Filthy Talk for Troubled Times: And Other Plays

By Neil LaBute

Neil LaBute burst onto the American theater scene in 1989 with his controversial debut work Filthy Talk for Troubled Times. Set in a barroom in Anytown USA and populated by a series of everymen (and two beleaguered everywomen), this series of frank exchanges explores the innumerable varieties of American intolerance. A unique snapshot of the times, the play seldom allowed production by the author since provides a compelling look at the early thinking and evolution of one of our great theater artists.
Also in this collection is a series of new, short works, some never before produced. They include The New Testament,” a showbiz satire that takes a close look at the perils of color-blind casting, and The Furies,” in which a woman helps navigate her brother’s breakup with his out-and-then-perhaps, in-the-closet-again lover.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press
• Release date: Jun 10, 2010
• ISBN: 9781593763732

Neil LaBute

Neil Labute—an acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and filmmaker—is the author of plays including The Shape of Things, The Mercy Seat, Fat Pig, and the Tony Award-nominated Reasons to Be Pretty. He has written and directed films including In the Company of Men (starring Aaron Eckhart), The Shape of Things (starring  Paul Rudd and Rachel Weisz), and the 2006 American adaptation of The Wicker Man (starring Nicholas Cage).

Reviews for Filthy Talk for Troubled Times

[hagelstein_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The plays in Wrecks are not big production plays. Some are basically monologues. Most have casts of one or two. Sets are nonexistent or spare. There are no intricate stage directions. One setting is described as “an empty stage or a quiet coffee shop (you be the judge).” The power is in the words.These short plays are about turning the tables, defying expectations. Some are intended to shock; all are provocative and tend to stay with you after reading them.