Mr. Burns and other plays
(Book)

"Anne Washburn's plays blend naturalistic human presence with formal thought experiments that drive at the question of what storytelling means to human survival. Via high-and-low storytelling, Washburn writes about contemporary and near-future culture, calling on Homer, Euripides, the Prophet Jeremiah, the world of fantasy games and The Simpsons" -- Cover.

""One of the most spectacularly original plays in recent memory."--Entertainment Weekly "Fascinating and hilarious. With each of its three acts, Mr. Burns grows grander."-Village Voice "When was the last time you met a new play that was so smart it made your head spin?. Mr. Burns has arrived to leave you dizzy with the scope and dazzle of its ideas. with depths of feeling to match its breadth of imagination."-The New York Times An ode to live theater and the resilience of The Simpsons, Anne Washburn's apocalyptic comedy Mr. Burns-"even better than its hype" (New York Post)-is an imaginative exploration of how the culture of one generation can evolve into the mythology of the next. Following an enthusiastic critical reception from New York critics for its world premiere, Mr. Burns will receive its London premiere in spring 2014. Also included in the collection are The Small, I Have Loved Strangers, and Orestes, all of which, together, develop a theme of destruction, from the personal to the city to civilization and, finally, to the destruction of form. Anne Washburn's plays include The Internationalist, A Devil at Noon, Apparition, The Communist Dracula Pageant, I Have Loved Strangers, The Ladies, The Small, and a transadaptation of Euripides's Orestes. Her awards include a Guggenheim, NYFA Fellowship, Time Warner Fellowship, and a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist. She is a member of 13P, The Civilians, and is a New Georges affiliated artist"--,Provided by publisher.