Book Description

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. Each of the entries revolves around murder, theft, chicanery, kidnapping, political intrigue, or espionage. Works by Nobel Prize winners Jacinto Benavente, John Galsworthy, and Eugene O'Neill are examined, along with plays by David Belasco, Earl Derr Biggers, George M. Cohan, Arthur Conan Doyle, Elmer Rice, and Mary Roberts Rinehart. The volume includes standards of the genre such as The Bat, The Cat and the Canary, The Last of Mrs. Cheney, Madame X, and The Scarlet Pimpernel. The emphasis is on manuscripts of enduring importance, pioneering contributions, singular innovations, outstanding success, and representative works by prolific playwrights in the genre. The entries are arranged in chronological order, each consisting of plot summary (often including significant dialogue), production and performance data, opinions by critics and scholars, and other features.