Although not yet 40, two-time Pulitzer finalist Sarah Ruhl has established herself as one of America’s most innovative and productive playwrights. She is known for charting complex currents of desire and broaching weighty topics such as bereavement with a light, whimsical touch. This critical volume represents the first full-length, comprehensive study of her work. The text tracks the evolution of her style and aesthetic, situates her body of work within the American theatre scene, investigates her influences, and analyzes her plays in depth, including Eurydice, The Clean House, Passion Play, and In the Next Room or the vibrator play.

James Al-Shamma is an assistant professor of Theatre at Belmont University.

James Al-Shamma
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 228
Bibliographic Info: 38 photos, notes, chronology, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2011
pISBN: 978-0-7864-5887-5
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8478-2
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

Introduction      5

I. Navigating Sorrow in Eurydice      13

II. Joke as Incantation in The Clean House      38

III. Melancholy Plague      68

IV. Falling in Love with Long Distance: Dead Man’s Cell Phone      84

V. A Cowboy Stew      99

VI. Apocalypse Deferred: Passion Play      111

VII. Alternating Currents of Desire: In the Next Room or the vibrator play      141

VIII. Other Works      177

IX. Conclusion      186

Appendix: Chronology of Play Premieres      197

Chapter Notes      199

Bibliography      203

Index      215