![By Tony Kushner In his seven-hour epic, Kushner (husband of EW columnist Mark Harris) grapples with gay identity in the midst of the AIDS crisisÂ](https://cdn.statically.io/img/ew.com/thmb/2PQdGwmIDLKm_8dJT6EJqKuWU6Q=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/angels-america-play-1-6f657371d24a46de9389871a3f259f9e.jpg)
Stage plays can have the power to move us, make us laugh, and speak to the human condition more than most art forms. From Southern gothic character studies such as A Streetcar Named Desire to sprawling epics that encapsulate a specific place and time like Angels in America, the past century has seen some of our most defining stories originate on the stage for the benefit of rapt theatergoers.
Ahead, we've ranked what we believe to be the greatest plays of the past 100 years, with links to where you can purchase them all to read (though we encourage you to seek them out if any are being mounted on the stage in your area).
50. The Weir (1997)
![By Conor McPherson Irishmen in a provincial pub swap ghost stories — until a female newcomer upstages them. Buy it: Amazon iTunes](https://ew.com/thmb/G_Eli8_PKm7Brh_EUVtkh5zBUMI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/weir-stage-1-2a2798f559c64bf8af38f53ed923ba33.jpg)
By Conor McPherson
Irishmen in a provincial pub swap ghost stories—until a newcomer from Dublin upstages them with her own haunting tale.
Buy it:
Amazon
49. Uncommon Women and Others (1977)
![By Wendy Wasserstein Five Mount Holyoke grads gather for an impromptu reunion in Wasserstein's breakout play, an incisive look at educated women that holds up](https://ew.com/thmb/TV3WUd_9D0PvxBaVev1FhzDNvlU=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/uncommon-women-1977-1-b3e1dbefc3054591a03661f1ca6dd3cf.jpg)
By Wendy Wasserstein
Five Mount Holyoke grads gather for an impromptu reunion in Wasserstein's breakout play, an incisive look at educated women that holds up even better than The Heidi Chronicles.
Buy it:
Amazon
48. The Piano Lesson (1987)
![By August Wilson What do you do with your legacy? That question is at the heart of Wilson's 1936-set family drama about an heirloom piano.](https://ew.com/thmb/mefFEzlvCYil7IMxvBxbgnZ5qCU=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/piano-lesson-play-1-4bedeed61051475990f3bcb363abd997.jpg)
By August Wilson
What do you do with your legacy? That question is at the heart of Wilson's 1936-set family drama about an heirloom piano carved with the faces of enslaved ancestors.
Buy it:
Amazon
47. Awake and Sing! (1935)
![By Clifford Odets A soulful Depression-era drama about a Jewish family in a cramped Bronx apartment. Buy it: Amazon](https://ew.com/thmb/rjYv7mT6OvaSH8QNt2tX3LLSEoI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/awake-and-sing-8e1ccfbe70cd4e71bc1a15a418ab40af.jpg)
By Clifford Odets
A soulful Depression-era drama about a multigenerational Jewish family in a cramped Bronx apartment.
Buy it:
Amazon
46. What the Butler Saw (1969)
![By Joe Orton This bone-dry farce packs in everything from adultery to cross-dressing to ''the missing parts of Sir Winston Churchill.'' Buy it: Amazon](https://ew.com/thmb/hWmCWCDjRi8Casggx6O3cLu45vg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/what-butler-saw-1-3092f930dd9f477183fd559c3b8e2cb9.jpg)
By Joe Orton
Set at a psychiatrist's clinic, this bone-dry farce packs in everything from adultery to cross-dressing to "the missing parts of Sir Winston Churchill."
Buy it:
Amazon
45. The Women (1936)
![By Clare Boothe Luce An all-female cast paints the town red — jungle red — in Luce's deliciously vicious (and sometimes catty) send-up of Manhattan](https://ew.com/thmb/bpW5ltgCfiSCOGDkNwShXrbMxu4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/women-play-1-3da65b444c134bb5b5bf99367761d6fe.jpg)
By Clare Boothe Luce
An all-female cast paints the town red—jungle red—in Luce's deliciously vicious (and sometimes catty) send-up of Manhattan society.
