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Examines 327 works of twentieth century drama never before covered in translation from countries including France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden. The set reflects considerable variety of experiences and voices, and 148 playwrights from around the world are represented. The arrangement is alphabetical by title, with each essay divided into six sections. The top matter gives the author and his or her birth and death dates, the time and place of the work's first performance, the setting, and the principal characters. Following sections cover: action and plot, themes and meanings, dramatic devices, critical context, and sources for further study. This is how it should be done--clearly written, cleanly produced. Annotation(c) 2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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Library Journal Review

This is the sixth of seven supplements to Masterplots. It examines ``327 works of twentieth century drama never before covered in the Masterplots series,'' including such important works as Becket, Marat-Sade, The Great White Hope, and Streamers. Drama in translation is also covered, though there are several works that don't seem to fit (e.g., the movie My Dinner with Andre ). The standard Masterplots format is used: brief descriptive information, well-written plot summaries, sections on themes, dramatic devices, and critical context, and brief lists of ``Sources for Further Study.'' Most of these would be useful reference sources in libraries serving clientele concerned with modern drama. This may be the best of the Masterplots supplements.-- Peter Dollard, Alma Coll. Lib., Mich . (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This set contains essays on 327 20th-century plays, most written in English although some translations are included. Serious attention has been paid to works by African-American and other minority group authors as well as to nontradional theater pieces. The signed five-page articles (mostly by academics whose affiliations are listed in Volume 1) follow a consistent format that works very well. Each begins with a summary of production and publication information and a list of the main characters, followed by a plot summary and then discussions of "Themes and Meanings," "Dramatic Devices," and "Critical Context." Finally, there is a list of six to ten "Sources for Further Study." The style is clear and the material is accessible to drama students from high school age up. The set works well for the plays included, but it cannot be used to survey a playwright's work. Lillian Hellman is represented only by The Children's Hour and Watch on the Rhine, Tennessee Williams by five plays beginning alphabetically with Night of the Iguana. The editor states that these works were "never before treated in the Masterplots Series" (although some do appear in the two series of his Critical Survey of Drama, CH, Jan'86, Jan'87); and what is lacking is an index to playwrights' appearances in other Magill series, i.e., Masterplots/Masterpieces/Literary Annual/Critical Survey publications. What is here, however, is very good and will be useful in any library serving students and lovers of the theater. -R. W. Evans, formerly SUNY College at Purchase