McNally, Terrence
Average customer rating:
- Not in depth review; only anectdotal stories.
- Kava is fabulous!
- Someone Check My Pulse...Quick!
- Congratulations and gratitude
- Best book on Kava I've seen!
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Kava: Nature's Answer to Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia
Terrence Mcnally , and Hyla Cass
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- Natural Highs: Supplements, Nutrition, and Mind-Body Techniques to Help You Feel Good All the Time
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ASIN: 0761516670
Release Date: 1998-07-08 |
Amazon.com
What St. John's wort is for depression, kava is for everyday anxiety. Native to exotic locales including the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, kava is a ritual and medicinal herb that's been used for centuries. It may not taste fabulous, but it effectively relieves tension and anxiety without affecting one's alertness or mental capacities or resulting in addictions, unlike prescription drugs such as Valium. Written by Hyla Cass, M.D., a well-known alternative medicine consultant and assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Kava: Nature's Answer to Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia is an intelligent, engaging reference to this increasingly popular herb.
Cass clearly explains the herb's chemical composition without delving into turgid scientific mumbo jumbo, or relying on lifeless quotes from scientific papers. She also thoroughly covers the herb's various forms--tinctures, tablets, pastes, powdered extract, and sprays--and suggests appropriate dosages for various treatments (for insomnia, for instance, you'd take a larger dose than if you just wanted to calm yourself before a plane flight). Cass also covers herbs that can be used in combination with kava, including valerian, licorice, and Ginkgo biloba; suggested dietary changes to improve overall mood and health; possible side effects; and techniques for managing stress in the first place, so antianxiety treatments aren't as needed. For anyone who wants to know all about what they're putting into their body, this is a solid primer.
Book Description
Discover Nature's Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia
Kava has been used ritually and medicinally in the islands of the South Pacific for centuries. Widely used in Europe, this amazing herb has been shown to relieve tension and anxiety while maintaining alertness. In larger doses kava promotes deep, restful sleep. Safe, natural, and inexpensive, kava is the perfect supplement for today's stress-filled lifestyle, and the ideal alternative to drugs such as Valium.
"Authoritative, fascinating, and richly readable, this book tells you what you want to know about kava and guides you in using it."
—James S. Gordon., M.D., Director of the Center for Mind-Body Medicine and author of Manifesto for a New Medicine
"An engaging and informative guide to understanding and using kava."
—Jack Canfield, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul
"A valuable contribution to the body of kava literature. Sharing a seasoned clinician's positive experience, the authors cast a deservedly cool light on Valium and its chemical cousins, and let kava emerge as a safe, effective remedy for stress and anxiety."
—Chris Kilham, author of Kava, Medicine Hunting in Paradise
Customer Reviews:
Not in depth review; only anectdotal stories........2005-06-03
Kava is a great herb and you should know more about this herb. But if you are looking for more than stories that you can find yourself by browsing, this book is not for you.
This book is useless if you are looking for in depth review about kava. The only things in this book are stories and anectdotal experience from kava users that you can actually see on the internet.
The worst thing about this book is the author recommend the use of kava for hyperactive child to stoned them.
Kava is fabulous!.......2002-07-01
I have the pleasure of living in the only city in the country that has an authentic Kava Bar. I've chosen to remain anonymous to keep it underground, where is should stay. Kava is amazing and this book is just another testimonial of that fact. Kava does just what this book claims that it does...it cured my insomnia, and that's a fact. I just dread the day Kava becomes the next frapaccino, because I love it right where it is. It is illegal in Canada and Germany and probably many other places, so I'm hoping that that doesn't happen in the U.S. by people abusing this awesome herbal medication.
