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Recommendations based on West Side Storyby Irving Shulman
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
by Stephen Sondheim
A vengeful barber and his accomplice bake their victims into pies in 19th century London.
According to legend, Sweeney Todd had his barber shop at number 186 Fleet Street, next door to St. Dunstan's Church, just a few blocks away from the Royal Courts of Justice. On this site, they say, ... (Goodreads)
Fiddler on the Roof
by Joseph Stein
A poor Jewish milkman in pre-revolutionary Russia tries to uphold his traditions and marry off his daughters.
The full text and complete lyrics, as well as photographs from the original production. One of the great works of the American musical theatre. It is darling, touching, beautiful, warm, funny and ... (Goodreads)
Noises Off
by Michael Frayn
A play within a play, following the chaotic and hilarious antics of a dysfunctional theater troupe.
Each of the three acts of Noises Off contains a performance of the first act of a play within a play , a sex farce called Nothing On . The three acts of Noises Off are each named "Act One" on the ... (Wikipedia)
Arsenic and Old Lace
by Joseph Kesselring
Dark comedic tale of two elderly sisters who commit murder out of kindness.
The play is a farcical black comedy revolving around the Brewster family, descended from the, Mayflower, settlers but now composed of maniacs, most of them homicidal. The hero, Mortimer Brewster, is ... (Wikipedia)
Pygmalion / My Fair Lady
by George Bernard Shaw
A phonetics professor transforms a Cockney flower girl into a refined lady, but struggles with the consequences of his experiment.
George Orwell claimed that "The central plot of Shaw's play, Pygmalion , is lifted out of Peregrine Pickle [by Tobias Smollett ], and I believe that no one has ever pointed this out in print, which ... (Wikipedia)
The Odd Couple
by Neil Simon
Two mismatched roommates, one neat and one messy, struggle to coexist in a small New York City apartment.
Comedy / 6m, 2f / Int. This classic comedy opens as a group of the guys assembled for cards in the apartment of divorced Oscar Madison. And if the mess is any indication, it's no wonder that his wife ... (Goodreads)
Steel Magnolias
by Robert Harling
A group of Southern women bond and support each other through life's joys and tragedies.
Presents the script of a 1988 play about a group of women in Chinquapin, Louisiana, who learn to draw upon their underlying strength and love to meet the challenges of life. ... (Goodreads)
Wicked - Piano/Vocal Arrangement
by Stephen Schwartz
Musical adaptation of the classic tale of a misunderstood witch and her unlikely friendship with a young girl.
Nominated for a whopping 10 Tony Awards in 2005, Wicked is an undeniable Broadway smash! A prequel to the all-American classic The Wizard of Oz, this new musical is a character study of Elphaba and ... (Goodreads)
Inherit the Wind
by Jerome Lawrence
A courtroom drama about a teacher accused of violating a law against teaching evolution.
A meaningful play based on the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925, in which a Tennessee teacher was tried for teaching evolution. The accused was a slight, frightened man who'd deliberately broken the law. ... (Goodreads)
Into the Woods
by Stephen Sondheim
A musical that intertwines classic fairy tales, exploring the consequences of wishes and the importance of responsibility and community.
A Narrator introduces four characters: Cinderella , who wishes to attend the King's festival; Jack who wishes his cow, Milky White, would give milk; a Baker; and his Wife, both of whom wish to have a ... (Wikipedia)
The First Wives Club
by Olivia Goldsmith
Three middle-aged women seek revenge on their ex-husbands who left them for younger women. A humorous and empowering story of friendship and second chances.
Don't get mad. Get everything. When their best friend commits suicide over her divorce, Elise, Brenda and Annie decide enough is enough. Each was crucial to her husband's career. But now that the men ... (Goodreads)
The Elephant Man
by Bernard Pomerance
The story of John Merrick, a severely deformed man in Victorian England, and his journey to find acceptance and dignity.
The Elephant Man opens with Frederick Treves , an up-and-coming surgeon, meeting his new employer Francis Carr-Gomm, the administrator of the London Hospital. Ross, the manager of a freak show , ... (Wikipedia)
To Sir, With Love
by E.R. Braithwaite
A black teacher in post-WWII London struggles to gain respect from his unruly students. He teaches them valuable life lessons and gains their admiration.
Ricky Braithwaite is an engineer from British Guiana who has worked in an oil refinery in Aruba . Coming to Britain just before the outbreak of World War II , he joins the RAF and is assigned to ... (Wikipedia)
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
by Tennessee Williams
A family struggling to confront hidden resentments and repressions that lurk beneath the surface.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is the story of a Southern family in crisis, especially the husband Brick and wife Margaret (usually called Maggie or "Maggie the Cat"), and their interaction with Brick's ... (Wikipedia)
Monster
by Frank E. Peretti
A supernatural horror story of a group of people battling an ancient evil.
