Blood on the Stage: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection - Tapa dura

A veteran stage director, theater professor, and mystery fiction reviewer fills a gap in criminous scholarship with a strong contender for Edgar Award recognition....Dialogue samples, quotations from contemporary reviews, anecdotes, and mentions of well-known cast members further enliven the entertainingly-written entries. -- Jon L. Breen * Mystery Scene Magazine, September 2008 * This material is astonishingly complete and up to date....The author correctly describes this work as "a labor of love." It is also a fascinating document that deserves a place in any library with a sizable collection on theater. * American Reference Books Annual, August 2008 * The author gives thorough criticism for the benefit of theater students on why each work is noteworthy, and why the appeal of this genre endures. * Book News, Inc. * For anyone with a serious interest in the stage and plays of detection, this is a priceless reference. * Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine * The sheer readability of his work exceeds that of many reference books.... Warmly recommended. * Reference and User Services Quarterly * The plays selected by Kabatchnik...provide a wealth of material for lovers of theatre. * Los Angeles Times, August 2008 *

Acts of crime and criminal minds have always fascinated the world's authors. During 1900-1925, world stages were full of plays in which transgression and lawbreaking were the common denominators. In Blood on the Stage: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection, An Annotated Repertoire, 1900 - 1925, Amnon Kabatchnik examines the key representations of transgression drama produced in the 20th century's first quarter. This volume covers 80 plays written and produced between 1900-1925 that had at least one public performance in the English language, with an emphasis on New York and London performances.