"Artistic director, playwright, set designer, and star, Charles Ludlam spent twenty years with New York's Ridiculous Theatrical Company synthsizing wit, parody, vaudeville farce, melodrama, and satire to create a modern American comic theater that gave reckless immediacy to classical stagecraft. The result was critical acclaim, a devoted following, and the twenty-nine hilarious plays collected here for the first time" -- from publisher's statement. on book end-flap.