Shoppers

"Perfection is not the basis of what Im talking about," says a member of the Cassandra family, which forms the center of Denis Johnsons plays, Hellhound on My Trail and Shoppers Carried by Escalators Into the Flames. The character could be speaking for his creator, because human imperfection is one of Denis Johnsons specialties -- in his critically acclaimed novels, short stories, and nonfiction, and, now, in two brilliant new plays.

These two works present a dramatized field guide to some of the more dysfunctional and dysphoric inhabitants of the American West: a sexual-misconduct investigator who misconducts herself sexually; a renegade Jehovahs Witness who supports his splinter Jehovean group by dealing drugs; the Cassandra Brothers and their father and their grandmother, thrown together at a family reunion/wedding/melee at their shabby homestead in Ukiah, California.

When Shoppers Carried by Escalators Into the Flames was performed in San Francisco in 2001, the Chronicle said, "Theres an enormous appeal in Johnsons bleak-comic vision of a semi-mythic American West." That appeal derives from the authors perfect vision of imperfection, embodied with such energy and courage in these marvelous pieces of theatre.

Two complete plays from a giant of literary fiction:

Dark Comedy: Follow a sexual-misconduct investigator who misconducts herself and a renegade Jehovah’s Witness who deals drugs to support his splinter group. American West Setting: Enter the shabby Cassandra family homestead in Ukiah, California, for a reunion that spirals into a chaotic melee. Unflinching Dialogue: Experience the raw, poetic, and darkly funny language that has made Denis Johnson a literary icon. Two Complete Plays: Includes the full scripts for Hellhound on My Trail and Shoppers Carried by Escalators Into the Flames, perfect for actors, directors, and fans of contemporary theatre.