An unidentified man discovers a dead logger's body killed gruesomely by a deadly carnivore, he proceeds to cover it up by making it look like an accident. Reed Shelton, policeman and his introverted ... (Wikipedia)
Perestroika
by Tony Kushner
A powerful look at the impact of political upheaval on the lives of ordinary people.
Set in New York City, the play takes place between October 1985 and February 1986. , The play begins with the funeral of Sarah Ironson, an elderly Jewish woman, whose rabbi eulogizes not only her, ... (Wikipedia)
Forrest Gump
by Winston Groom
A story of an intellectually disabled man's incredible journey through life, with all its turns and surprises.
Forrest Gump, named after Klu Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest , narrates the story of his life. The author uses misspellings and grammatical errors to indicate his Southern accent, ... (Wikipedia)
An Ideal Husband
by Oscar Wilde
A play exploring the themes of blackmail, political corruption, and the nature of honor and integrity in Victorian society.
The play opens during a dinner party at the home of Sir Robert Chiltern in London's fashionable Grosvenor Square . Sir Robert, an esteemed member of the House of Commons , and his wife, Lady ... (Wikipedia)
A Streetcar Named Desire
by Tennessee Williams
A woman's struggle to come to terms with her past and present in a post-war New Orleans.
After the loss of her family home to creditors, Blanche DuBois travels from the small town of Laurel, Mississippi , to the New Orleans French Quarter to live with her younger married sister, Stella , ... (Wikipedia)
Cyrano de Bergerac
by Edmond Rostand
A tale of unrequited love, an unlikely hero's journey for acceptance and admiration.
Hercule Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac , a cadet (nobleman serving as a soldier) in the French Army , is a brash, strong-willed man of many talents. In addition to being a remarkable duelist, he is a ... (Wikipedia)
Othello
by William Shakespeare
A tale of jealousy, manipulation, and tragedy, as one man's descent into madness leads to disastrous consequences.
In Othello, Shakespeare creates a powerful drama of a marriage that begins with fascination (between the exotic Moor Othello and the Venetian lady Desdemona), with elopement, and with intense mutual ... (Goodreads)
Twilight: The Complete Illustrated Movie Companion
by Mark Cotta Vaz
A behind-the-scenes look at the blockbuster movie adaptation of the popular fantasy novel.
Everything fans want to know about the hotly anticipated, Twilight, movie and much more! Designed as a celebration of the film, this lavishly illustrated paperback edition is an exclusive ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Lottery
by Shirley Jackson
A small village's annual lottery reveals a dark secret, with sinister implications.
Details of contemporary small-town American life are embroidered upon a description of an annual rite known as "the lottery". In a small village of about 300 residents, the locals are in an excited ... (Wikipedia)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
by Arthur Conan Doyle
A collection of adventures of the world's most famous detective, solving mysterious cases.
'If I were assured of your eventual destruction I would, in the interests of the public, cheerfully accept my own.' In The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes , the consulting detective's notoriety as the ... (Goodreads)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in His Adventure on Earth
by William Kotzwinkle
A young boy befriends an alien stranded on Earth and helps him return home. Heartwarming tale of friendship and acceptance.
Based on the screenplay by Melissa Mathison. What do you do when you're lost, millions of miles from home, surrounded by frightening creatures?,You do what the Old Botanist did when he was ... (Goodreads)
Afterworlds
by Scott Westerfeld
A young adult novel that alternates between the story of a teenage writer and the fictional world she creates.
Darcy Patel has put college and everything else on hold to move to New York to rewrite and publish her teen novel, 'Afterworlds'. Arriving with no apartment or friends she wonders whether she's made ... (Wikipedia)
The Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
A young couple's story of love and sacrifice as they give up their most prized possessions for one another.
On Christmas Eve , Della Young discovers that she has only $1.87 to buy a present for her husband Jim. She visits the nearby shop of a hairdresser, Madame Sofronie, who buys Della's long hair for ... (Wikipedia)
What We Lose
by Zinzi Clemmons
A young woman navigates the complexities of identity, grief, and love after the death of her mother.
Thandi, the daughter of a South African mother and an American father, comes of age in Pennsylvania . When she is in college, her mother is stricken by cancer and dies, causing Thandi's life to fall ... (Wikipedia)
Hamlet: Screenplay, Introduction And Film Diary
by Kenneth Branagh
A reimagined version of Shakespeare's classic play, told through film.
Often credited with creating a popular movie audience for Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh has wanted for many years to bring to the screen the complete, full-length version of Hamlet , Shakespeare's ... (Goodreads)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Visual Companion
by Jude Fisher
A visual guide to the first installment of the epic fantasy trilogy, featuring behind-the-scenes photos and concept art.
Houghton Mifflin is proud to present a full-color, large-format, guide to the characters, cultures, and locations of J.R.R. Tolkien's extraordinary creation Middle-earth, as depicted in the movie The ... (Goodreads)
