes of Thomas Mann, Brecht, Garbo, the Marx Bros. and Jonny Weissmuller?8 women, 16 men

A work based on the life of Florence Foster Jenkins, the legendary New York heiress and socialite who wanted to be a great operatic diva despite having one of the worst signing voices in history, and who used all her money, charm and unstoppable willpower to make it happen.

Gerald rents Rookery Nook where his wife, Clara, will join him later. He is agreeably surprised by a pretty stranger called Rhoda who comes running to him for protection against her irascible German stepfather. Gerald allows her to stay in one of the bedrooms but as she is clad only in pyjamas, it is vital to conceal her presence from nosy neighbours. Rhoda gets herself some clothes just in time before Clara arrives but Gerald has some difficulty in convincing Clara of his innocence.6 women, 5 men

With an aristocratic background borrowed from novels she's read, she picks up a lonely man who's come down to London for a frolic, and takes him off to her basement apartment. His pretension to worldliness quickly goes sour, for he has no experience with women and is totally gauche in this new situation. Neither of them is really what he seems. One by one they strip away the pretenses that mask their loneliness.1 woman, 2 men

A group of twentysomethings hang out on the seafront of a northern resort at the end of the summer season, finding little to relieve the futility and boredom of their lives. Casual sex, mindless violence and comic clashes of outlook permeate this entertaining, contemporary and humane play which paints a believable, touching portrait of modern youth.2 women, 6 men