Alan Bennett's award-winning series of solo pieces is a classic of contemporary drama, universally hailed for its combination of razor-sharp wit and deeply felt humanity. In Bed Among the Lentils, a vicar's wife discovers a semblance of happiness with an Indian shop owner. In A Chip in the Sugar, a man's life begins to unravel when he discovers his aging mother has rekindled an old flame. In A Lady of Letters, a busybody pays a price for interfering...

The noble Titus returns victorious to Rome bringing Tamora, Queen of the Goths as his captive. When one of Tamora's sons is condemned to die, she vows revenge and, aided by the villainous Aaron, she exacts a terrible retribution, inaugurating a grim cycle of rape, murder, and cannibalism.

To finance Bassanio's voyage to Belmont to win the hand of Portia, Antonio borrows money from the Jew Shylock with a pound of his own flesh as collateral. The ships sink and Shylock demands his pound of flesh. Portia disguises herself as a lawyer and wins the case by specifying that Shylock cannot take one drop of Antonio's blood.

In his most cynical work, Shakespeare explores money--its virtues and its vices. Timon, a noble Athenian, is wildly extravagant with his inheritance. But as his money runs out, so do the friends who urged his lavishness. Timon loses his mind, then finds another fortune.

In homage to the heyday of American comedy, this satire takes on 1929's Tin Pan Alley. Its main characters are a gullible lyricist and a composer who claims as his big hit a ditty called "Paprika ... the spice of my life." Look for composer Stephen Sondheim as a wisecracking pianist in his acting debut.

When England's aging King Lear renounces his throne to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, treachery, madness and murder soon follow. After banishing Cordelia, his most loyal daughter, Lear is betrayed and cast out by her elder sisters Regan and Goneril. Meanwhile, evil brews at the Gloucester castle as Edgar falls victim to his brother's deception. As battle lines are drawn and backs are stabbed, Lear rages against a fearsome storm.

This companion to the first three seasons of the award-winning, celebrated TV drama is packed with script selections (including all three pilots), candid behind-the-scenes photography, pitch documents, and interviews with cast and crew.