Join Books.org — it's free

Drama, American
It's Only a Play by Terrence McNally β€” book cover

It's Only a Play

by Terrence McNally
Write a review
Log in to track your reading progress.

Synopsis

It's the opening night of on Broadway, and the wealthy producer (Julia Budder) is throwing a lavish party in her lavish Manhattan townhouse. Downstairs the celebrities are pouring in, but the real action is upstairs where a group of insiders have staked themselves out in the producer's bedroom, waiting for the reviews to come in. Included are the excitable young author; the brilliant but unstable director (who courts failure and is devastated when his work is well received); the pill-popping leading lady (who is hoping to revive her career after a series of flop movies); and the playwright's best friend, an egotistical but insecure comic actor who passed up a chance to star in the play for a television series which has since been cancelled. Also present are a fawning, hypocritical drama critic (who is a closet playwright); a would-be singer working as a part-time servant; and a hard-boiled lady taxi driver who has seen it all, many times over. The good natured bonhommie with which the evening begins grows steadily bitchier and funnier as the reviews (all bad) come in, and those assembled seek desperately to pin the blame on each other. But, as euphoria slides into despair, the narcissism, ambition, childishness and just plain irrationality that infuse the theatre and its denizens take over, and as the curtain falls plans are eagerly afoot for their next venture this one sure to be the hit they have all been hoping for.

NY Times

This show is without a doubt hilariously, sidesplittingly funny...These are among the funniest lines to roll off a stage in years...IT'S ONLY A PLAY deserves only a rave.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet. Log in to write one.

Book Details

Published
October 1, 1992
Publisher
Dramatists Play Service, Incorporated
Pages
81
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780822205821

More by Terrence McNally

Similar books