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Author
Summary
First performed in 1895, "An Ideal Husband" is Oscar Wilde's classic and much-loved comedic drama. The play tells the story of an up-and-coming politician, Sir Robert Chiltern, who tries to hide his secret past from his judgmental wife and the blackmail scheme he is forced to participate in to keep that secret quiet. Lady Chiltern has a very particular idea of what makes the "ideal husband" which leaves her with little tolerance for Sir Robert's all...
3) Pygmalion
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Series
Summary
A Cinderella type of classic romance story told by George Bernard Shaw.
4) Jane Eyre
Summary
Story of a misunderstood and mistreated orphan who grows up to be a strong willed woman. She takes the job of governess at an estate, comes to love and be loved by the master of the house and they nearly marry, but the existence of his insane wife stops the wedding. She leaves, finds family, his estate burns down, his wife dies and he is blinded. She returns to tend and love him.
Author
Summary
Jack Worthington is an upstanding gentleman in Victorian society. He just has one secret-he tells everyone that he has a brother named Earnest, when, in reality, Earnest is his alter ego. This allows him a certain duality; he can go out and party as Earnest, but have a sterling reputation as Jack. However, he must merge the two when Jack discovers that his lover, Gwendolyn, will only marry a man named Earnest. Meanwhile, Algernon, a family friend,...
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Series
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When Polly Peachum, daughter to a local fence and thief-catcher, marries infamous highwayman Macheath, it sets off a comically dangerous chain of events as Polly's father is determined to have his new son-in-law killed. However, Polly isn't the only woman in Macheath's life, and he soon gets caught up in the consequences of his many indiscretions. The Beggar's Opera is the most famous surviving example of satirical ballad opera to come out of the...
7) Nanny McPhee
Summary
Nanny McPhee can tame even the most unruly children with a tap of her magic walking stick. Her latest challenge is the bratty brood of a recent widower Mr. Brown. He is under pressure to find a new wife or lose his much-needed allowance from wealthy Aunt Adelaide. His love for scullery maid Evangeline remains unspoken as he wincingly woos the eagerly merry widow Mrs. Quickly, but Brown's raucous rugrats have a plan to make things right, especially...
Author
Summary
Planning a school or amateur Shakespeare production? The best way to experience the plays is to perform them, but getting started can be a challenge: The complete plays are too long and complex, while scene selections or simplified language are too limited. "The 30-Minute Shakespeare" is a new series of abridgements that tell the "story" of each play from start to finish while keeping the beauty of Shakespeare's language intact. Specific stage directions...
9) The Queen
Formats
Summary
The Queen begins with a familiar epigraph "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"--Henry IV, Part II. The action of the film takes place during the week following the death, on August 31, 1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales. One of its accomplishments, courtesy of adroit use of newsreel and other contemporary footage, is to remind viewers of the deep sadness that surrounded that event. It is also about the divergent and potentially ruinous ways the...
10) Deck the halls
Summary
Two neighbors in a small New England town go to war when one of them decides to decorate his house with a so many Christmas lights that they are visible from space. The neighborhood is turned upside down as the families try to discover the true meaning of Christmas.
12) Mansfield Park
Summary
Fanny Price goes to live with prosperous relatives at Mansfield Park and must navigate a labyrinth of intrigues and affairs among the occupants of the house.
13) The alchemist
Author
Series
Summary
Benjamin Jonson (1572-1637) was a Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor, known best for his satirical plays and lyric poems. He had a knack for absurdity and hypocrisy, a trait that made him immensely popular in the 17th century Renaissance period. However, his reputation diminished somewhat in the Romantic era, when he began to be unfairly compared to Shakespeare. The Theatre in London had had been denied to "The Admiral's Men" in 1597, but the troupe...
Summary
Sense & Sensibility: Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve when she falls in love with the charming but unsuitable John Willoughby, ignoring her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behavior leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Elinor, sensitive to social convention, struggles to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Will the sisters lear that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find...
15) Cranford
Series
Masterpiece Theatre volume Masterpiece Classics
Summary
Cranford, in 1842, is a market town in northwest England. It is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules. For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns, the arbiter of correctness, and Matty, her dumurring sister, the town is a hub of intrigue. Handsome new doctor Frank Harrison has arrived from London; a retired Captain and his daughters move...
17) The duchess
Summary
Chronicles the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. She was reviled for her extravagant political and personal life. She was a vibrant beauty and celebrity of her time. Georgiana is trapped in an unhappy marital triangle with her husband and his live-in mistress. She falls passionately in love with Earl Grey, an ambitious young politician, and the affair causes a bitter conflict with her husband and threatens to erupt...
Summary
Natural causes: While Lynley is suspended, pending the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, Havers teams up with a different Detective Inspector, Fiona Knight, to investigate the drowning of a young woman in her car.
One guilty deed: Lynley is reinstated, and he, Havers, and their colleague Detective Constable Winston Nkata are trying to catch a crime boss. But when their star witness is found shot dead at Havers' childhood holiday retreat, she becomes...
Summary
A devout Catholic priest freelances as a private investigator in rural England during the 1920s. When it comes to amateur detective work, don't let this priest's absent-minded air and penchant for an occasionsl tipple fool you. His kindly eyes pick up clues that professionals usually miss, and his keen understanding of human nature lets him search men's souls for motives.
