A vigorous intelligence, an engaging wit, a lively style, and a view of the world at once serious, compassionate and gay -- these aer the distinctive qualities of Gerald Weales. He brings them all to bear in this unsparing, entertaining, and amazingly comprehensive account of American drama on and off Broadway since World War II. Is Arthur Miller a great dramatist? And what of Tennessee Williams? What is the "most sophisticated product of the musical...

"The Edwardian years in England, nostalgically remembered as 'the good old days,' were not so content as they are nowadays represented. Although the serious playwrights of the period were intent on a theatre of social and psychological significance -- the influence of Ibsen and Strindberg was just being felt -- their complacent idea of inevitable social progress through political action was tinged with pessimism. This attitude was responsible for...