{"product_id":"neil-labute-plays-3","title":"Neil Labute Plays 3","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBash\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree darkly brilliant one-act plays, unblinking portraits of the evils abroad in everyday life, first performed in 1999. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''You don''t need to be familiar with Greek tragedy to admire LaBute''s ability to illuminate the dark corners of the human mind . . . He writes with unblinking candour, unvarying incisiveness and the ear and eye for the tiny, telling fact that reveals a character floundering on the edge.'' \u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReasons to Be Pretty\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNominated for the Tony Award for Best Play, \u003ci\u003eReasons to Be Pretty \u003c\/i\u003eexplores love, language and power with fresh wit and insight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Neil LaBute at his best. It says things about love and betrayal that are rarely put on stage . . . The play has the transfixing nastiness that has made LaBute one of the most disturbing theatrical presences of the last decade. Yet it also has an unexpected ingredient: a beating heart.'' \u003ci\u003eObserver\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNow collected with its sequel, which follows the same four loveable characters – \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReasons to Be Happy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A richly entertaining shard of tragicomedy . . . a snap survey of American masculinity in crisis.'' \u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf I Needed Someone\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA drunken first date becomes an acutely observed dance of desire, expectation and consent. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''For all of its misunderstandings, misperceptions, and bristles, for all the insecurities and past hurt it opens for both characters, \u003ci\u003eIf I Needed Someone\u003c\/i\u003e is the kind of first date that people looking for love dream of having.'' \u003ci\u003eBroadway World\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow to Fight Loneliness\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA married couple call on a third man to help them make a desperate decision, in this compelling and unsettling drama. \u003ci\u003eHow to Fight Loneliness \u003c\/i\u003ereceived its UK premiere at the Park Theatre, London, in April 2025. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''A play that will force you to consider your own sense of mortality . . . starkly devastating.'' \u003ci\u003eSpectrum\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57194644242814,"sku":"NW9780571394036","price":15.28,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780571394036.jpg?v=1778547221","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/products\/neil-labute-plays-3","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}