Ridiculous Theatre: The Essays and Opinions of Charles Ludlam

Edited by Steven Samuels

"Unguarded, witty, articulate and extremely smart.” –Frank Rich, New York Times


“The greatest comic genius of our time.” –Judith Malina, The Living Theatre

Artistic director, playwright, director, designer and star of New York’s acclaimed Ridiculous Theatrical Company, the late Charles Ludlam ransacked theatrical and literary history in an evolutionary quest for a modern art of stage comedy. Seen by some as simply a gifted buffoon, Ridiculous Theatre: Scourge of Human Folly exposes Ludlam as a clear-eyed, hard-headed thinker and master craftsman. His luminous essays (never widely available in his lifetime) and provocative opinions (drawn from interviews, unpublished papers and notebooks) reveal a complex mind comprehensively focused on theatrical invention.

Charles Ludlam: Artistic director, playwright, director, designer and star of New York’s acclaimed Ridiculous Theatrical Company. During his twenty years with the Ridiculous, Ludlam won Obie and Drama Desk awards as well as playwriting fellowships from the Guggenheim, Rockefeller and Ford foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. His more than thirty plays are among the most thought-provoking entertainments in the modern repertoire and continue to be widely performed throughout the world.