The new edition of The GUIDE gives details of all the plays handled by Samuel French Ltd, London, available for amateur performance in the British Isles

Section A Full length plays (including all male and all female plays)
Section B One act plays (including all female and all male plays)
Section C Plays for children and young people
Section D Pantomimes and Christmas plays
Section E List of musical plays
Section F French's technical books

It is current from January 2006 until December 2008

For Madame Ranevskaya, her cherry orchard is more than just land; it is her childhood, her memories and her life. Returning for the first time since her young son drowned there, she must come to terms with the fact that in order to free her family of debt the cherry orchard must be sold, the trees must be cleared and she and her family must prepare for life beyond the orchard. This touching and often hilarious play exercises the perfect balance of comedy and tragedy, through the characters, relationships and observations of society

In an isolated house on the cliffs of north Cornwall the sibling rivalry between identical twins Max and Ashley Hennessy is coming to a murderous climax. They both know one of them must die, but, trapped in his wheelchair, Ashley knows the odds are now against him and he is in mortal danger - but does DI Fergus believe him? And can he trust Nurse Malahide, who has been employed to protect him? Poor Lalla, the twins' aunt, is torn between the two boys: which of them is the victim and which is the psychopath? Perhaps they have done it once again - pulled off the final "switch".

The 1970s. Northern Ireland. Pat and Mary Gormley are an ill-matched couple: Pat is a laid-back publican, a storyteller and musician, whereas Mary is determinedly upwardly mobile, nagging at their children to succeed and moving the family away from the pub as soon as she can. Looking back thirty years later, their daughter Kathleen tries to piece together the family's story so that she can understand what drove it apart; in doing so, she uncovers an important family secret

Widowed Roger and separated Samantha have recently started dating, but their teenage children are far from impressed about their new relationship. So Liam, Roger's son, and Tabitha, Samantha's daughter, have devised a plan of action to break them up. This comic scheme involves everything from French and Italian impersonations to a sword. . . but will it be enough to stop their parents' love? And could there in fact be feelings between the teenagers themselves?

When Mr Kane and Kathleen meet eating lunch on a park bench, they end up sharing more than just their sandwiches; together, they learn to accept the blessings and face the challenges of love.

A superb adaptation for the musical stage of E. Nebit's quintessentially English classic ... A happy, comfortable upper middle-class home in Victorian London is disrupted one night when three children see their father usher two strangers into his study. After an argument he leaves with the strangers and doesn't return. The children and their mother fall on hard times and move to a cottage in the Yorkshire countryside. Fascinated by the nearby railroad, they wave to the passengers faithfully every day, and their vigilance and courage prevent an accident. And their kindness makes friends of some important people who can help solve the mystery of their missing father ...

On a cold autumn day in 1985 at a dilapidated small-holding near Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, two men are the only mourners at the funeral of 'Mad' Maddy Ingram. The elderly man remembers Maddy as a young woman, the toast of the county. The younger, Daniel, remembers how as a boy he became the protégé of the bedraggled, lonely Maddy of later years. Their memories bring alive the young Madelyn and the harsher, older Maddy, her demanding, wastrel brother Liam, and the young police constable George Park, intertwining their lives with the passions of patriotism and landscape. Ade Morris's play, based on the true characters in a short story by Bryan Gallagher, skilfully weaves the narrative backwards and forwards through a span of 50 years and the result is a richly emotive, lyrical drama of enduring love. The seven characters may be played individually or, as in the original production, by two men and one woman with one set providing all the locations.

Back in the good old, bad old days, Michael and Ray were East End villains, working together on a series of lucrative crimes. Today Michael is living a comfortable life in Spain with his younger second wife Francine while Ray, married to sharp-tongued Brenda, is struggling to make ends meet back in Britain. After two years without any contact Michael has invited Ray and Brenda over to Spain for a visit and Ray is delighted, but Brenda is suspicious - what are Michael's true motives? Polly, a young researcher working on a movie, introduces yet more tensions to an already volatile situation and, as the stories of the men's past are told, suspicions increase until finally the truth is revealed

Shipbuilder Karsten Bernick is a respected, highly successful businessman in a small Norwegian coastal town but his wealth has been founded on a lie and now he is threatened with exposure. As the wily, unscrupulous Bernick struggles to preserve his standing in the community, he sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy all he holds most dear.

four more seaside plays, Garden Pests, Grannies, Outdoor Pleasures, Remember Me

Septica, an evil sorceress, has left her magic shoes with the Elf Cobbler for mending and, as they are her only comfortable pair, she is far from pleased when pretty Goody Coddle appears wearing them. Septica's revenge, and the wishes Goody makes while wearing the magic shoes, set in train a series of hilarious events which culminate in a typical pantomime happy ending, with lots of slapstick fun, jokes and songs along the way.

Life-changing meetings can happen in the oddest of places: in this case, the vestry of a C of E church is the scene. Uptight, down-trodden Rachel, the vicar's wife, chats to recently-widowed Mr Purvis there and is rather cornered into offering him the post of the church's Health and Safety Officer. The consequences are unexpected: Purvis is keen but, frankly, causes more problems than he solves, the vicar being the prime victim of his misguided attempts to make things safer, and Rachel, though exasperated and embarrassed by Purvis, grows in self-confidence as their friendship deepens. Funny, touching and wry, this play for two actors is an example of comedy writing at its very best.

