Etiquette and Vitriol: The Food Chain and Other Plays

At this point in his career, you can almost visualize producers camped-out beside playwright Nicky Silver's door. Almost everything he writes gets produced, generally Off-Broadway, and almost everything produced gets raves and goes on to be staged at resident companies everywhere. Etiquitte and Vitriol is a rare opportunity to experience the uniquely neurotic comedy of Silver, both before his huge success when he was shaping his instrument, and after he becomes one of the most widely produced contemporary American playwrights. The latter two are his hits, The Food Chain and Pterodactyls. The earlier pieces are, Fat Men in Skirts (about cannibals, no less) and Free Will & Wanton Lust. He hasn't had a Broadway show, yet, but if you want to get a sense if his range, this volume is an admirable introduction.