Day the Whores Came Out to Play Tennis
Worth buying if: You follow Arthur Kopit's sharp theatrical style and satirical voice.
Skip it if: You expect conventional realism rather than Kopit's abstract comic-satire.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780374522339. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
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Summary
Kopit's 1990 one-act play stages a single volatile evening where sex work, gossip, and class collide in crisp, satirical dialogue; its 140-page Farrar Straus Giroux edition collects the play's theatrical wit and moral sting.
Why this book now
With renewed interest in queer, feminist, and provocative 20th-century American dramas, Kopit's blunt premise and satirical voice feel freshly relevant to theatre readers and small.
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Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You follow Arthur Kopit's sharp theatrical style and satirical voice.
- You program intimate one-act plays for a small cast or salon production.
- If character growth is key, the narrative rarely stalls and keeps tension high.
- You expect conventional realism rather than Kopit's abstract comic-satire.
- You prefer long, plot-driven novels instead of a concise 140-page stage piece.
- You need the newest edition, freshest examples, or the most current framing.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780374522339
Worth buying if: You follow Arthur Kopit's sharp theatrical style and satirical voice.
Skip it if: You expect conventional realism rather than Kopit's abstract comic-satire.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Quick Easy to move through
At roughly 140 pages and structured as a one-act, this Farrar Straus Giroux edition reads quickly in one sitting and suits a focused read-through or rehearsal session.
What stands out here
This FSG trade edition foregrounds Kopit's text for performance: clean stage directions, dialogue rhythm, and the play's theatrical provocations without production notes.
Best way to approach it
Read aloud or imagine staging as you go—Kopit's rapid exchanges and theatrical beats reveal character and satire best in performance-minded reading.
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Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780374522339
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.