Someone Check My Pulse...Quick!.......2000-06-15
Under the spotlight of increasing popularity, Kava...or Kava Kava to those who think twice about using it, is the latest "miracle natural drug," alleged to relieve anxiety and stress without side effects or addiction. This book is not bad. It certainly is true to its title, discussing in depth how Kava is nature's answer to several common aliments. Yet, in our modern world where the newest "fad" goes from scientist to corporation to local mall vendor in a matter of months, the basic question is, "do these things really work?" Take a valium, and you will feel calm. Take a Xanax and your anxiety will be relieved. Most likely, however, you will became dpeendant on these drugs and eventually resort to robbing your local Dairy Queen to support you habit, unless friends intervene and get you to Rehab in time. So there is the true magic of Kava. No dependancy...no side-effects...it is legal...and it works? Well, this book certainly believes it does, and it backs this assertion with several well laid out and researched chapters. The problem is, is that Kava has been used for centuries in elaborate rituals on beautiful tropical islands as the sun is setting and soft island music plays in the background. Oh yea, and they use Kava. Now, if you are not relaxed after that, you are either already dead, or you might as well give up your dream of becomming stress free. Does Kava work in the bog city, with big city pressures? Will a Kava Latte be that far off, or even a Kava encrusted chicken breast? Nothing is certain as yet. If anything, this book is a step forward in educating the public on a possibly promising new alternative to presciption drugs. A message to the reader, however: Keep an open mind and remember, the Metabolife people know where you live.
Congratulations and gratitude.......1998-08-30
This book continues the progress that is being made in the effort to rediscover the essential links between natural medicine, the human personality, and true health. It can be read to further personal well being and it is a testament of how our leading western physicians are returning to honest, scientifically vaild remedies for what ails us. This book is not only about kava--though it is the most readable account of the traditional and modern uses of that wondrous herb--moreover it encourages us to find our own health in the matrix of Her Mystery that is our own deep self.
Best book on Kava I've seen!.......1998-08-25
Another exemplary achievement from Dr. Hyla Cass following hot on the heels of her outstanding book on St. John's Wort. Well-presented information on this herbal stress reliever, with case histories, research information, even a discussion on the growing, politics and economics of the kava industry. This includes attention to issues of sustainability, fairness in compensating the native South Sea Island growers and legal issues regarding herbal claims under DSHEA. Thorough coverage with something for everyone! A must-read. Highly recommended!
Average customer rating:
- a little bit artsy and very cliche
- this play should not be taken at face value
- Terrence McNally = Art
- Lips is a play that define the rat race we live in!
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Lips Together, Teeth Apart: A Play (Drama, Plume)
Terrence McNally
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ASIN: 0452268079 |
Customer Reviews:
a little bit artsy and very cliche.......2003-09-22
Two couples - Sally and her husband Sam; Chloe (Sam's sister) and her husband John - are spending the weekend at the Fire Island home left to Sally by her brother, who has died of AIDS. The tensions between the four of them - tense marriages; old, uncomfortable relationships - and their isolation are played out over the course of one summer day.
Much has been made of this play, how beautiful it is, how expertly it shows the fear and ultimate aloneness of everyone, even amidst the tumble of our busy lives. And the script does make an enjoyable read, kind of a period piece of the late-eighties culture. It could be an affecting show, with the right cast.
But it's nothing great or memorable. Supposedly it deals with homosexuality and AIDS very honestly and poignantly. But it doesn't. It deals with the reactions of four overbred heterosexuals to the existence of homosexuality - reactions that range only narrowly, from mild repugnance to forced indifference. The loneliness and fear that it takes such pains to elucidate is also nothing new; every playwright from Shakespeare to Ibsen to Tennessee Williams (not to mention every novelist and poet) has shown the protagonist alone despite appearances.
The real uniqueness of "Lips Together, Teeth Apart" lies in its adolescence: it's all stagnation and angst, with characters speaking their lines largely to the audience or themselves. As an effect it's interesting, but it's a two-bit trick that can't carry the whole play. No relationships are developed, nothing actually happens between the characters. It's deeply lazy on the playwright's part, and deeply unrealistic. People do hear the words their companions say; the subtext is what goes unheeded. Loneliness comes from the conflict between text and subtext; eliminating the text and elevating the subtext reduces human interaction to a series of soliloquies. The real distance between people does not come from the fact that the person talking has a spotlight and everybody else is frozen in the dark.
this play should not be taken at face value.......2002-12-01
You will read lots of reviews from people telling you this play deals with homosexuality and AIDS, and 'isn't it a tough subject?' They're wrong. This play is about fear. If you can see that, you will fall in love with this play.