Ben Seaton is the new rector of Wychcombe Magna and is slowly gaining acceptance with the locals. His wife Diana feels decidedly out of place and even rather threatened as a strange woman, Jessy, keeps walking into the house without any invitation and the church bells suddenly ring at odd times. When a statue is vandalized and a placard depicting a swastika is found in the graveyard, Diana's uneasiness escalates. Then the unthinkable happens -there is a murder at the rectory. Skeletons surface from the village's recent past - the death of a young girl, the involvement of a local man in a bullion robbery - and it becomes apparent that not everyone in the village is who they say they are. And then a second person is attacked

Fay, host of the TV chat show Frankly Fay, is worried that her career is on the wane - and her private life isn't up to much either. She is mortified to be reunited, on the set of This Is Your Life, with Caroline Pollard, an old school friend she's been avoiding for years, but Caroline's bereavement gives her an idea that could rescue her ratings. Before long Caroline (a.k.a. Bollards) is appearing on Frankly Fay and winning the hearts of the daytime TV audience - so much so that very soon she has her own show, Candidly Caroline, and is heading for stardom. . .The fickle nature of fame, the difficulties faced by older women in the media and the vagaries of friendship are dissected hilariously in this sly and witty comedy.

Shipbuilder Karsten Bernick is a respected, highly successful businessman in a small Norwegian coastal town but his wealth has been founded on a lie and now he is threatened with exposure. As the wily, unscrupulous Bernick struggles to preserve his standing in the community, he sets in motion a chain of events that threatens to destroy all he holds most dear.

This moving and lyrical play takes place during the summer of 1940 and is set against the dramatic wartime backdrop of the internment camp at Port Erin on the Isle of Man. Two romances develop: one between a German internee of 17 and an English girl of the same age, prevented by circumstances from leaving the Isle; the other between a woman of Italian descent and a German Jew. The play raises issues about a little-recorded part of British domestic history in which the characters are sustained by their hopes and dreams which we, the audience, finally realize will not be fulfilled. Played mostly in duologues and soliloquies this fifty minute play is an ideal festival choice.

Six aspiring authors meet on a winter's evening to discuss their work. Among them are writers of historical romances and children's literature who are finding it difficult to start writing, and a crime writer who can't stop. A creator of extremely complicated science fiction, a librettist without a musical partner and the Writers' Circle chairman, who produces instruction booklets, make up the rest of the team. The chairman, Arnold, attempts to get the rest of the group out of a rut by suggesting that they collaborate on a piece of writing, an idea that is received without enthusiasm. However, as Arnold is clearing up after the meeting there is a clap of thunder, a black-out and then the story that would have resulted from the collaboration takes place before his very eyes. Sharp comedy and affectionate satire characterize this zany, imaginative play.

April 1939. An English couple, Peter and Suzy, are living in Provence in idyllic isolation, far, it seems, from the rumblings of the coming war. Their peace is shattered from within when Suzy discovers she has been betrayed: Peter is not the man he claims to be. Suzy's life is thrown into turmoil as the possibility arises that Peter may in fact be a ruthless killer on the run. Then a Scotland Yard detective arrives and events become even more complicated and frightening . . .Lies, subterfuge and murder make this fast-moving thriller a dark and disturbing rollercoaster of bluff and double bluff.

May Axeher, an elderly widow, is entertaining in herLondon semi. The first "guest" to arrive is Warren, a fledgling wardrobe salesman, followed by Desmond (home security), his more experienced counterpart. Next on the scene are Stan and Angela, keen to measure up May's bedroom for decoration, and then the pneumatic July arrives with her electric keyboard. Each salesperson adopts a persona they think will persuade their prospective client to put her money their way, but May's inability to wrench her eyes from her TV - and her lack of interest in any of the products - look set to wreck their hopes. This madcap comedy comes to a rousing conclusion when May saves the day with a clever scheme that leaves everyone satisfied,

Pete and George are old friends. In fact, such good old friends that George has been Pete's best man at both of his weddings. Pete. now happily married to Sarah, is appalled when George arrives with the news that his first wife Jessica was not killed in a climbing accident as they had thought but is alive and well and keen to resume her life with Pete! This unexpected revelation leads to a series of hilarious situations as Peter and George try to find a way out of this desperate plight without upsetting either of Pete's wives or his second wife's powerful mother.

A case of mistaken identity leads to tragedy in this engaging thriller. In a snowbound guest house in the Peak District, Marjory Pike is wrongly identified by another guest as the author of a book declaiming certain mediums, one of whom had committed suicide as a result. The son of the deceased medium is staying at the guest house, so when he arrives in the lounge bloodied and bruised, and Marjory is found dead, the finger of suspicion naturally points at him. But the guest house may be haunted, other guests have their own secrets, and even the proprietors are not above suspicion . . . In true Norman Robbins fashion? the deepening mystery is rich with shocks and laughs as the play moves to its unexpected close.

Can Phileas Frog (aided by his faithful friend Pass) get round the pond in eighty days? He'd better, because he's wagered his bass, Fink, that he can - the stake being Phil's luxury lily pad. Phil plays fair to win the bet, but Pink doesn't, sending the devious snake Fix along wit Phil to delay him. Travelling by foot. boat and balloon, meeting dragonflies, toads, sticklebacks, newts and water rats, the intrepid adventurers face many trials and make lots of new friends, not least the beautiful Princess Phoebe. Catchy songs, imaginative staging opportunities and numerous excellent frog jokes make this likeable, joyful musical a feast of fun for actors and audiences alike.