The Best Plays of 2002-2003: The Otis Guernsey/Burns Mantle Theatre Yearbook

The BEST PLAYS series dates back to 1920. Each year the editors selected the season's 10 Best plays (or musicals) and provided a detailed synopsis including lengthy excerpts from the scripts. The rest of the volume chronicles every play/musical/solo show to open in New York that season with full opening night credits, and tallies of the number of performances, awards, and other important theatrical data. The format changed in 1996/97 to present only the prize winning plays of each season. Because most scripts are published now, it is no longer as important for the series to offer their condensed versions of each script. Hence the new format providing essays on each major new play. The New York theatre scene has changed a lot since 1920 and THE BEST PLAYS series has always changed along with it. As always, for any theatre fan, it is a valuable reference book. I am the proud owner of the entire series and look forward to each new edition.