Terrence McNally = Art.......2002-01-02
Terrence McNally is Art. He's never failed to astound me, be it in the way he deals with sensitive topics with humor, or the way he conveys the humanity is a comical situation. Lips is an amazing play that deals with tough issues, such as AIDS, extramarital affairs, homosexuality, and acceptance. It shows how people naturally want to sweep difficult issues under the rug and never really want to accept that which is hard for them to deal. All taking place on a 4th of July Weekend, Lips Together, Teeth Apart follows two couples staying at the home of a gay man who died of AIDS, and how they are unable to talk about it. Each of them has a story to tell, and a personal issue to deal with, though none of them like to discuss their problems with their companions. This is a play about coming to terms with yourself and those around you, lay all your cards on the table, and those who stick around, stick around. I reccomend this strongly to anyone in theatre and even anyone interested in reading a compassionate play.
Lips is a play that define the rat race we live in!.......1998-12-11
Lips Together, Teeth Apart is a play that shows the fast pace society that we call America. Touching on issues such as extramarital affairs, homosexuality, and AIDS, McNally exhibits a culture that we know exists, but want to deny the facts. It may take another read or two in order to see the humor in the dialogue. Having read other plays such as Angels in America, Lips treats society with a kind hand and a turn of the cheek. Each character has a problem, resulting in their own monologue to find their true personality. Read it with an open mind and an open heart!
Average customer rating:
- Rich in dialogue, characters are fun and vibrant!
- Expectations of Romance
- Frankie and Johnny
- One of the great American plays
- not very good
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Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune.
Terrence McNally
Manufacturer: Dramatist's Play Service
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ASIN: 0822204207 |
Customer Reviews:
Rich in dialogue, characters are fun and vibrant!.......2005-12-16
First, the complete and correct title of this Terrance McNally play is Frankie an Johnny IN the Clair de Lune, not AT the Clair de Lune like some media states it. When the romantic Johnny sees a full moon, they make love and Frankie hears beautiful music, Johnny asks the radio DJ for a request and the DJ plays the classical Debussy's Clair de Lune" - moonlight mood.
Second, this 2-character play is best to remain as a play and not a Hollywood movie. Setting is in New York 1987. The characters spew profanities and engage in sexual language.
Released from prison, 48-year old Johnny gets a job as a short-order cook where 37 year old Frankie waits tables. Opening scene is the first date and the two having sex in her one-room apartment. Johnny is a pure romantic, the way he believes romance is to be, but he is rough and doesn't quite say things in a romantic way. He is very humorous.
Frankie starts out wondering what kind of a lunatic/maniac she brought home, and she is resistance and suspicious. At her age, she isn't easily taken in. The two share their commonalities, differences, dislikes, dreams, argue, make love, eat, talk, argue., etc. etc. Don't expect much too happen, the vibrant dialogue is great enough!
To get the full and complete portrayal of these characters, you need to read the play. Time after time, movie versions lose so much. This was excellent!.....MzRizz
Expectations of Romance.......2005-11-17
When Terrence McNally's play premiered in 1988, Kathy Bates played the lead role of Frankie. In its recent Aug. 02-Mar. 03 run on Broadway, it resulted in a Tony nomination for Stanley Tucci. It is a hard-hitting two-character two-act study on our expectations of romance and our ability to believe something good can happen. Frankie is a twice-burned somewhat cynical waitress who has just had what she expects to be a one-night stand with co-worker cook Johnny. Johnny is a romantic who falls in love not only with Frankie but all of the possibilities of whom Frankie might be. Through the two acts, the couple trades jabs and expectations about where their "relationship" is or is not going. Johnny calls a local radio station and requests the most beautiful music, which the programmer selects as "Claire de Lune." The play takes the characters past disappointment in the hope that maybe true love can and will find them. Enjoy!
Frankie and Johnny.......2002-12-29
This is one amazing play! A two-man play, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune exceeds all expectations. The play is about a woman, Frankie, and a man, Johnny. They work together in a restaurant. She's a waitress, he's a cook. They meet but don't connect. The beginning of the play finds them in Frankie's apartment after making love on the night of their first date. Throughout the two-act play, the star-crossed lovers are faced with trying to salvage something that ought to last, and not self-destruct.
