The Cambridge Companion to David Mamet

This collection of specially written essays offers both student and theatregoer a guide to one of the most celebrated American dramatists working today. Readers will find the general and accessible descriptions and analyses provide the perfect introduction to Mamet’s work. The volume covers the full range of Mamet’s writing, including now classic plays such as American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, and his more recent work, Boston Marriage, among others, as well as his films, such as The Verdict and Wag the Dog. Additional chapters also explore Mamet and acting, Mamet as director, his fiction, and a survey of Mamet criticism. The Companion to David Mamet is an introduction which will prepare the reader for future work by this important and influential writer.

• An accessible introduction to the work of David Mamet • Christopher Bigsby is a major scholar of contemporary American drama and is also editor of The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller • Specially written essays by both practitioners in the field and theatre historians offer a fresh perspective on Mamet

List of contributors; Preface; 1. David Mamet Christopher Bigsby; 2. The 1970s Johan Callens; 3. David Mamet’s American Buffalo Matthew Roudané; 4. The 1980s Alain Piette; 5. Glengarry Glen Ross Benedict Nightingale; 6. The 1990s Heather Braun; 7. Oleanna: tragic power play Brenda Murphy; 8. Mamet and the actor Don B. Wilmeth; 9. On directing Mamet Steven Price; 10. David Mamet and film Philip French; 11. David Mamet’s fiction Christopher Bigsby; 12. Misreading Mamet: scholarship and reviews David Sauer and Janice A. Sauer; Index.

\'… a valuable addition to the criticism available on this significant American playwright.\' New Theatre Quarterly

\'… innovative and resourceful …\' Journal of American Studies