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

93rd edition available immediately

Set on the wild, windswept Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights is the tempestuous story of free-spirited Catherine and dark, brooding Heathcliff. As children running wild and free on the moors, Cathy and Heathcliff are inseparable. As they grow up their affection deepens into a passionate love, but Cathy lets her head rule her heart as she chooses to marry the wealthy Edgar Linton. Heathcliff flees broken-hearted only to return seeking terrible vengeance on those he holds responsible, with epic and tragic results.

Prospective contestants for a TV reality show gather in a country house, aiming to win a large cash prize but only if they survive the rigours of the ultimate Spygame. This excellent play offers seven good acting roles and will grip your audience until the totally unexpected ending.

Adapted from his own television play The Flint Street Nativity is a family comedy for any child whos ever been in a nativity  or any adult whos watched one through their fingers.

When Eileen Dodds sent her husband out to get a portion of chips and two pickled eggs, she never suspected he would run off with the shop owner and not be seen for five years - but that's exactly what happened! Thirty years later, Eileen returns from a holiday with Raymond, a blind bingo caller, who she intends to marry in a week's time! But is Raymond only after her money? And will Eileen ever find true happiness? What Fun!

This spectacular pantomime, based on an English legend is full of vengeful fairies, knock-a-bout baliffs, a romantic leading lady and a handsome Principal Boy, plus the outrageous Dame

A hungry giant is advancing upon the Royal Kingdom and henchman Slither Slugslime forces the citizens to give up all their food to him. Only Tom Thumb refuses and Slugslime casts a spell to shrink him to the size of a thumb! Beautiful witch Spellena is enlisted to help restroe tom to his normal size. Meanwhile slugslime fancies Princess Primrose and Mum has to make a cake for the giant with extremely unhelpful "help".

Flavia has been poached from the BBC by a tabloid newspaper. Her brief, to dig up the dirt on her old friend, now Secretary of State. Mission accomplished, she hopes to investigage more serious corruption; but the editor and chief whip have other ideas

Western Front, 1918. A rare beast - a story set in the trenches that includes a fair amount of comedy! September 1918 on the Western Front. Tommy and Dave receive an unexpected visit from Lieutenant Hargreaves who announces that Tommy is to be awarded a medal for his courage in combat. Why then are Tommy and Dave so keen to see the back of him? And who is the strange Icelandic character that enters the scene brandishing a sausage? A well-written, funny, poignant play about friendship, humanity and survival.

reconstruction of two romances for the novelist identical to those that Lizzy Bennet enjoys in Pride and Prejudice.
- Lucy Powell, Time Out, London

A couple are nervously dressing for a party in the hotel downstairs Each glumly despairs of being able to live up to their partner's expectations The trouble is that the person they see in the mirror IS very different from the person their partner sees. She sees herself as a dowdy, boring frump, but he sees her as charming and kind He sees himself as the go-gelling soul of the party, but she sees him as a shy. retiring man who just needs to be loved into fulfilling his real potential. Gradually, they come 10 recognize and accept how different they can be now they are loved Happily, arm In ann. they go downstairs - to their wedding reception

Bernard has discovered that his wife, Jacqueline, is having an affair with Robert. Being a reasonable businessman, Bernard gives Robert two options to compensate for the affair: either he will sleep with Robert's wife in order to keep things even, or he will have him killed. Needless to say, Robert chooses to let Bernard sleep with his wife. Scheming to woo her, Bernard arranges an evening meal with both couples present much to the frustration of their overworked and underpaid maid, Marie-Louise. However, instead of bringing his wife to the dinner, Robert pays Barbara, a call girl, to pose as his wife for the evening. Meanwhile, Jacqueline does not know that Bernard has found out about her affair, and is stunned to learn that their dinner guests are in fact her lover and, supposedly, his wife. The situation then becomes even more hilarious and confusing when Robert's actual wife, Juliette, turns up for dinner!

A murder mystery with more than a touch of humour. Taking its title from the traditional song "Green Grow the Rushes O" the play explores the events surrounding a murder which took place four years previously and how strangely the song lyrics seem to fit so well with the circumstances. Offering ten good acting roles, the story twists and turns, leaving your audience guessing until the very last speech of the play.