One of the great American plays.......1999-10-18
This is not a book in the sense of a novel, it is a play. That is why there is so much "talking", or dialogue. I have studied this play intensively and it is so rich of true human emotion. The characters aren't glamorous. Their opposite personalities and views of love and romance turn "the last of the red-hot lovers" into the most unlikely couple. Still, you want the best for both of them. I love this play and consider it one of McNally's best.
not very good.......1999-09-10
this book has virtually no plot and i wouldn't recomend it to anyone. it has to much sex and to much talk. it doesn't give much detail about the outward apperances and all i had to rely on was the pictures in the middle of the book
Average customer rating:
- Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone
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Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone?.
Terrence McNally
Manufacturer: Dramatists Play Service
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0822212412 |
Customer Reviews:
Where Has Tommy Flowers Gone.......2007-03-06
A play for 3 men and 3 women presents different scenes in the life of Tommy Flowers, a minor hoodlum, misfit and social rebel. Unable to handle the pressure of his family and unable to find salvation in love, Flowers decides to construct a bomb to blow himself up and part of the world that rejects him as well.
Average customer rating:
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Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune
Terrence McNally
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ASIN: 0452268842 |
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Perfect Ganesh
Terrence McNally
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ASIN: 0822213796 |
Customer Reviews:
A very Perfect Ganesh.......1999-06-24
This play is not only deeply moving, but is extremely relevant to our day and age. Despite its deep moral premise, and horrific moments, McNally treats his work with a very sensitive touch, making "Ganesh" his finest work to date. Both humorous, entertaining, heartbreaking, and poignant, "A Perfect Ganesh" is one of the greatest theatrical achievments of the 1990's. It is a tragedy that this piece is not in stock.
Average customer rating:
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The Full Monty - The Complete Book and Lyrics of the Hit Broadway Musical
Terrence McNally , and David Yazbek
Manufacturer: Applause Books
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ASIN: 155783556X |
Book Description
"Full of brilliance! It's a blockbuster and a mold-breaker. A one-of-a-kind Broadway musical. I loved it!" - Clive Barnes, The New York Post "A delightful salute to the human spirit!" - David Hinckley, The Daily News "Monty works on every level and is the kind of audience-pleaser that Broadway desperately needs." - Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
Customer Reviews:
The Full Monty.......2007-01-15
Cd, complete book and lyrics and music and lyrics arrived promptly as advertised. Completely met my expectations. Would buy from this vendor again.
Average customer rating:
- Where's the drama ?
- excellent
|
Love! Valor! Compassion! and A Perfect Ganesh (Drama, Plume)
Terrence McNally
Manufacturer: Plume
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ASIN: 0452279305 |
Customer Reviews:
Where's the drama ?.......1999-09-03
The best thing about "Love! Valour! Compassion!" is its technical complexity. The author goes to great lengths to make the play dynamic: forward presentation of key events, overlapping monologues and conversations, onstage transformation of John Jeckyll into James and back, complex stage design. However, after getting through all these twists and turns, one is left wondering: what is all this dynamics for ? What purpose does it serve ? The transactions between characters are trivial, and everything that happens to them is boring and predictable. The characters in the play don't live - they are engaged in self-analysis. Well thank you, but I am capable of analyzing things myself when there is something to analyze. Overall, the play's elaborate complexity only underlines the absence of real drama between the characters.
excellent.......1999-06-12
One of the most endearing plays of the 1990's, McNally reaches into the heart of the audience and never lets go. The magical thing about Love! Valour! Compassion! is that even though it details the lives of eight gay men in upstate New York, anyone, gay or stright, man or woman, can relate to it. A fine piece of drama that stands as a testament to the human soul, McNally shows us once again that life consists of successes and failures, truth and lies, and of course, love, valour, and compassion.
Average customer rating:
- Ho dato tutto a te.
- Do Your Homework First
- Do Your Homework First
- Oh, if only there was an audio tape to go with this script!
- Entertaining and Good Insight into Music
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Master Class.
