Two plays by Linney, one about Frederick the Great of Prussia and the other about snake-handling Pentecostal churches. The first is interesting, but I don't know enough about Frederick to evaluate the accuracy. The time warping actually works, as more than just a gimmick, to juxtapose different events in his life. The play is somewhat psychoanalytical, but does not do that overtly. It's just that in a post-Freud world, everyone is going to notice the tying of events in his childhood to his adult behavior. The second play, Holy Ghosts, is more difficult, though much more in a classical, linear mode. It is difficult because the subject can be disturbing. Linney doesn't try to make judgements on the people in the church, and treats them kindly, and pulls off the difficult task of generating sympathy for the assortment of misfits with which he peoples his church. I was worried about reading this, because seeing it performed a few years ago, it haunted me for more than 2 years. Reading it did not have the same impact, so I think I can rest more easily. ( )