The Collected Plays of Paul Rudnick: Wickedly Funny and Cerebral Works from One of America's Great Humorists

“Paul Rudnick is a champion of truth (and love and great wicked humor) whom we ignore at our peril.” ―David Sedaris, author of Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, and Squirrel Seeks ChipmunkThis definitive collection of Paul Rudnick’s plays presents the pinnacle of theatrical hilarity from one of America’s great humorists. Popular for his wickedly funny novels, including I’ll Take It and Social Disease, comic screenplays like In & Out and Addams Family Values, and the Augusten Burroughs-like memoir I Shudder, Rudnick remains best known for his cerebral but side-splitting theatrical writing. With echoes of Neil Simon, Thornton Wilder, and Noel Coward, Rudnick plays like I Hate Hamlet, Jeffrey, and The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told are outstanding fixtures of America’s comedic canon.This collection brings together seven of his sharpest, most hilarious, and most humane plays:Broadway Comedy: In I Hate Hamlet, a young TV actor moves into John Barrymore’s old apartment—only to be haunted by the ghost of the legendary actor himself.Groundbreaking AIDS Satire: Jeffrey, the landmark play that dared to find laughter and romance in the midst of the AIDS crisis, follows a man who gives up sex only to meet the man of his dreams.Irreverent Religious Parody: The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told offers a wildly funny retelling of the Book of Genesis starring the world’s first gay couple, Adam and Steve, and the first lesbians, Jane and Mabel.Sharp Social Commentary: Four other brilliant plays, including Regrets Only, a blistering take on gay marriage, and The New Century, a collection of unapologetic monologues about modern life.Author's Introductions: Features wickedly funny introductions to each play by Rudnick himself, sharing the outrageous true stories behind the scripts. Read more