Buy it:
Amazon
44. The Orphans' Home Cycle (1962–2009)
![By Horton Foote Loosely based on the life of Foote's father, this sharply observed nine-play saga traces one small-town Texas man from the turn of](https://ew.com/thmb/_m1QnfrcQWaij9NtRjPZwLgB6OA=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/orphans-home-cycle-1-c6449db9e11b448f8be576c3090755c8.jpg)
By Horton Foote
Loosely based on the life of Foote's father, this sharply observed nine-play saga traces one small-town Texas man from the turn of the 20th century through the Depression.
Buy it:
Amazon
43. The Odd Couple (1965)
![By Neil Simon Simon spins comic gold from a simple premise: A fastidious newspaperman, Felix, moves in with his slovenly divorcé buddy, Oscar. The playwright's](https://ew.com/thmb/hRtpSWkoYp6BSn0v_VLnbqhOx_Y=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/odd-couple-2-79fed109b3ca48bb9b70bf3d6c6c0b0f.jpg)
By Neil Simon
Simon spins comic gold from a simple premise: A fastidious newspaperman, Felix, moves in with his slovenly divorcé buddy, Oscar. The playwright's signature stage comedy spawned a hit film and TV series.
Buy it:
Amazon
42. Journey's End (1928)
![By R.C. Sherriff Sherriff dives into the trenches of World War I for a mesmerizingly claustrophobic study of men in combat. The original London cast](https://ew.com/thmb/SJxHtWoO7Uu2xXjLmKe26rb8EC0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/journeys-end-1-77791db9c2d840de83d0e721525b29d2.jpg)
By R.C. Sherriff
Sherriff dives into the trenches of World War I for a mesmerizingly claustrophobic study of men in combat. The original London cast included a young Laurence Olivier.
Buy it:
Amazon
41. Picnic (1953)
![Paul Newman | By William Inge Paul Newman made his Broadway debut in Inge's classically structured play about caddish guys and the middle-American women of all ages who](https://ew.com/thmb/j_RLddBV9WF_vJvn9ajco3QZFyg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/picnic-paul-newman-1-05449dec735249d396254610ac8e3745.jpg)
By William Inge
Paul Newman made his Broadway debut in Inge's classically structured play about caddish guys and the middle-American women of all ages who love them in spite of their better judgment.
40. Accidental Death of an Anarchist (1970)
![By Dario Fo Fo's farce — based on a 1969 incident involving a Milan terror suspect — features a lethal bomb, a histrionic judge-impersonating criminal](https://ew.com/thmb/1V5lyBaz7wcRDIJ-vu9YCWZ2INs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/accidental-death-play-1-08a15bd874344f8f80f6623be7b7aaa9.jpg)
By Dario Fo
Fo's political farce—based on a 1969 incident involving a Milan terror suspect—features a lethal bomb, a histrionic judge-impersonating criminal known as the Maniac, and two alternate endings.
Buy it:
Amazon
39. The Front Page (1928)
![By Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur Chicago journalists Hecht and MacArthur wrote what they knew: a comedy classic about tabloid reporters naturally inclined to hip-pocket](https://ew.com/thmb/nbkJS3tV8nC0DEW0XYuXoXD7Oi0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/front-page-play-1-695742aacbd24de09f8a783b4386de18.jpg)
By Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
Chicago journalists Hecht and MacArthur wrote what they knew: a comedy classic about tabloid reporters naturally inclined to hip-pocket cynicism and rat-a-tat dialogue.
Buy it:
Amazon
38. Topdog/Underdog (2001)
![By Suzan-Lori Parks Parks' magnificent two-hander focuses on hypercompetitive African-American brothers (initially played by Jeffrey Wright and Don Cheadle) portentously named Lincoln and Booth. Buy](https://ew.com/thmb/PaUBZOaxJfNIGUPocPILGiNCUYo=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/topdog-cheadle-wright-1-33fb6e885cfd4e0699c59f8d8f76c894.jpg)
By Suzan-Lori Parks
Parks' magnificent two-hander focuses on hypercompetitive African American brothers (initially played by Jeffrey Wright and Don Cheadle) portentously named Lincoln and Booth.
37. Saved (1965)
![By Edward Bond Bond's gritty, oft-censored look at impoverished young Londoners (which includes a notorious baby-stoning scene) influenced shock-and-awe purveyors such as Adam Rapp, Martin](https://ew.com/thmb/DU4Dq3ZjzRzzHaYqXcV9zlW0S58=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/saved-play-1-0337d511f46a4a3f8010a2eb7f37be5c.jpg)
By Edward Bond
Bond's gritty, oft-censored look at impoverished young Londoners (which includes a notorious baby-stoning scene) influenced shock-and-awe purveyors such as Adam Rapp, Martin McDonagh, and Sarah Kane.
