Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery and Detection Review

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(More customer reviews)I was coaxed to read the reference book Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950 because it was a finalist at the prestigious Agatha Awards. As both a theatre lover and an aficionado of suspense literature, I found this hefty book a treasure chest of information about 150 crime and detection plays, all deserving attention and study, some of which we'll never see on stage in our life time. Arranged in chronological order, each of the plays analyzed is described by a concise yet thorough plot synopsis, performance data, and scholarly critiques. I was intrigued by the fact that alongside such lions of the genre as Agatha Christie and Edgar Wallace, surprisingly, also included are many mainstream authors like Eugene O'Neill, Somerset Maugham, Ayn Rand, Maxwell Anderson, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Bertolt Brecht----all proving to have been blood- thirsty, dabbling in all sorts of villainies. Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950 follows an earlier volume, Blood on the Stage, 1900-1925. While I am familiar with studies of crime in the cinema, television, and radio, to my knowledge, this is the only series of books dedicated to suspense on the legitimate stage. Unique, and immensely readable, I highly recommend this book.

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In Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection: An Annotated Repertoire, author Amnon Kabatchnik continues the focus of his previous volume (1900-1925) and provides an overview of the most important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection of this period. Addressing the development of this genre in the legitimate theatre, Kabatchnik discusses more than 150 full-length plays produced between 1925 and 1950. Arranged in chronological order, the productions cited are all works of enduring importance, pioneering contributions, singular innovations, and outstanding success. Many of the most notable playwrights of the era are represented, including Edgar Wallace, Eugene O'Neill, Ayn Rand, Jean-Paul Sartre, J.B. Priestley, and Agatha Christie. Each of the plays featured revolves around murder, theft, chicanery, kidnapping, political intrigue, or espionage. Each entry includes a plot synopsis, production data, and the opinions of well known and respected critics and scholars. The plays in this era include psychological thrillers and baffling whodunits, among them such memorable works as The Threepenny Opera, Rope, The Petrified Forest, Night Must Fall, Arsenic and Old Lace, An Inspector Calls, and Detective Story.