The Collected Plays of Paul Rudnick - (Paperback)

About the Book

"Paul Rudnick is a champion of truth (and love and great wicked humor) whom we ignore at our peril." --David Sedaris, author of Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Squirrel Seeks ChipmunkThis definitive collection of Paul Rudnick's plays presents the pinnacle of theatrical hilarity from one of America's great humorists. Popular for his wickedly funny novels, including I'll Take It and Social Disease, comic screenplays like In & Out and Addams Family Values, and the Augusten Burroughs-like memoir I Shudder, Rudnick remains best known for his cerebral but side-splitting theatrical writing. With echoes of Neil Simon, Thornton Wilder, and Noel Coward, Rudnick plays like I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told are outstanding fixtures of America's comedic canon.

Book Synopsis

"Paul Rudnick is a champion of truth (and love and great wicked humor) whom we ignore at our peril." --David Sedaris, author of Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk

This definitive collection of Paul Rudnick's plays presents the pinnacle of theatrical hilarity from one of America's great humorists. Popular for his wickedly funny novels, including I'll Take It and Social Disease, comic screenplays like In & Out and Addams Family Values, and the Augusten Burroughs-like memoir I Shudder, Rudnick remains best known for his cerebral but side-splitting theatrical writing. With echoes of Neil Simon, Thornton Wilder, and Noel Coward, Rudnick plays like I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told are outstanding fixtures of America's comedic canon.

This collection brings together seven of his sharpest, most hilarious, and most humane plays:

• Broadway Comedy: In I Hate Hamlet, a young TV actor moves into John Barrymore's old apartment--only to be haunted by the ghost of the legendary actor himself.
• Groundbreaking AIDS Satire: Jeffrey, the landmark play that dared to find laughter and romance in the midst of the AIDS crisis, follows a man who gives up sex only to meet the man of his dreams.
• Irreverent Religious Parody: The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told offers a wildly funny retelling of the Book of Genesis starring the world's first gay couple, Adam and Steve, and the first lesbians, Jane and Mabel.
• Sharp Social Commentary: Four other brilliant plays, including Regrets Only, a blistering take on gay marriage, and The New Century, a collection of unapologetic monologues about modern life.
• Author's Introductions: Features wickedly funny introductions to each play by Rudnick himself, sharing the outrageous true stories behind the scripts.

From the Back Cover

The definitive collection of theatrical hilarity by one of America's preeminent playwrights and humorists

The New York Times has proclaimed that "line by line, Mr. Rudnick may be the funniest writer for the stage in the United States today." Now, this collection of his plays will remind readers far and wide of the great influence that Paul Rudnick's comic genius has had on the world of American theater.

Here are I Hate Hamlet, the play that marked Rudnick's Broadway debut; Jeffrey, the long-running off-Broadway smash about gay life during the AIDS crisis of the early '90s; as well as five other onstage gems enlivened by Rudnick's signature rapier wit.

The Collected Plays of Paul Rudnick is a must-have item for any fan of this theatrical master--and a necessary addition to all courses in dramatic literature.