Polish Joke And Other Plays

This collection brings together four full-length plays from the same dazzling pen that produced the one-act comic masterpieces of All in the Timing: Polish Joke, a young Polish-American's trip through ethnic stereotypes; Don Juan in Chicago, in which a Renaissance innocent makes a deal with the devil, only to become a reluctant Latin lover; Ancient History, a comedy-drama about the holy war that breaks out when two people from two very different cultures fall in love; and The Red Address, the searing portrait of a man with a secret who is forced by tragedy into self-revelation.

A collection of four works from the American playwright known as “wizardly . . . magical and funny . . . a master of language” (The New York Times). This collection brings together four full-length plays from the same dazzling pen that produced the one-act comic masterpieces of All in the Timing. Polish Joke is about a young Polish-American’s trip through ethnic stereotypes. Nine-year-old Midwesterner Jan Bogdan Sadlowski, nicknamed Jasiu, is told by his uncle that Poles are thought to be “backward, stupid, inept, and gloomy.” The only way out is for Jasiu “to impersonate someone not Polish.” In Don Juan in Chicago, a Renaissance innocent makes a deal with the devil, only to become a reluctant Latin lover. Ancient History is a comedy-drama about the holy war that breaks out when two people from two very different cultures fall in love. The Red Address paints a searing portrait of a man with a secret who is forced by tragedy into self-revelation. Praise for David Ives “A pitcher with a great many tricks up his sleeve. He throws like an all-star . . . mixing comedic moods and styles with a dizzying assortment of changeups.” —The New York Times Polish Joke “Ives skillfully climbs the slippery slope of political incorrectness without a single mean-spirited stumble.” —CurtainUp Don Juan in Chicago “Ives invents an irresistible premise and has fun making good on its promise.” —Los Angeles Times Ancient History “A riveting theatrical experience.” —Show Business The Red Address “Mix Glengarry Glen Ross with Glen or Glenda . . . A tough-talking drama that mixes business sharks, blackmail, cross-dressing and murder.” —Variety

THE STORY: A comedy about ethnic identity and the eternal American search for roots. Jasiu (thirtyish) is a Polish-American who has been taught not to value his own roots, so he decides to make his own roots, reinventing himself first as a sort o

THE STORY: In a radical departure from his comedies, David Ives writes a searing, disturbing drama about a middle-American businessman whose company and whose very life and sanity stand under attack. E. G. Triplett leads an outwardly respectable, a

Features a comprehensive guide to American dramatic literature, from its origins in the early days of the nation to the groundbreaking works of today's best writers.

The Mirth of Nations is a social and historical study of jokes told in the principal English-speaking countries. It is based on use of archives and other primary sources, including old and rare joke books. Davies makes detailed comparisons between the humor of specific pairs of nations and ethnic and regional groups. In this way, he achieves an appreciation of the unique characteristics of the humor of each nation or group.A tightly argued book, The Mirth of Nations uses the comparative method to undermine existing theories of humor, which are rooted in notions of hostility, conflict, and superiority, and derive ultimately from Hobbes and Freud. Instead Davies argues that humor merely plays with aggression and with rule-breaking, and that the form this play takes is determined by social structures and intellectual traditions. It is not related to actual conflicts between groups. In particular, Davies convincingly argues that Jewish humor and jokes are neither uniquely nor overwhelmingly self-mocking as many writers since Freud have suggested. Rather Jewish jokes, like Scottish humor and jokes are the product of a strong cultural tradition of analytical thinking and intelligent self-awareness.The volume shows that the forty-year popularity of the Polish joke cycle in America was not a product of any special negative feeling towards Poles. Jokes are not serious and are not a form of determined aggression against others or against one's own group. The Mirth of Nations is readable as well as revisionist. It is written with great clarity and puts forward difficult and complex arguments without jargon in an accessible manner. Its rich use of examples of all kinds of humor entertains the reader, who will enjoy a great variety of jokes while being enlightened by the author's careful explanations of why particular sets of jokes exist and are immensely popular. The book will appeal to general readers as well as those in cultural stu

THE STORY: Don Juan is a handsome, rich, sexually naive nobleman in sixteenth-century Spain. His servant, Leporello, urges him to find a girlfriend and lead a normal life, but the Don is more interested in finding the meaning of life through books

Provides a comprehensive guide to American dramatic literature, from its origins in the early days of the nation to American classics such as Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman and Thornton Wilder's Our Town to the groundbreaking works of today's best writers.