Mamet Plays: 5

A collection of outstanding plays from one of America's greatest playwrightsBoston MarriageDavid Mamet conquers new territory with this droll comedy of errors set in a Victorian drawing-room. Anna and Claire are two bantering, scheming ladies of fashion who have long lived together on the fringes of upper-class society. Anna has just become the mistress of a wealthy man, from whom she has received an enormous emerald and an income to match. Claire, meanwhile, is infatuated with a respectable young lady and wants to enlist the jealous Anna's help for an assignation."e;Devastatingly funny . . . exceptionally clever"e; New York Times"e;Brilliant . . . One of Mamet's most satisfying and accomplished plays, and one of the funniest American comedies in years"e; New York PostFaustusA modern retelling of the classic tale of pride, folly and the ultimate wager. Faustus has it all - fame, success, a loving family. But a careless pact with a beguiling magician threatens everything. In language, scope and theatrical sensibility, Faustus represents a big departure for Mamet, melding resplendent language and metaphysics in an eerie and moving retelling of the tragedy of Doctor Faustus.RomanceWildly humorous and often gob-smackingly outrageous, Romance is an uproarious courtroom farce, which lampoons the American judicial system and exposes the hypocrisy surrounding personal prejudices and political correctness."e;An exhilarating spectacle New Yorker It made me weep with delight. . . . Romance is funny. Extremely funny. Wall Street Journal