Review by Booklist Review
From Aeschylus and Sophocles to Shakespeare and Moliere, and from Chekhov to O'Neill, this compilation of scenes is a must for public, university, and even school libraries. Arranged chronologically, the selected scenes average three pages in length and involve two to three characters. A one-line description of the setting and of each character is given, as well as a one- to two-sentence synopsis of what is occurring at the opening of the scene. This book must be commended for such a well-balanced representation of time-honored classics stretching back two millennia. Shakespeare does not hold sway, and the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are well represented. In all, a valuable choice. ~--Caroline Andrew
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
The editor has mined the rich world of classic drama for this selection of 68 audition pieces, representing 66 playwrights ranging from Sophocles and Aristophanes to Shakespeare, Molière, Ibsen, Albee, and Tennessee Williams. There are scenes from such benchmarks as Medea, Othello, The Misanthrope, Ghosts, Blithe Spirit, Waiting for Godot, and more. An introduction to each scene reveals the type of play, the age and sex of the characters, the setting, and what the scene is about. An alphabetical index to the playwrights represented would have been helpful, but this remains a well-chosen and diversified collection. Recommended for theater collections.-Howard E. Miller, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri Lib., St. Louis (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
