Horror on the Stage

There are numerous publications about the horror genre in film and television, but none that provide information about horror on a legitimate stage until now. This book highlights the most terrifying moments in theater history, from classical plays like Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound and Euripides’ Medea to the violence of the Grand Guignol company productions in 18th-century France, and present-day productions like Stephen Sondheim’s musical Sweeney Todd, Stephen King’s Carrie and dark 21st-century plays by Clive Barker and Conor McPherson.

The book compiles the history and behind-the-scenes tales surrounding stage productions about monsters, hauntings and horrors both historical and imagined. Included are the nightmarish adaptations of popular writings from Edgar Allan Poe, Oscar Wilde, H.G. Wells, Henry James, Arthur Conan Doyle, and others, as well as plays starring popular characters like Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Invisible Man, the Phantom of the Opera, and the Woman in Black. More than 500 plays are documented, accompanied by dozens of photographs. Entries include plot synopses, existing production data, and evaluations by critics and scholars.

Amnon Kabatchnik has served as professor of theater at several top universities. In New York, on the road and in summer stock he directed dramas, comedies, and thrillers, earning the Lola D’Annunzio Honorary Citation for Outstanding Contribution to the Off Broadway Theater. He lives in Santa Monica, California.

Amnon Kabatchnik
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 283
Bibliographic Info: 106 photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2023
pISBN: 978-1-4766-7555-8
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4623-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments viii
Preface 1
Introduction: Terrifying Moments in Theater History 3
1. Supernatural Monsters 75
2. ­Real-Life Monsters 128
3. Harrowing Adaptations 139
4. Musical Monsters 188
5. Psychotics 215
6. Sherlock Holmes vs. Creatures of Horror 230
Appendix 1. Birth of the Gothics 245
Appendix 2. The Grand Guignol 248
Chapter Notes 251
Bibliography 264
Index 265

• Bronze award—Feathered Quill Book Awards

• Winner, Distinguished Favorite in Performing Arts—Independent Press Award

• Winner, IndieReader Discovery Award for Education