Buy it:
Amazon
36. The Dybbuk (1920)
![By S. Ansky On the eve of her wedding, a young woman is possessed by a malevolent spirit. Based on Jewish folklore, the play has](https://ew.com/thmb/g2mbK5WVjTZSCzk4tJYUCpDnd_o=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/dybbuk-play-1-6bb859e03e70471895d38d4ba3c2bdf5.jpg)
By S. Ansky
On the eve of her wedding, a young woman is possessed by a malevolent spirit. Based on Jewish folklore, the play has become a Yiddish-theater staple.
Buy it:
Amazon
35. M. Butterfly (1988)
![By David Henry Hwang Hwang's wistful drama is based on the true story of a French diplomat's romance with a Chinese opera diva — who's](https://ew.com/thmb/ZbU1VNzBlJ2fZp_7sWc5XlFxWoU=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/madame-butterfly-1-27ce414b00d6492887ab40e443721d29.jpg)
By David Henry Hwang
Hwang's wistful drama is based on the true story of a French diplomat's romance with a Chinese opera diva—who's actually a man masquerading as a woman.
34. The Bald Soprano (1950)
![By Eugène Ionesco Pity the poor actors who must memorize Ionesco's string of absurdist non sequiturs. ''It's not that way. It's over here!'' Buy it:](https://ew.com/thmb/lHyTU2VBPnwenovtB5KkmVLlv8I=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/bald-soprano-1-59289980b34a472bba49757a55cc3d7f.jpg)
By Eugène Ionesco
Pity the poor actors who must memorize Ionesco's string of absurdist non sequiturs. "It's not that way. It's over here!"
Buy it:
Amazon
33. The Norman Conquests (1973)
![By Alan Ayckbourn There's never been a weekend in the country quite like the one six bed-hopping characters experience in this madcap comic trilogy. Buy](https://ew.com/thmb/oaFyUo1H5TIagagPOsiq6UbwLeI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/normans-conquest-1-3b179d9f669340b5b9fae88bae5333d3.jpg)
By Alan Ayckbourn
There's never been a weekend in the country quite like the one these six bed-hopping characters experience in this madcap comic trilogy.
Buy it:
Amazon
32. Machinal (1928)
![By Sophie Treadwell A high point of expressionism, inspired by the true story of a woman executed after murdering her boss-turned-husband. Buy it: Amazon](https://ew.com/thmb/S85_srsHqQ6A9eFooxy8y-Z-tyc=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/machinal-play-1-0b99a2a9bf3648ddb2ccd0c32956a148.jpg)
By Sophie Treadwell
A high point of expressionism, inspired by the true story of a woman executed in the electric chair after murdering her boss-turned-husband.
Buy it:
Amazon
31. The Lieutenant of Inishmore (2001)
![By Martin McDonagh Tarantino-like dialogue and bloodletting feature prominently in a pitch-black comedy about an inept Irish Republican Army splinter group and the killing of](https://ew.com/thmb/X4eaVGYXjnGhPn4rNHUlRb9PzMs=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/lieutenant-inishmore-1-8821a9cce982442bbd54a91e6bf850dc.jpg)
By Martin McDonagh
Tarantino-like dialogue and bloodletting feature prominently in a pitch-black comedy about an inept Irish Republican Army splinter group and the killing of a beloved cat named Wee Thomas.
Buy it:
Amazon
30. Marat/Sade (1964)
![By Peter Weiss Weiss crafts a play-within-a-play directed by the notorious Marquis de Sade in Charenton Asylum. Buy it: Amazon](https://ew.com/thmb/oABDdQEDk1kuV5TfcHDTJtxympw=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/marat-sade-play-1-23db8304f0d24f9b860afe4cbc51c4fb.jpg)
By Peter Weiss
Weiss crafts a play-within-a-play directed by the notorious Marquis de Sade in Charenton Asylum that questions the catalyst for true revolution.
