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An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein
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72 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
5 people are currently reading
811 people want to read
About the author
Shel Silverstein
155 books10.6k followersShel Silverstein was the author-artist of many beloved books of prose and poetry. He was a cartoonist, playwright, poet, performer, recording artist, and Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated songwriter.
Shel Silverstein will perhaps always be best loved for his extraordinary books. Shel’s books are now published in more than 47 different languages. The last book that was published before his death in 1999 was Falling Up
Shel Silverstein will perhaps always be best loved for his extraordinary books. Shel’s books are now published in more than 47 different languages. The last book that was published before his death in 1999 was Falling Up
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 26, 2009
A Forgotten Classic
I am forever grateful to my university's drama society for putting on An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein, and opening my eyes to the wonder of Uncle Shelby's adult stuff.
Quick word of warning: this is a lot closer to Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball than The Giving Tree.
It's a series of dramatic shorts, each one riffing around two or three characters interacting in a dark, twisted, well observed, and often hilarious situation. Yes, it's a script, and I don't normally read scripts in my spare time, but this is what writing should be, and you'd be a fool to pass it up.
As is often the way with a collection - the quality does vary a little from skit to skit - but when Shel Silverstein is not at his best it's only 'not superlative', and when he's good: it's so good you'll be stopping friends, family and passers-by to read it out to them - because you want to see that look on someone else's face as these beauties hit them for the first time.
This book has no production values whatsoever, no Amazon reviews and very little in the way of Google-hits, but I beg you - for your sake and for the greater good of humanity: give this book a go and spread the word.
I am forever grateful to my university's drama society for putting on An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein, and opening my eyes to the wonder of Uncle Shelby's adult stuff.
Quick word of warning: this is a lot closer to Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball than The Giving Tree.
It's a series of dramatic shorts, each one riffing around two or three characters interacting in a dark, twisted, well observed, and often hilarious situation. Yes, it's a script, and I don't normally read scripts in my spare time, but this is what writing should be, and you'd be a fool to pass it up.
As is often the way with a collection - the quality does vary a little from skit to skit - but when Shel Silverstein is not at his best it's only 'not superlative', and when he's good: it's so good you'll be stopping friends, family and passers-by to read it out to them - because you want to see that look on someone else's face as these beauties hit them for the first time.
This book has no production values whatsoever, no Amazon reviews and very little in the way of Google-hits, but I beg you - for your sake and for the greater good of humanity: give this book a go and spread the word.
September 20, 2009
I defer to Hannah's excellent review at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/.... Give her a vote.
I very rarely read plays or scripts but Hannah's recommendation (and Silverstein's reputation for quirkiness) was enough for me to order a copy. It's a delight. As Hannah notes, it's a little uneven, hence 4 rather than 5 stars. I would love to see a production of this.
I very rarely read plays or scripts but Hannah's recommendation (and Silverstein's reputation for quirkiness) was enough for me to order a copy. It's a delight. As Hannah notes, it's a little uneven, hence 4 rather than 5 stars. I would love to see a production of this.
October 3, 2010
I'm not quite sure what I was expecting...Shel Silverstein stuff was always my favorite when I was a kid. I guess I didn't expect these plays to be quite so...adult. I mean, this REALLY is not for kids. Not that that's a bad thing.
The Evening consists of a bunch of short sketches. Dirty, silly, funny. Could be quite hysterical if staged, I'm sure, but not entirely my cup of tea.
The Evening consists of a bunch of short sketches. Dirty, silly, funny. Could be quite hysterical if staged, I'm sure, but not entirely my cup of tea.
January 4, 2011
Funny short stories! A very wicked and dark sense of humor comes across here. Also, it's a great insight into another side of Shel Silvestein since I've only ever known him through children's poetry and stories. I'm now tempted to read up more on his life and personality.
May 9, 2007
Would love to put on a couple of these plays inside of an improv show. Perhaps the dead pony one, as well as the talking dog.
March 14, 2010
Silverstein's play on words is as wonderful as ever. Despite the shortness of each play, there are twists and turns aplenty!
May 8, 2014
I never laughed and giggled quite so hard.
