A Companion to Twentieth Century American Drama

“America” in this context, be it noted, refers to the USA, and the 32 essays in this substantial, if expensive, volume are contributed mainly by Stateside academics. In his introduction, the editor, himself an instructor in Theatre, English and African American Studies at Yale, takes a cue from the “reputation of inferiority” of American drama compared to the European canon, to convey its actual “vitality and broad scope”.

The scope of the Companion is ambitious. The chapters follow a broadly chronological pattern, with essays covering drama from the early twentieth century to the 1990s. These are interspersed with studies of...