Buy it:
Amazon
29. Noises Off (1982)
![By Michael Frayn Frayn elevates the door-slamming farce to high art in this three-act gem, which reveals the behind-the-scenes tensions in a hapless acting ensemble](https://ew.com/thmb/R0M9eZNTzIMuWtpopMb35kJm6A4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/noises-off-1-172cf4f284e440cda58924f35e33b494.jpg)
By Michael Frayn
Frayn elevates the door-slamming farce to high art in this three-act gem, which reveals the behind-the-scenes tensions in a hapless acting ensemble that continually bungles its cues and misplaces crucial plates of sardines.
28. Present Laughter (1942)
![By Noël Coward Few midlife crises are as uproariously funny as fortysomething actor Garry Essendine's in Coward's typically witty comedy. Buy it: Amazon iTunes](https://ew.com/thmb/IyAUNN6-FIdmgcWnfzHHWOBmXmI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/present-laughter-play-1-d87fc0047e6f4cf0bc9636902a7175b5.jpg)
By Noël Coward
Few midlife crises are as uproariously funny as fortysomething actor Garry Essendine's in Coward's typically witty comedy.
Buy it:
Amazon
27. Top Girls (1982)
![By Caryl Churchill The Thatcher-era look at women's achievements kicks off with an all-star dinner party including a ninth-century female pope, a British explorer, and](https://ew.com/thmb/4vIltwxQ1sh5Ub-m_yML1KCEYO8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/top-girls-play-1-916f1b5110df4f5e9394ed194dff391c.jpg)
By Caryl Churchill
The Thatcher-era look at women's achievements kicks off with an all-star dinner party including a ninth-century female pope, British explorer Isabella Bird, and Patient Griselda from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
Buy it:
Amazon
26. Doubt (2004)
![By John Patrick Shanley Far more nuanced than the 2008 film, Shanley's play centers on the fascinatingly ambiguous bond between a parish priest and an](https://ew.com/thmb/IQVaCKl7R4Szi5g-FrZxC50NOmM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/doubt-stage-1-b6c3514e28a949f1b2d8045e3ed60524.jpg)
By John Patrick Shanley
Far more nuanced than the 2008 film, Shanley's play centers on the fascinatingly ambiguous bond between a parish priest and an (unseen) altar boy—and the rigid nun on a crusade for what she believes is justice.
25. Six Degrees of Separation (1990)
![By John Guare In a wicked comedy of manners, a young man charms his way into Manhattan society by claiming to be Sidney Poitier's son.](https://ew.com/thmb/Z0Vlp14mtQBG1fUTCmSV4ZqwlYE=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/six-degrees-stockard-1-aa56307e0a4b4f99b6aaef6bd10ce693.jpg)
By John Guare
In a wicked comedy of manners, a young man charms his way into Manhattan society by claiming to be Sidney Poitier's son.
Buy it:
Amazon
24. Mother Courage and Her Children (1941)
![By Bertolt Brecht Brecht created a complex survival-bent heroine in an antiwar epic set during the 17th-century Thirty Years' War. Buy it: Amazon iTunes](https://ew.com/thmb/v9jRPL76Ueo8Wm04PP6ndKnxNrI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/mouther-courage-stage-1-07c5a8034a32484389c13e79f60c787c.jpg)
By Bertolt Brecht
An open response to the start of World War II, Brecht created a complex survival-bent heroine in an antiwar epic set during the 17th-century Thirty Years' War.
Buy it:
Amazon
23. Ruined (2008)
![By Lynn Nottage Like Mama Nadi, the savvy brothel owner at the center of this portrait of Congo's civil war, Nottage doesn't choose sides between](https://ew.com/thmb/wU9PgMlv6l40IWrmYah8CZWQ9Pg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/ruined-stage-1-acb90a7fdf5e4777b0138b3e6b9632ae.jpg)
By Lynn Nottage
Like Mama Nadi, the savvy brothel owner at the center of this portrait of Congo's civil war, Nottage doesn't choose sides between the government forces and the equally brutal rebels.
22. The Homecoming (1965)
![By Harold Pinter The dialogue pierces in Pinter's account of a young couple's visit to the hubby's all-male family. But the silences are just as](https://ew.com/thmb/ZLc5kpjtDjErujX9eppugxN-aS4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/homecoming-stage-1-77f05e876ec54b10a2d6b2f09dca70f8.jpg)
By Harold Pinter
The dialogue pierces in Pinter's account of a young couple's visit to the hubby's all-male family. But the silences are just as explosive.
