Discussing more than 120 full-length plays, this volume provides an overview of the most important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection produced between 1950 and 1975.

In this volume, Amnon Kabatchnik provides an overview of more than 150 important and memorable theatrical works of crime and detection between 1925 and 1950. Each entry includes a plot synopsis, production data, and the opinions of well known and respected critics and scholars.

One of the world's most well known fictional characters, Sherlock Holmes first appeared in print in 1887. The detective was featured in four novels and 56 short stories written by his creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Within a decade of his creation Sherlock Holmes made his theatrical debut, first in a couple of obscure productions and soon in the celebrated play adapted by and starring William Gillette. Through the 20th century and beyond, the fictional detective featured in dozens of plays, not to mention radio programs, films, and television shows. In Sherlock Holmes on Stage, Amnon Kabatchnik cites the many theatrical appearances of the great detective since his debut in a one-act musical satire in November 1893. Divided into three sections, this book focuses on plays written or cowritten by Conan Doyle, one-act productions, and plays written by other authors—either adaptations of the novels and stories or original works. Within these sections, each entry is arranged in chronological order and provides a plot synopsis, production details, and other unique features. Some entries identify principal actors and provide biographical sketches of the playwrights, as well as those actors who made a lasting impression as the fictional sleuth. The book also includes several appendixes that focus on special productions, plays that feature variations of the Holmes character, and a list of acting editions.

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.

The future lies ahead. BUT YOU CAN PAY FOR A PREVIEW. When her promised stardom fails to materialize, struggling actress Sarah Lassez finds solace in psychics who predict the coming of the man of her dreams. She's sure she's found him in Wilhelm, a suave hotel sous-chef from Germany. But mayhem ensues when she takes the words of the psychics over the words of her actual boyfriend and is convinced he's about to propose -- when in reality he's planning to leave the country . . . without her. Sarah's world dissolves into a haze of credit card debt, loneliness, and a raging addiction to psychics that threatens to destroy her finances, her relationships, and her sanity. She knows she needs help. But getting it will mean confronting the fact that life is not to be controlled or predicted, and though dealing with reality isn't always easy, at least it doesn't cost $4.99 a minute. Psychic Junkie is a true story of life and love in Los Angeles, narrated by an endearing protagonist whose search for answers will resonate with everyone who has ever tried to make sense of career, relationships, and adulthood.