Jean-Claude van Itallie is one of the most distinguished playwrights of
the American avant-garde. A keen deconstruction of American popular
culture, the America Hurrah triptych served notice that here was a major
new dramatic voice. America Hurrah and Other Plays is a definitive
collection of the work of a major American playwright, with such works
as Bag Lady, written in the voice of a deceptively insightful homeless
woman; The Serpent, a fanciful interpretation of the story of Adam and
Eve; The Traveller, which depicts a charismatic and brilliant artist
recovering from a stroke; and van Itallie's dazzling play based on the
Tibetan Book of the Dead.