Buy it:
Amazon
21. "Master Harold"... and the Boys (1982)
![By Athol Fugard Once banned in South Africa, Fugard's play depicts a 17-year-old white boy's complicated ties to two middle-aged black servants. Buy it: Amazon](https://ew.com/thmb/y5bXk-lby66u9axH47DwSzVd8js=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/master-harold-glover-1-03e5d8058e1740eaa64503857fc7c1f5.jpg)
By Athol Fugard
Once banned in South Africa, Fugard's apartheid-era play depicts a 17-year-old white boy's complicated ties to two middle-aged Black servants.
Buy it:
Amazon
20. The Real Thing (1982)
![By Tom Stoppard The erudite Czech-born British wordsmith crafts an ingeniously clever play-within-a-play in which a Stoppard-like playwright reworks scenes from his actual life and](https://ew.com/thmb/sgxIQ-Et0m-fxpNEJa5X8fsdwsM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/real-thing-close-irons-1-ed9b916727584c6d80ad44418a5f97e5.jpg)
By Tom Stoppard
The erudite Czech-born British wordsmith crafts an ingeniously clever play-within-a-play in which a Stoppard-like playwright reworks scenes from his actual life and his thorny relationships with women.
Buy it:
Amazon
19. The Little Foxes (1939)
![By Lillian Hellman Who says women must always be demure little victims? In Hellman's Southern-fried domestic drama, Regina Giddens proves to be far more ruthless](https://ew.com/thmb/3erBaBV_kB1FF-YHX_M_CVr8AJ0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/little-foxes-play-1-07d47495d31b49ac8cf98584f2b9d256.jpg)
By Lillian Hellman
Who says women must always be demure little victims? In Hellman's Southern-fried domestic drama, Regina Giddens proves to be far more ruthless than her avaricious brothers in her quest for financial security and the family business.
Buy it:
Amazon
18. A View From the Bridge (1955)
![By Arthur Miller In Miller's contemporary Greek tragedy, a Brooklyn longshoreman is driven to jealous distraction when his 17-year-old niece (and ward) falls for a](https://ew.com/thmb/nBhzQmXCiXYMnYZWc3xEU5DTn20=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/view-from-bridge-1-57560c5cca714cbba48848d50d73eacf.jpg)
By Arthur Miller
In Miller's contemporary Greek tragedy, a Brooklyn longshoreman is driven to jealous distraction when his 17-year-old niece (and ward) falls for a newly arrived immigrant.
17. Look Back in Anger (1956)
![By John Osborne The first of British theater's Angry Young Men, Osborne produced a harshly realistic love triangle involving a working-class lad who marries an](https://ew.com/thmb/li85JVl8eJWzkkE0ZQE6__bQBn8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/look-back-anger-1-76e32db76a2843ff92f9a93c19f0b22c.jpg)
By John Osborne
The first of British theater's Angry Young Men, Osborne produced a harshly realistic love triangle involving a working-class lad who marries an upper-middle-class gal despite the scoffing of her haughty best friend.
Buy it:
Amazon
16. The Iceman Cometh (1946)
![By Eugene O'Neill Stop us if you've heard this one before: A sober man walks into a bar, Harry Hope's sad-sack saloon in 1912 Greenwich](https://ew.com/thmb/KG0rGH2U8YP8RpD5_Zpxqosdr8E=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/iceman-cometh-play-1-1f23c6e266bb45a6a1054c49169d7205.jpg)
By Eugene O'Neill
Stop us if you've heard this one before: A sober man walks into a bar, Harry Hope's sad-sack saloon in 1912 Greenwich Village. Then O'Neill's confederacy of end-of-their-rope drunks struggle to cling to their delusions.
15. True West (1980)
![By Sam Shepard Such an actor's showcase that in a 2000 NYC revival John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman alternated roles as a meek](https://ew.com/thmb/GVJP4Lt5EPRn6Pp0mwMhUIoUCnQ=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/truewest-play-1-c1255f2e6d43445ba64017f6367f8e72.jpg)
By Sam Shepard
Such an actor's showcase that, in a 2000 Broadway revival, John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman alternated roles as a meek screenwriter and his volatile brother.