In 1970, renowned writer-composer-lyricist Leslie Bricusse adapted the well-loved Dickens short story A Christmas Carol into the hit screen musical Scrooge. This stage version, based on the film, with the addition of six new songs. had a hugely successful national tour before a season at the Dominion Theatre, London in 1996 starring Anthony Newley as the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge who repents his past life when visited by three successive Chrismas spirits.

devilish plans to possess and torment the children death as in life, set in a Jerusalem Hotel

Bernard has discovered that his wife, Jacqueline, is having an affair with Robert. Being a reasonable businessman, Bernard gives Robert two options to compensate for the affair: either he will sleep with Robert's wife in order to keep things even, or he will have him killed. Needless to say, Robert chooses to let Bernard sleep with his wife. Scheming to woo her, Bernard arranges an evening meal with both couples present much to the frustration of their overworked and underpaid maid, Marie-Louise. However, instead of bringing his wife to the dinner, Robert pays Barbara, a call girl, to pose as his wife for the evening. Meanwhile, Jacqueline does not know that Bernard has found out about her affair, and is stunned to learn that their dinner guests are in fact her lover and, supposedly, his wife. The situation then becomes even more hilarious and confusing when Robert's actual wife, Juliette, turns up for dinner!

Based on the author's earlier Respecting YourPiers, Curtain Up! is the hilarious story of five women who inherit equal shares in a dilapidated theatre and plan to bring it back to life again. They try various fund-raising schemes but their most ambitious is to hold a concert featuring local talent and a world-famous star, who agrees to appear for no fee! However, their plans go awry and it's a race to keep their audience from guessing the truth of the matter. A fastpaced and very funny comedy with five great roles for women.

Love story or ghost story? This warm, wise and witty play shows a man and a woman meeting, apparently on a park bench, apparently to say goodbye. But who is leaving and why? It seems that for all their squabbling they were happily married for a time, until a road accident landed him in a nursing home. Now he must move away and she must move on. The final piece in the puzzle is blurted out by a well-meaning but weary nurse. Their goodbyes, alas, remain unspoken as she flies off to catch her taxi and he remains 'until the memory fades.'

Leo, a doctor, is suffering from depression and finds it hard to come to terms with his illness. Weaving through his memories as a child and a father, Leo re-lives his suspicions, panic attacks and emotions as he tries everything from hypnotism to art therapy to beat the blues. Further insight is offered by his mother, his sister and his wife, who show how depression affects those you love

about a drifting teenager driven to the brink

In a junk-strewn wasteland in a distant future a gang of young people, The Late Sleepers - self-styled vampires, dressed in black and scarlet with bright dyed hair - scrape a strange existence on the outskirts of a walled, city. Their leader is Gabriel, a dark brooding presence whose jealously guarded store of music, videos and DVDs from earlier centuries has informed the gangs' unlikely passion for classic TV, horror movies and P01) songs. When two strangers, James and Elsa, stumble on the Sleepers' hideout, they are intrigued l)y this all-singing, all-dancing gang, and begin a chain of events which will explore both the light and the darkness of their rock and roll vampire existence. With show-stopping numbers, a high gothic wedding, drama and betrayal, and, ultimately, heart-breaking bravery, The Late Sleepers is a fascinating romp through the world of the Undead, of popular culture, and of teenage rebellion.

A new magical life for the popular fairy tale. Prince Charming is off gallevanting round the world and leaves Pantomania to be governed by the selfish Duke of Verruca. When the prince returns the duke refuses to relinquish power. Luckily, faithfull Buttons, his friend Kathy and of course the Fairy Godmother are around to work wonders.

Jim Watt runs the London office of a stock exchange firm and is hosting dinner for the International Director and his wife, Bill and Nancy McGregor, members of the anti-permissive society group. As Bill strongly disapproves of unmarried couples living together, Jim asks his girlfriend, Helen, to pose as his wife for the evening. This suggestion goes down like a lead balloon and Helen walks out on him, leaving Jim with no partner, no cook and only one last option - his eccentric cleaning lady, Edna, who will do the job for a fee, of course. Disaster reigns as Edna attempts to cook an elaborate dish while keeping her guests happy with "religious chat". At an extremely inopportune moment, Helen returns to play the role of his wife, and so does his young personal assistant, Tern. A string of hilarious miscommunications unravel as Jim trades lies and wives almost as quickly as Bill is trading shares.

tale of a writer who returns to the big city to find his lost love .

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.

Elderly Valerie Trevelyan has been murdered with an overdose of painkillers and there are suspicious bruises on her neck. Worse still is the fact that the two key suspects in the case are her sons, Gavin and Miles. Making no secret of their cold relationship with each other, both had a financial motive and the physical opportunity to have been the killer. As detectives interview the brothers, as well as their senile father, Lionel, secrets about the family are discovered as the clues mount up and clearly lead to one person. But is he actually the murderer? This can be performed with four men or as a one-man show.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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".