Terrence McNally
Manufacturer: Dramatists Play Service
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ASIN: 0822215217 |
Customer Reviews:
Ho dato tutto a te........2004-11-13
The spirit of Maria Callas propells this play. Certainly an homage from McNally to her, and for me a good introduction into her personality and place in theatre history. In a way this is a one-woman piece, with accompaniment, from student singers and a pianist, as Callas the character engages them and the audience in a ride on her spirit, in the guise of a Master Class. Because of the play I looked into Callas on the net and learned of her connection to Aristotle Onassis and Jackie Kennedy as well. This was new to me, and serves the play too, in trance like reminiscences where she speaks to Onassis and husband Battista Meneghini, as well as her audience(s).
Master Class is a powerful theatre piece, full of simple yet difficult truths about performing and a life in the theatre, about artists and giving ones life, heart and soul to your craft. She gave us everything, and with a load of bitterness and a load of love she comes alive in the place that she made and the place that made her.
Do Your Homework First.......2001-12-17
Although the play itself was entertaining, I found it confusing, because I knew nothing about Maria Callas. Before I reached the end of the play, I could make almost no sense of her long, emotional flashback narratives. I plan to do research on the woman and reread the play, and I advise others to do so as well. As a singer I appreciated the depiction of Maria Callas and her students as artists who want to have something special that other artists can envy and strive for. Every artist experiences the wish to be different from those who possess the same dreams, and this play shows that truth. The sarcastic dialogue etches for the reader a distinct picture of Maria's character in the play. (Whether or not it is accurate to her true personality, I cannot tell.) I appreciate this play for its accurate portrayal of the struggling artist, but I am sure I will appreciate it more after I have done my homework on Maria Callas.
Do Your Homework First.......2001-12-17
Although the play itself was entertaining, I found it confusing, because I knew nothing about Maria Callas. Before I reached the end of the play, I could make almost no sense of her long, emotional flashback narratives. I plan to do research on the woman and reread the play, and I advise others to do so as well. As a singer I appreciated the depiction of Maria Callas and her students as artists who want to have something special that other artists can envy and strive for. Every artist experiences the wish to be different from those who possess the same dreams, and this play shows that truth. The sarcastic dialogue etches for the reader a distinct picture of Maria's character in the play. (Whether or not it is accurate to her true personality, I cannot tell.) I appreciate this play for its accurate portrayal of the struggling artist, but I am sure I will appreciate it more after I have done my homework on Maria Callas.
Oh, if only there was an audio tape to go with this script!.......2000-10-23
When Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington listen to Maria Callas sing "La Mamma Morta" in the film "Philadelphia," I am sure most viewers did recognized neither the aria nor the diva. If the name of Maria Callas is mentioned it is as likely because she was Aristotle Onassis' mistress as it is that she was one of the world's greatest opera singers. In 1971 Callas returned to the stage to teach master classes at Julliard, which were transcribed and collected into a book edited by John Ardoin. A quarter century later Terrence McNally was inspired by those lectures to write his play, Master Class," which may do as much as anything to restore Callas to her rightful spot in the history of opera as anything since her death.
McNally's great conceit in this play is to make the theater audience the members of the master class. The house lights never go completely down during the course of the play, allowing Callas to lecture (harangue) the audience along with her master students who she puts through the wringer, usually reducing them to tears. The play uses an accompanist, two sopranos and a tenor to play and sing the music, while Callas comments on both the meaning of the texts and their performances. When she performed on stage the key description of Callas was that she was "dramatic" as a singer. In this play McNally tries to make it clear why this is true, for even if the diva can no longer sing, she retains her total understanding of each piece under discussion.
Because Callas is talking about music in general and various arias in particular, there is certainly a missing dimension to this script. I am serious when I say it would be nice if there was an audio tape of the arias that you could play while Callas talks about them (e.g., Verdi's "Macbeth"). Unfortunately, I am ashamed to admit my opera collection is inadequate to the task of putting together my own tape. But it is certainly fun to listen to those particular works as they are discussed. Not as good as actually seeing this play in performance, but that is unlikely to happen since it requires not only someone with the commanding presence of Zoe Caldwell but several singers like Audra McDonald. This is a fascinating portrait of a person who was as dynamic a personality as she was a performer. As much as I enjoyed reading this play, I have to lament the fact that reading it deprives me of the musical dimension that is at the heart of "Master Class." If you enjoy opera, musical theater or the creative process of the performing arts, this is a wonderful play for you to read.