14. August: Osage County (2007)
![By Tracy Letts Pill-popping Oklahoma matriarch Violet Weston serves as hostess of a memorably snappish family reunion in Letts' barnstorming domestic drama. Buy it: Amazon](https://ew.com/thmb/K2eDf1L5M8Vwlz8SrM6G1KeMTd0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/august-osage-play-1-17beb3d3aa054de180b23479f87406a0.jpg)
By Tracy Letts
Pill-popping Oklahoma matriarch Violet Weston serves as hostess of a memorably snappish family reunion in Letts' barnstorming domestic drama.
13. Glengarry Glen Ross (1984)
![By David Mamet In Mamet's kinetic, foulmouthed play about shady Chicago real estate salesmen, top agent Ricky Roma offers some sound advice: Always be closing.](https://ew.com/thmb/XvPMaAPyZqXKeCysBCG0dPdxxh0=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/glengarry-ross-alda-liev-1-187a8441ed864216ba886eca19b06086.jpg)
By David Mamet
In Mamet's kinetic, foulmouthed play about shady Chicago real estate salesmen, top agent Ricky Roma offers some sound advice: Always be closing.
Buy it:
Amazon
12. The Glass Menagerie (1944)
![By Tennessee Williams In this memory play, shrill, smothering Southern belle Amanda meddles in the stunted lives of her two misfit adult children. Buy it:](https://ew.com/thmb/f5f3oReON4GnLPwyy4Ba76tx00s=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/glass-menagerie-play-1-29b187b9d57546b080bb547562ea94c7.jpg)
By Tennessee Williams
In this memory play—which launched Williams into the public eye—shrill, smothering Southern belle Amanda Wingfield meddles in the stunted lives of her two misfit adult children.
11. Six Characters in Search of an Author (1921)
![By Luigi Pirandello Theater of the absurd has seldom been more cockeyed. Six strangers burst into a theater, interrupt a rehearsal, and demand that the](https://ew.com/thmb/9MhpxQyC3oD9QB-XE_Kl_ciXDao=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/six_characters_search-1-22f61305578d408d8c036a1989a269ca.jpg)
By Luigi Pirandello
Theater of the absurd has seldom been more cockeyed. Six strangers burst into a theater, interrupt a rehearsal, and demand that the show's director complete the unfinished story of their lives.
10. Our Town (1938)
![By Thornton Wilder A Stage Manager leads a tour of all-American small town Grover's Corners in Wilder's no-frills play. It is typically staged with only](https://ew.com/thmb/rIg4HFf8iZd7cUxUilZInqLsJ20=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/our-town-play-1-f3ec78702f8d466c9163ec583e4a2100.jpg)
By Thornton Wilder
A Stage Manager leads a tour of all-American small town Grover's Corners in Wilder's no-frills play. It is typically staged with only tables, chairs, and ladders for a set—and yet it's built for the ages.
Buy it:
Amazon
9. A Raisin in the Sun (1959)
![By Lorraine Hansberry An African-American family living on Chicago's down-and-out South Side contend with how to improve their lot. In this compelling drama, the options](https://ew.com/thmb/VgVeEA8iw_c5oBm4G9hxfvboyqg=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/raisin-sun-portier-play-1-13bcbb6e81624667bba24c23707e91b7.jpg)
By Lorraine Hansberry
A Black family living on Chicago's down-and-out South Side contend with how to improve their lot. In this compelling drama, the options include embracing their African heritage and assimilating into white American culture.
8. Pygmalion (1913)
![By George Bernard Shaw More people know the musical My Fair Lady than Shaw's original play about phonetics professor Henry Higgins and his attempt to](https://ew.com/thmb/esSnAVhEOrZE_yNKoLFoQNA2bh4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/pygmalion-play-1-324198e47a1e4d9e9e0c6d6793d84c71.jpg)
By George Bernard Shaw
More people know the musical My Fair Lady than Shaw's original play about phonetics professor Henry Higgins and his attempt to pass off Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle as a proper lady. But wouldn't it be loverly if it were otherwise?
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7. Waiting for Godot (1953)
![By Samuel Beckett The Irish playwright's bizarro existentialist classic features philosophizing, slapstick-loving tramps Gogo and Didi passing the time in a barren landscape where ''time](https://ew.com/thmb/JSyeqEniiP9BWQaBhS8xX107uKU=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/waiting-for-godot-1-298ee137af674a1ab70e78eb7dcb8548.jpg)
By Samuel Beckett
The Irish playwright's bizarro existentialist classic features philosophizing, slapstick-loving tramps Gogo and Didi passing the time in a barren landscape where "time has stopped."
6. Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes (1993–94)
![By Tony Kushner In his seven-hour epic, Kushner (husband of EW columnist Mark Harris) grapples with gay identity in the midst of the AIDS crisis](https://ew.com/thmb/2PQdGwmIDLKm_8dJT6EJqKuWU6Q=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/angels-america-play-1-6f657371d24a46de9389871a3f259f9e.jpg)
By Tony Kushner
In his seven-hour epic, Kushner (husband of EW columnist Mark Harris) grapples with gay identity in the midst of the AIDS crisis and depicts characters both straight and gay, fictional and real (including deeply closeted McCarthyist lawyer Roy Cohn).
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5. Fences (1985)
![By August Wilson Wilson's 1950s-set drama is a memorable portrait of Negro League ballplayer-turned-trash collector Troy Maxson. He's a bundle of contradictions, demanding that his](https://ew.com/thmb/RDxFgvvM3o031FnEHshtwFJe9d8=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/fences-denzel-stage-1-7e92f33cc94e42469bf44c07e531d5cf.jpg)
By August Wilson
Wilson's 1950s-set drama is a memorable portrait of Negro League ballplayer-turned-trash collector Troy Maxson. He's a bundle of contradictions, demanding that his sons live practical, responsible lives even though he himself is a philanderer given to flights of fancy.
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4. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1956)
![By Eugene O'Neill O'Neill recounts a fateful summer evening at the Tyrone family's seaside home, where members of the clan battle their addictions (to alcohol](https://ew.com/thmb/g2IVssfszGvwEYUIwoMuoEeI_4s=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/long-days-musical-1-d32ffb5aff9e492e983d3976630e7ac8.jpg)
By Eugene O'Neill
O'Neill recounts a fateful summer evening at the Tyrone family's seaside home, where members of the clan battle their addictions (to alcohol and morphine) as well as one another.
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3. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962)
![By Edward Albee The worst house party ever. In Albee's explosive play, which returned to Broadway last fall in a Tony-winning revival, an embittered, long-married](https://ew.com/thmb/aBknUWbd6-XyDfXuv7JLNisyREM=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/afraid-woolf-1-80d4ca6596e84012811c6709ca16bd75.jpg)
By Edward Albee
The worst house party ever. In Albee's explosive play, which returned to Broadway in 2012 for a Tony-winning revival, an embittered, long-married academic couple host a much younger prof and his wife for an evening of brandy and verbal abuse. The older pair are named George and Martha—making them the first couple of American dysfunction.
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2. A Streetcar Named Desire (1947)
![By Tennessee Williams Blanche DuBois, a fading Southern beauty with delusions of grandeur, may depend on the kindness of strangers — but she falls under](https://ew.com/thmb/yfd2gm_mQqcr3YkKqqSEC2d6Oj4=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/streetcar-desire-play-1-37d6c1b7ed2142ceb24ea6b5c1295818.jpg)
By Tennessee Williams
Blanche DuBois, a fading Southern beauty with delusions of grandeur, may depend on the kindness of strangers—but she falls under the sway of her brutish, brooding brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski in Williams' searing tragedy. Marlon Brando, mumble-mouthed and T-shirted, made an indelible impression as the first Stanley on stage and on film, but the role still packs a punch today.
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1. Death of a Salesman (1949)
![By Arthur Miller Attention must be paid. Over the past six decades, Miller's drama about aging middle-class Everyman Willy Loman has become a classic evocation](https://ew.com/thmb/Q3r45-G2n6GSXZr-p5tobRB6K2E=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/death-salesman-stage-1-15b1fb6fee7a4a778da0fdaf331c65ef.jpg)
By Arthur Miller
Attention must be paid. In the decades since its debut, Miller's drama about aging middle-class Everyman Willy Loman has become a classic evocation of the dark side of the American dream. Willy struggles to compete in an economy that prizes youth and innovation over old-fashioned relationships. Weighed down by disappointment and false pride, he sees little hope of redemption in his two underachieving sons, whom he's taught to value superficial popularity over genuine accomplishment. In our Kardashian-saturated era, it's a message that seems even more urgent today.