Theresa Rebeck Complete Plays. Vol. 4: 2007–2012

Binge-reading this new collection of plays is like being trapped in a room full of people who know that they are the smartest ones in it. The banter is fascinating but, by the end of the evening, the urge to do damage to each of them in a terrifyingly slow way is nearly impossible to overcome. Rebeck writes with ferocity, putting characters together in situations that rival the most sadistic experiments dreamed up by evil behavioral psychologists. Seven plays are gathered here. The casts range in size from three to seven characters, except for O Beautiful, which lists 27 roles with the opportunity for much doubling. Standouts include: Mauritius, featuring dialog that crackles with the spirit of truly demented and desperate people; O Beautiful, which features Jesus as a lead character and is one wild ride, taking on Glenn Beck, bullying, and abortion in a thoroughly satisfying way; and Dead Accounts, in two acts, which is a reminder that everybody's got problems, but only great playwrights with a finely tuned ear for conversation can make those problems interesting.