Essential Self-Defense - Softcover

Rapp, Adam

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0881453722 ISBN 13: 9780881453720

Publisher: Broadway Play Publishing, 2008

Synopsis

In ESSENTIAL SELF-DEFENSE, disgruntled misfit Yul Carroll takes a job as an attack dummy in a women's self-defense class and finds himself mysteriously drawn to Sadie, the repressed bookworm mercilessly honing her skills on him. Meanwhile, all's not well on the unassuming Midwestern streets of Bloggs: with local children vanishing at an alarming rate, our hero, his lady friend, and a motley assortment of poets, butchers, and punk librarians preparing to battle the darkness on the edge of town. "Adam Rapp is a latter-day Sam Shepard. ESSENTIAL SELF-DEFENSE is an entertaining tale of fear and loathing in midwestern America." -John Lahr, The New Yorker "The opening image of Adam Rapp's quirky-glum ESSENTIAL SELF-DEFENSE is wonderfully rich: Social outcast Yul stands center stage in a bright-yellow jumpsuit whose thick, rounded padding makes him look like a ridiculous superhero or a jaundiced Michelin man. Yul works in a self-defense class as the poor sap who takes karate chops from women such as Sadie. When Yul dons the suit, he acquires multiple shifting identities: victim, victimizer, hero, monster. As the ambiguous antihero of a stylized post-September 11 work about love and safety, Yul is a fascinating figure ... Rapp was born to wrestle words to the page and then to the stage; he has a love of language and a zest for his characters' lives." -David Cote, Time Out New York

About this title

Review

" Rapp . . . is a gifted storyteller. He makes demands on his audience, and he rewards its close attention with depth and elegance." -- John Lahr, "The New Yorker
"" A passionate writer making good on his early promise." -- David Cote, "Time Out New York
"" Few dramatists today write more pungent dialogue." -- Robert Brustein, "The New Republic
"" Rapp is very gifted, and, even rarer, he has something to say." -- Bruce Weber, "The New York Times
"" An ambitious and prodigiously talented writer." -- Charles Isherwood, "Variety"

"Rapp . . . is a gifted storyteller. He makes demands on his audience, and he rewards its close attention with depth and elegance." --John Lahr, "The New Yorker

""A passionate writer making good on his early promise." --David Cote, "Time Out New York

""Few dramatists today write more pungent dialogue." --Robert Brustein, "The New Republic

""Rapp is very gifted, and, even rarer, he has something to say." --Bruce Weber, "The New York Times

""An ambitious and prodigiously talented writer." --Charles Isherwood, "Variety"

Rapp . . . is a gifted storyteller. He makes demands on his audience, and he rewards its close attention with depth and elegance. "John Lahr, The New Yorker"

A passionate writer making good on his early promise. "David Cote, Time Out New York"

Few dramatists today write more pungent dialogue. "Robert Brustein, The New Republic"

Rapp is very gifted, and, even rarer, he has something to say. "Bruce Weber, The New York Times"

An ambitious and prodigiously talented writer. "Charles Isherwood, Variety""

Rapp . . . is a gifted storyteller. He makes demands on his audience, and he rewards its close attention with depth and elegance. John Lahr, The New Yorker

A passionate writer making good on his early promise. David Cote, Time Out New York

Few dramatists today write more pungent dialogue. Robert Brustein, The New Republic

Rapp is very gifted, and, even rarer, he has something to say. Bruce Weber, The New York Times

An ambitious and prodigiously talented writer. Charles Isherwood, Variety

"

"Rapp . . . is a gifted storyteller. He makes demands on his audience, and he rewards its close attention with depth and elegance." --John Lahr, The New Yorker

"A passionate writer making good on his early promise." --David Cote, Time Out New York

"Few dramatists today write more pungent dialogue." --Robert Brustein, The New Republic

"Rapp is very gifted, and, even rarer, he has something to say." --Bruce Weber, The New York Times

"An ambitious and prodigiously talented writer." --Charles Isherwood, Variety

About the Author

Adam Rapp is the author of numerous plays, most notably Nocturne (Faber, 2002) and Red Light Winter (Faber, 2006) which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Edition details

• Publisher: Broadway Play Publishing
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0881453722
• ISBN 13: 9780881453720
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 86