Entertaining and Good Insight into Music.......2000-05-30
I have played violin since age 4 hence especially enjoyed Maria's passion for music. Her eccentricities with the students and her theatrical manner are traits with which practically anyone in the music business is destined to encounter in his or her career. Also, the significance of Maria, Ari, and Ms. Kennedy-Onassis (only briefly referred to) adds another interesting element to the play.
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- Thrills and Chills
- An Incredible Collection!
- An Astounding Peice of Theatre
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Three Plays by Terrence Mcnally (Plume Drama)
Terrence McNally
Manufacturer: Plume
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Binding: Paperback
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Similar Items:
- Terrence McNally, Vol. 1: 15 Short Plays
- Corpus Christi
- Love! Valor! Compassion! and A Perfect Ganesh (Drama, Plume)
- Lips Together, Teeth Apart: A Play (Drama, Plume)
- Master Class
ASIN: 0452264251 |
Customer Reviews:
Thrills and Chills.......2005-05-18
The Lisbon Traviata has its moments, and again and again Frankie and Johnnie has been revived with great success, but for me It's Only a Play is the real winner of this indispensable collection by Terrence McNally, who wrote the book for THE RINK many moons ago. The madcap life of the theater has not so well been written about since the heyday of Moss Hart and his 1948 comedy-drama Light Up The Sky. In McNally's play, a Manhattan producer is celebrating the first night of a new play by throwing a wild party to which Lauren Bacall and Lena Horne are only two of the celebrity guests to show up. (There's also the whole cast of Singin' In The Rain, in yellow slickers.) We see none of this, however, for the action of the play is confined to the top floor bedroom in the swank apartment of Julia, whose dog, the ferocious Torch, is locked up in the bathroom barking furiously. The dog is said to have mauled the face off of poor Arlene Francis, from TV's "What's My Line?" -- Yes, the play is very much set in its own time (the 1980s) and many of the celebrities said to be attending Julia's party below are now, alas, no longer with us (Mary Martin, Helen Hayes, etc).
Meanwhile the theater's meanest critic, Ira Drew, is circulating, wondering why people don't appreciate his bon mots. The drugged up leading lady, Virginia, is so high she can rarely recognize the people she's speaking to. And the poor author, Peter, is waiting biting his nails, hoping for a favorable New York Times review from Frank Rich for that, after all, is what determines if any particular play closes or stays afloat. There's a wannabe actor, Gus, whose job is to haul all the mink coats upstairs and plop them on the bed. The funniest bit of business he has is dragging in an enormously elongated full-length mink that prompts another character to guess (correctly) that Tommy Tune is in the house! James Coco starred in this play and I assume that people just didn't buy him in the part. Christine Baranski, at the beginning of her career, played the adorable Julia, and Joanna Gleason the stoner actress.
Buy this book, or better yet, if this play is revived anytime, go and see it. It is a moody suspense comedy that, should the roller coaster at Coney Island ever disappear, thrill seekers could mount in its place.
An Incredible Collection!.......2002-01-02
This collection of three plays is such an amazing example of McNally's work. "The Libson Traviata" is an emotional play, dealt with such tenderness and wit. "Frankie and Johnnie" is a wonderful play full of compassion and humor, making light of a situation. "It's Only A Play" is a very funny, yet touching play that is a must-read for fans of McNally. Terrence McNally, you are amazing!
An Astounding Peice of Theatre.......2000-05-20
This collection is worth getting simply for the second play 'Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune'. Yes, I'm sure you have all seen the film with Al Pacino, but the play version is much more detailed. The relationship between Frankie and Johnny, as seen from dusk till dawn, is one of the most intense, moving and powerful ever written.
Authors:
- Meacham, Beth
- Menander
- Mencken, Henry Louis
- Meng Chiao
- Meredith, Christopher
- Meredith, George
- Meredith, William
- Merril, Judith
- Merrill, James
- Merriman, Brian
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