eMusic Bookshelf

The Play's the Thing: Drama

Amy Monaghan

The human race has been starry-eyed and stage struck ever since actors first trod the boards to honor the god Dionysius on the slopes the Acropolis millennia ago. Even the word drama itself — it means "to do" or "to act" — comes to us from the inventors of the theater, the ancient Greeks. Shakespeare, also knew his way around the theater, penning historical, comedic and tragic plays for two monarchs that gave the world new words, eternal ontological queries — "to be or not to be?" — and the best exit in history: pursued by a bear.

Whether the players are clad in togas or tights, we never seem to tire of seeing classic stories of love, hate, revenge and remorse acted out before our eyes. But it's not always easy to keep up with the output of modern dramaturges. Tickets in major metropolises go for a pretty penny these days, even for the nose-bleed seats, which is why there's something to be said for turning to the texts themselves. To that end, we've handpicked a sterling sampling of prize-winning plays that span historical epochs and run the gamut of human emotions. The audiobook editions of these productions make for the best sort of black-box theater. In the absence of sets, costumes and props, the performers' rich, expressive voices make the playwrights' language sing.

So take your seats; the curtain's about to go up.