July 3, 2018
Ugh... Crass, disgusting, no entertainment value whatsoever. I was expecting something adult, but this is way too perverse.
June 29, 2020
While Shel's beloved wordplay and lyrical style are present in these short plays, they verge a little too much on bizarre and experimental to be entirely satisfying. Still, strong acting performances can bring out the humor and absurdity.
Want to read
May 6, 2025Cutting is for Wash and Dry
By Shel Silverstein
Another cutting is for One Tennis Shoe
By Shel Silverstein
Yet another cutting is for The Best Daddy
By Shel Silverstein
By Shel Silverstein
Another cutting is for One Tennis Shoe
By Shel Silverstein
Yet another cutting is for The Best Daddy
By Shel Silverstein
March 12, 2017
It's weird, and I'm not sure I like it. But it's also rare, and it's now part of my Silverstein collection.
October 20, 2025
309:2025
probably not what you'd expect at first, but exactly what you'd expect after you think about it for a minute
probably not what you'd expect at first, but exactly what you'd expect after you think about it for a minute
January 15, 2012
Take an absurd situation, add tension and anger, plot twists and turns leading the reader by the seat of their pants and then resolve it how you like. The concept runs the show. The tangible realities that make up the story are off color, lewd, from the dark side. One story has only the words meat and potatoes and is a four act play in which a woman is assaulted, murders her attacker, is judged in court, and electrocuted. The meaning is in the gestures of the actors (written in parentheses) rather than the musical and absurdist repetition of the phrase "Meat and Potatoes." Another short has an auctioning of a woman for lifetime use. At a "Bust Stop" a man and woman taunt each other with an exchange of sexual epithets about their body parts. A father gives his daughter a dead pony, or dead sister, he tries to convince her, but in the end reveals that actually the gift is a new motorbike to his 13 year old daughter. There is a "Whose on First" dance to each story, and the setting is always of the underworld, the meaning is somewhere just to the side of the plot, the dialogue, and the rhythm.
In recent book of children's poetry, "Every Thing on It," each cheerful rhyme takes place within a system of backhanded motivations, in which a dentist encourages trick or treating and overzealous candy eating (my rhyme), one sings happy birthday to oneself because no one attends the party, Santa's helper ruins all the toys and gets fired, a strange hat removed reveals an equally strange head. Each bad circumstance is reassured as the true state of things, not the Aesop fable moral that makes one strive to improve, but the lessons of life that it really is this bad, and that if you tell the story in rhymes, it seems humorous, though not quite funny.
In both"An Adult evening of Shel Silverstein" plays for adults and the poems for children, the worst we feared is true. The cruel moments in life might as well be lessons. Short men can play basketball, with hoops only four feet tall. When we say we could eat a horse, it says it could eat a child. When a woman starts acting like a baglady, it turns out she really is a baglady. The worst is true, and Shel Silverstein wants to talk about it.
In recent book of children's poetry, "Every Thing on It," each cheerful rhyme takes place within a system of backhanded motivations, in which a dentist encourages trick or treating and overzealous candy eating (my rhyme), one sings happy birthday to oneself because no one attends the party, Santa's helper ruins all the toys and gets fired, a strange hat removed reveals an equally strange head. Each bad circumstance is reassured as the true state of things, not the Aesop fable moral that makes one strive to improve, but the lessons of life that it really is this bad, and that if you tell the story in rhymes, it seems humorous, though not quite funny.
In both"An Adult evening of Shel Silverstein" plays for adults and the poems for children, the worst we feared is true. The cruel moments in life might as well be lessons. Short men can play basketball, with hoops only four feet tall. When we say we could eat a horse, it says it could eat a child. When a woman starts acting like a baglady, it turns out she really is a baglady. The worst is true, and Shel Silverstein wants to talk about it.
May 11, 2021
7.5/10
I can't believe the guy who wrote The Missing Piece wrote this (but in a good way)
I can't believe the guy who wrote The Missing Piece wrote this (but in a good way)
March 8, 2007
Funny, but very adult.
June 21, 2012
This is a series of short skits for a theater production. All are entertaining and mature in content...as far as maturity goes with Shel Silverstein.
December 16, 2014
An actual LOL read. His story telling is clever deceiving and incredibly fun.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews