Dark of the Moon

I ordered this after viewing NBC Matinee Theater's 1957 airing of this play on YOUTube. I recommend that you read this play before watching the TV episode. It was refreshing to read a play format instead of prose and the story is unique, sexy, and frequently funny. However, the ending will verify that it is a drama. Caution, the dialogue is 1940's "Mountain People Dialect" and can at first be hard to translate. You'll get used to it and may even appreciate it. If you like it enough to watch the episode, be prepared to throw everything you thought you knew about 1950's television out the window. I can't believe the notorious censors of that decade allowed this sexy adaption on afternoon TV. Tom Tryon plays John and Gloria Talbot plays Barbara. They would team up again for "I Married A Monster From Outer Space', another 1950's gem. I think his portrayal of John in "Dark of the Moon" is Tom Tryon's best acting role.

A tale from the 1930's this Appalachian tale has the skewed precepts of the time regarding race interactions. The challenge to the play has always been to bring the dialect to the stage with many performances falling more along the southern drawl lines. I had to review the performance for the Spring 2014 production from Austin Peay State University. Was well done, sub par with the accents, but impressive with many of the actors doing their own singing and instrument playing.

I performed this play in high school and loved it so much I had to add it to my personal library. It is a very dark story about witchcraft with some very religious themes. This does not bother me but it may some others who are slightly more conservative. The book itself is small but holds up very well. There is music sung throughout the play and in the back of the book it includes the sheet music for reference.

Rare book. Seller had it. Sold at fair price. Book in excellent shape and arrived earlier than expected.

I've seen this piece performed and just reading the script made it seem so full of possibilities. Good play, good story. A smart choice for a school production that features a large cast.

...that I did a few years ago. Difficult to cast, but with the right cast, it's wonderful. Pretty dark - okay, VERY dark. The public rape scene is quite disturbing...

Many typographical errors. Story met expectations, came here by way of John Rechy memoir. Nice to picture young John as the lead. I recommend his book, About My Life and the Kept Woman.

Based on an obscure version of an ols folk song, this is play depicting ignorance an mob mentality. Why any self respecting theater group would want to mount this is beyond me.

Very happy with purchase. Clean copy with a few neat highlights inside. Excellent value for money.

I knew Howard, and he brings you into a dark exciting world of the supernatural in a very believable way. A play that should be seenagain and again. Colleges, open your students eyes to this wonderful work.

Very unusual story. Would be good for a post 18 environment. Lots of interesting parts for a large ensemble