Jasper Publishing plays


Jasper Publishing
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115 Harlestone Road, Northampton NN5 7AQ, UK
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+44 (0) 1604 590315
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Plays - click on covers to see full Publisher's details

Eric Boagey
Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne)
Jasper Publishing:

We first see John Donne as the fashionable man-about-town of his day - courting mistresses and writing love poetry (privately circulated), but also joining naval expeditions in the war against Spain and eventually being appointed Secretary to Lord Egerton, Elizabeth's chief law lord . Ambition achieved! Where might it lead? Not where he imagined. He falls deeply in love with Anne More, the young niece of Lord Egerton, marries her in secret and months later suffers the inevitable consequences - the wrath of her father, a spell in the Fleet Prison, dismissal from his post as Secretary and a future with little money and no prospects. The years of semi-poverty and guilt for his 'profane youth' bring him to a state of spiritual crisis until he reaches the second great turning point in his life. On the advice of King James and even against his own deepest conviction, he takes holy orders and finds his true vocation but never loses his humour or his human understanding.

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Colin Cross
Canterbury Road Tales, The
Jasper Publishing:

They're vagrants& squatters& drop-outs& best avoided by decent people. But what are they really like? How do they see themselves? See us? Five modern day squatters about to be evicted set off across town to a new squat in Canterbury Road. Like the Canterbury Pilgrims, as they go they tell or re-enact their often shocking stories - murder, prositution, crime and betrayal. Whether true or false, they reveal more about themselves than they intended. Combining humour with realism, the play has strong parts for five actors and climaxes in a Chaucerian ending.

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Bryan Darby
Three-Quarter Moon
Jasper Publishing:

Laura is preparing a family dinner when her friend, Helen, drops in. While she and Helen are chatting, Laura's husband, Paul, rings to say that he will not be home until the next day. Laura reacts angrily and, due to a mysterious gift, unwittingly places a curse on him. In her disappointment, Laura lets slip to Helen that she has had doubts about Paul's fidelity, and that she is sure that there was a woman in the car with him. Unexpectedly, Paul returns home, badly injured, having been involved in a serious car accident. He refuses to go to hospital so Helen, who is a nurse, treats his injuries. When she has left, Paul tells Laura that her suspicions were right. He was having an affair and he had been leaving with the other woman when the accident occurred. A fight ensues, leaving Laura at Paul's mercy. Helen returns to find Laura unconscious and badly beaten yet unwilling to cancel the evening. Following the arrival of her dinner guests-her brother, Robert, and his wife, Jane-Laura's suspicions as to the identity of the other woman are dispelled and she insists that the subject is not discussed during the meal despite the discovery of traces of blood and the disappearance of a knife. The meal finally over, the evening descends, amid much speculation, into deepening mystery until, eventually, the police arrive and the identity of the other woman is finally revealed.

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Jonathan Goodson
Murder, For Starters
Jasper Publishing:

Murder mystery set in a swanky London restaurant. Super-chef, Harry Manning, plans one last stellar soiree before handing the kitchen over to his star apprentice. But Harry's soufflé falls flat when his protégé's beautiful young wife is found stabbed to death in the wine cellar. Enter grumpy DI Birch to quiz the suspects and solve the case.

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Nigel Holloway
Travesti
Jasper Publishing:

Two men stand out in the world of eighteenth century theatre: in the latter half of the century, David Garrick, and in the early part, Colley Cibber. Cibber rose from apprentice actor to become not only a playwright and author, but also actor-manager in charge of Drury Lane for over twenty years, and, eventually through his cultivation of politicians and others of power and influence, Poet Laureate. His rise to riches and influence was entirely due to his ability to flatter, cajole, and ingratiate himself with the rich and powerful, but that talent for hypocrisy and self-promotion was never passed on to his children, especially his daughter, Charlotte, who despite becoming an actress of note, insisted on ploughing her own furrow, and flying in the face of her father's conventional sensibilities.

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Trevor Hughes
Xmas Factor, The
Jasper Publishing:

For Bob and June Holliday Christmas Eve is always stressful as they prepare for their ill assorted family to descend upon them, but this year unexpected situations arise to turn their annual drama into a comical crisis. As if Bob's overbearing mother being excluded from sheltered housing accommodation pending a charge of manslaughter wasn't bad enough, his daughter and her uninvited boyfriend want him to give her away dressed as a character from 'Star Wars'. With her father attempting to be the life and soul of the party and failing miserably and her mother viewing the world though an alcoholic haze, the last thing June needs is to discover Bob has been keeping unwelcome, life-changing, news from her. The day deteriorates further when Bob's Aunt, in her quest for husband number five, tries seducing his mother's 'quiet' gentleman friend and his father-in-law's embarrassing mishap sends him to A and E. But nothing compares to the unannounced arrival of a 'distant' relative whose astonishing revelation has surprising consequences in more ways than one.

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David Muncaster
Life Begins at Seventy
Jasper Publishing:

Romantic Comedy. One easy split set comprising public bar and café. Four elderly but not over the hill characters find that one is never too old to fall in love but issues from that past must be resolved before one can make plans for the future. Dorothy and Betty have known each other since childhood and their constant bickering belies a deep held fondness for one another. Straight-laced Tom and aging rogue Bill have recently become unlikely fiends but what connects them to the women? And why is the waitress constantly trying to eavesdrop on conversations in the café? All will be revealed in this warm and affectionate comedy.

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Christopher Scott
Blood Acre
Jasper Publishing:

One of the most enigmatic figures in the New Testament is Judas Iscariot. Seen as the greatest villain in history, for whom Dante reserved a special place in the deepest pit of Hell, the role of Judas is enigmatic and gives rise to many questions. Why did he do what he did? Did he have any choice in his betrayal or was it ordained by powers beyond his control, perhaps even beyond his understanding? This play looks at the powers that competed for Judas's loyalty and obedience, and the torments that led him to betray the most famous figure in world history.

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Stephen Smith
Playing Away
Jasper Publishing:

Playing Away is a full length comedy for three men and three women, that follows the fortunes of two men forced to share a hotel room prior to a World Cup match between Finland and England. One a drunken womanising sports photographer and the other a naive environmental health officer whose only passion in life is supporting England. They form a bond until the photographer's wife and daughter turn up causing a bizarre series of misunderstandings with the brother and sister who run the hotel.

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Eric Boagey
Death, be not Proud (A Life of John Donne)
Jasper Publishing:

We first see John Donne as the fashionable man-about-town of his day - courting mistresses and writing love poetry (privately circulated), but also joining naval expeditions in the war against Spain and eventually being appointed Secretary to Lord Egerton, Elizabeth's chief law lord . Ambition achieved! Where might it lead? Not where he imagined. He falls deeply in love with Anne More, the young niece of Lord Egerton, marries her in secret and months later suffers the inevitable consequences - the wrath of her father, a spell in the Fleet Prison, dismissal from his post as Secretary and a future with little money and no prospects. The years of semi-poverty and guilt for his 'profane youth' bring him to a state of spiritual crisis until he reaches the second great turning point in his life. On the advice of King James and even against his own deepest conviction, he takes holy orders and finds his true vocation but never loses his humour or his human understanding.

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