Books published by Samuel French Ltd

This clever, disturbing, and controversial play revolves around Mr. and Mrs. Bates, a dull, middle aged couple whose only daughter, Pattie, has been reduced to a vegetable following a car accident. Suddenly, a polite, helpful and clean cut but satanic young man walks into their lives with startling results.2 women, 2 men

An entertainment on marriage by George Melly, Alan Ayckbourn, James Saunders, Harold Pinter, Alun Owen, Fay Weldon, David Campton, Lyndon Brook and John Bowen.1 woman, 1 man or flexible casting

A play that charts the dramatic events leading to the execution of Sir Thomas More in 1535.

Sibling rivalry, adultery and dungeons - Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, is a modern day classic. Comedic in tone, dramatic in action - the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family who are locked in a free for all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom. The queen, and wealthiest woman in the world, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has been kept in prison since raising an army against her husband, King Henry II. Let out only for holidays, the play centres around the inner conflicts of the royal family as they fight over both a kingdom, as well as King Henry's paramour during the Christmas of 1183. As Eleanor says, "every family has its ups and downs," and this royal family is no exception.

MOVE TIE-IN Edition!!! The inspiration for the cult film starring Michael Caine and the smash-hit remake with Jude Law as the eponymous anti-hero, Alfie feels as fresh and relevant today as when it was first published

These plays cover a range of disasters appalling enough to turn any show into a coarse one. A Fish in Her Kettle by David Pearson; Present Slaughter by Jane Dewey and Don Starkey; The Vagabond Prince by Simon Brett with music and lyrics by John Gould; Stalag 69 by Michael Green and Julius and Cleopatra by Michael Green.-Large flexible cast

Roland, a hard drinking tycoon, is considering buying an old Victorian house, once a brothel. His solicitor and the vendor, a builder, arrive to complete the deal. Also in the house are his wife, a frustrated dancer who is always considering leaving him, her brother and later the brother's fianc¿, who is uncertain whether or not to run away. In the course of one hectic night and morning, with continual running up and downstairs and in and out of rooms, these characters, each immersed in a personal problem, try to sort themselves out.-2 women, 4 men

Albie, dissatisfied with his life, decides to perform charitable work in the Sudan with his doctor lover, Mary, but his decision has damaging repercussions on those around him, especially his wife, Ruth. Whilst in the Sudan, Albie is held hostage leaving Ruth and Mary to poignantly take stock of their emotions.4 women, 4 men

A trilogy of plays: A Time of Wolves and Tigers, Nothing Personal and The Last of the Last of the Mohicans. If the plays are performed separately, individual fee codes apply.|3 women, 4 men

Elliot, an eco-warrior, has fallen from a tree-top and now lies comatose in a hospital bed. When he fell, he slipped into the past, meeting Lucy, a suffragette from 1913. Alana, excluded from school, passionately follows all Elliot''s TV news coverage and, by strange coincidence, it becomes evident that Lucy was Alana''s great-grandmother. Alana is able to assist Elliot''s recovery as well as using the past to find peace for herself.|6 women, 4 men

The tales of Ratty, Mole, Badger and Toad. When Mole goes boating with the Water Rat instead of spring-cleaning, he discovers a new world. As well as the river and the Wild Wood, there is Toad's craze for fast travel which leads him and his friends on a whirl of trains, barges, gipsy caravans and motor cars and even into battle.

When John O'Brien fell in love with Mary Llewellyn he knew there was a gulf between them that nothing could bridge - the gulf of the "Fifteen Streets".

Dewhurst has adapted the Flora Thompson trilogy into two plays. "Lark Rise" which erects the first day of harvest from sunrise to sunset and, "Candleford", which depicts a day in midwinter - to give a lively picture of typical country life of the period with music and songs.

This adaptation of Roald Dahl's story focuses on Billy's dream to restore a deserted sweet shop near his house and his adventures with "The Ladderless Window-Cleaning Company". Designed for performance by children aged five to nine, this dramatization includes music and special effects.

Adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens, Jeremy Brock's splendidly theatrical stage version of Oliver Twist combines all the richness of Dickens's story - the sinister antics of Fagin, the comic pomposity of Mr Bumble the Beadle, and the horror of Nancy's murder at the hands of Sykes. Originally devised for eleven actors playing multiple roles, the play is easy to stage, makes good use of sound effects for atmosphere and makes more than a nod to the contemporary world.Large flexible cast

This play version of the H.E. Bates novel centres on the Larkin family, who live in Kent "somewhere at the end of a rainbow". When an ernest young tax official turns up one hot May afternoon in 1957 to investigate Pop's income tax contributions, he is bewitched by eldest daughter Mariette.

In the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey Sir David Metcalfe, distinguished QC and Chairman of the Bar Council, is conducting the most important defense of his career - his own. Accused of the willful murder of his terminally ill wife, Sir David finds himself locked in legal combat with his old rival, Sir Anthony Blair Booth QC, prosecuting counsel.3 women, 11 men

This lovely hardcover edition conjures up marvelous visions of Carroll's fantasy world. Luxuriously illustrated with 92 watercolors, it's a wonderful introduction to Alice's adventures as well as a splendid volume for collectors. Available for sale in the United States only.

This play, set in 1984, concerns five young soldiers, among them veterans of the Northern Ireland troubles - who are killing nothing but time in a Military Hospital ward. Fired by the author's anger at the Army's neglect of its wounded heroes, the play is a surprisingly tender and perceptive work.

"A revised version presented at the Shaw Theatre, 1976."

Everyone has their dream, and this is no exception for the six mice living in the loft. Their dreams are conjured up by music as each hears a different tune played by an invisible Piper and each has to answer his call until only Tattymouse, who is completely deaf, is left. A highly original and thought-provoking play.6 women or men

It would be wrong to say nothing surprises the Paradocks, Bro and Middie. It's just that they take in their stride the things that would surprise us. The elephant in their garden, for instance, has actually been ordered, but this year the shop has made a mistake and sent the wrong size.2 women, 1 man

Dan, a bell hop who arrives at the Bramson bungalow, has already murdered one woman and there is little doubt that he will soon murder another: the aged Mrs. Bramson herself. He skillfully insinuates himself into her affections while attempting to seduce her suspicious niece Olivia from exposing his diabolical intentions. And though she professes loathing, Olivia is attracted and fascinated by Dan. Fatally.5 women, 4 men

With full commentary, notes, and a chronology of the writer's life and work.

Isolated university professor Simon Hench, completely and selfishly otherwise engaged in listening to a new recording "Parsifal" is continually interrupted by students, friends, lovers and life.2 women, 5 men

Set after World War II, this delightful farce is about what happens when a boys' school receives the news that they are to billet another school which is all female. Events are complicated by the arrival of the parents. Each headmaster/mistress tries to conceal the fact that his/her school is now coed. Eventually, the parents learn the truth and are about to remove their children when news arrives that a third school is to be amalgamated into theirs. They all join together to keep out these intruders.-6 women, 7 men

Orphaned at an early age, Jane Eyre leads a lonely life until she finds work as a governess at Thornfield Hall, where she meets the mysterious Mr Rochester and sees a ghostly woman who roams the halls by night.

A British wife, her elderly husband and her lover meet a German professor at an Inn in Yorkshire. His probing questions reveal that they are unhappy and confused. They have played out their scene many times, always ending in suicide and poverty. The professor warns them that they must now break the pattern.2 women, 4 men

This crowd-pleasing classic was made into a film which featured an Oscar-winning performance by Ingrid Bergman who starred as "Anya", the last surviving daughter of Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Discovered as an amnesiac in a Berlin asylum by former Cossack 'prince' turned-taxi-driver Bounine, Anya is swept into a scheme to exploit the 'heritage' of 10 million pounds being held in trust for any surviving heirs of the Romanoff dynasty.5 women, 8 men