First published 1985
This collection brings together three landmark American dramas. Our Town follows Emily Webb and George Gibbs in Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, where daily routines mask deeper questions about mortality and meaning. The Stage Manager guides audiences through births, marriages, and deaths that reveal what truly matters in ordinary life. The Skin of Our Teeth chronicles the Antrobus family as they weather ice ages, floods, and wars in suburban New Jersey. George and Maggie Antrobus represent all of humanity, stumbling through catastrophes with their children and maid Sabina. The Matchmaker centers on Dolly Gallagher Levi, a widow who arranges marriages while pursuing wealthy Horace Vandergelder for herself. Set in 1880s New York, Dolly orchestrates romantic chaos involving young couples and stubborn merchants. Each play examines how people endure, love, and find purpose amid life's absurdities and sorrows.
Genres: drama, american-fiction, 20th-century, american
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, slice-of-life
Setting: Grover's Corners, New Hampshire, Suburban New Jersey
Period: 1880s, 20th Century
225 pages · Paperback · HarperCollins (paper)