Jitters
by David French

Name: Jitters
Brand: David French
SKU: 9780889222427
Rating: 3.26 (37 reviews)

Highlights

Medium Cast

Female

Male

120 mins Canadian Comedy

Synopsis

Jitters

, David French’s sophisticated backstage comedy, opens on the night of a preview of a new play, “The Care and Treatment of Roses.”

Within minutes, the audience is plunged into the world of the theatre, a world of instant loves and hates, easily bruised egos, contradictory interpretations of role and script―all complicated by crises involving faulty props, lost lines and bad reviews, and all magnified by the opening night “jitters” of cast, crew, writer and director.

First performed in 1979, Jitters was an instant critical and commercial success.

In just a few years, the play was produced in nearly every regional theatre in Canada and enjoyed several American performances as well; and the published edition, introduced by Talonbooks in 1980, has gone through many printings.

The play has been substantially changed in the process of undergoing its more than one hundred productions, and appears here in its revised edition.

Cast of 3 women and 6 men

Themes C812/.54 Drama PR9199.3.F73 J5 1986

Press Reviews

"A warm-hearted, lively and truly hilarious examination of backstage shenanigans by one of Canada's leading playwrights. Dealing with the trials and tribulations of a provincial theatre company as it approaches opening night of its latest production, the play will strike a responsive chord with all who have suffered through this agonizing/exhilarating process. “For anyone who has any knowledge of the life of the theatre, French has caught its moods, anxieties and foibles to a lunatic nicety.” —New York Post. “…a sparkling Canadian comedy to rank up there with the best of them…comedy of character, filled with bitchy wit, warmth and affection.” —Toronto Star. ”…a sparkling gem of a comedy…what JITTERS offers is such delight we'd like it to go on much longer. Hilarity is in short supply these days.“ —Drama-Logue. ”…an insider's affectionate tribute to the theatre as a flawed way of life…JITTERS is an almost perfect comedy of its kind."
— The New York Times