bash—a collection of three darkly brilliant one-act plays—forms a trio of unforgettable personal accounts. in medea redux, a woman tells of her complex and ultimately tragic relationship with her junior high school english teacher; in iphigenia in orem, a utah businessman confides in a stranger in a las vegas hotel room, confessing a most chilling crime; and in a gaggle of saints, a young mormon couple separately recounts the violent events of an anniversary weekend in new york city. all three are unblinking portraits of the complexities of evil in everyday life, exhibiting labute’s signature raw lyrical intensity.

the celebrated production of bash—starring calista flockhart, paul rudd, and ron eldard and directed by joe mantello—premiered at the douglas fairbanks theater in new york city in june of 1999.

with the success of his first three films, in the company of men (winner of the new york film critics award for best first feature and the filmmakers trophy at the sundance film festival), your friends and neighbors, and nurse betty, neil labute has been hailed as a brilliant dramatic satirist with a caustic wit reminiscent of stanley kubrick. his plays include filthy talk for troubled times, sanguinarians & sycophants, rounder, ravages, and the shape of things. his latest film is possession, which he has co-written for the screen and directed.

a selection of the stage and screen book club

cover design by michael ian kaye
and joshua whitlock