The final plays I read for pleasure this year were all by a long-forgotten author named Tom Taggart with whom I have been unfortunately obsessed. In early November I took a trip to the Frost Library at Amherst where many of his plays are archived and spent two days reading as much as I could. These plays are generally unable to be purchased, and have unclear rights holders even if one wanted to perform them, so all of the plays I read are briefly summarized and critiqued below.

Before I do that I want to say that prior to trip I thought of Tom as an interesting, if mediocre, writer who was an interesting example of a mildly creative person trapped in an art-as-commodity system. After reading his plays I walked away with a deeper appreciation of his skill, and even if I would still not stand to say that he has been unjustly forgotten, I think he is worth more attention than he is given, and the work of his that remains in circulation is some of his worst, which is disappointing for his memory, and frankly, for the state of theatre as a whole.

All on Account of Luella- Probably a novel plot at the time, but one that has since been copied by many sitcoms, the local football team is doing poorly, and Luella’s younger brother thinks it is because she is dating the coach and distracting him, so he conspires to break them up. Middle of the road for Tom, it’s an ok show, certainly far from his worst.

Grandma Fought the Indians- A small western town is featured in a movie, and the stars of the film come to town while the citizens try to curry favor. Apart from a pervasive (if understated) dehumanization of Native Americans this was a winning play, and could be a classic of community theater.

Home For Christmas- in a Maine town that’s high on pride and low on money, a young woman tricks her aunt in letting boarders rent empty rooms over Christmas by saying they’re friends from college. Simultaneously she balances the return of her sister, who has taken money and become a film star with a stuck-up nose. This also is a charming comedy that I think deserves more recognition.

Importance of Being Young- Another film star! You can tell which side Tom thinks the bread is buttered on. A former child-start is enrolled at a local college and starts to create trouble with his stuck-up attitude. One of the best things about Taggart, especially his early work, is his rendering of college-age characters who are always lively and fun- think like the cast of Archie. This show is no different, portraying a wide range of personalities, as well as economic conditions, and while it’s a little hokey (as Tom’s work tends to be) it’s also worth revisiting.

Laughing Gas- Honestly I can’t remember a thing about this play. I bet it has something to do with fancy coastal people coming to a midwestern town though!

Mad March Heirs- No fooling, I think I could rewrite this and it could become a TV show- basically a cross between the family from Knives Out and Parks and Rec- a colorful rich family is a bunch of layabouts and the patriarch decides to leave his entire estate to a 23-year old secretary who then gets to decide how the money is spent. A delightful premise peppered with memorable characters that does not get the time to explore itself fully and pulls back its punches at the last moment to the detriment of the work. I’m certain I’m stealing this at some point.

Mr. Justice Jimmy- A teen with a famous lawyer father wants to do well at mock trial, and gets embroiled with proving the innocence of a man his father is prosecuting, while it seems Jimmy’s sister is dating the real criminal. A perfectly reasonable play to pass the time with.

Rarin’ to Grow- a traveling theatre troupe’s car breaks down in Ohio, and while the local diner hosts them while their car is being fixed, the three teen children dream of better lives. A really funny show, that fits within Tom’s mockery of fancy city-folk (which I assume helped his mostly rural audience) and has an ending that doesn’t sit right with our current mores (after being mistreated by his girlfriend a young man states he’s going to wait for her much nicer younger sister to come of age.)

Romance Comes to Willie Parker- Taggart has an odd relationship with ambition- many of his heroes are misunderstood young men who are inventors, but dreaming of life outside of your small town is often frowned upon. This play features a farm in a community which has yet to be electrified. The imperious farmer father gets conned into thinking his farm will be the first in the community, which will lead to great embarrassment until two young men (Willie Parker, and the husband of his eldest daughter) save him with their invention. This is one of the few plays of Taggart’s that I’d say is unreservedly good: it’s funny, it’s original, it’s moving, and it stands up to the expectations, and morals, of today.

Rufus Comes to Town- As surprised as I was to realize it, this was my favorite play of 2023, one that I desperately want to get a copy of, and a play that I do think deserves wider recognition. Like many of Taggart’s works, it’s a farce, and one that likely started with Tom thinking “hey, where I live [Greenwich Village] is a pretty wacky place.” Two young women need a roommate, and on the day she moves in she’s accidentally buffeted by Russian communists, egotistical opera singers, corny hicks, slick conmen, and others. It’s a wild ride with nothing to say (which it pokes fun at,) but all it does is want to make you laugh, and it certainly succeeded for me.

Margery is Eighteen- This might be a Tom Taggart play. It was written under the name of one of his pseudonyms (Charles D Whitman) but does not appear to have been formally claimed by Taggart later in life. The plot itself is unremarkable, and is a coming of age story about a flighty woman whose reach exceeds her grasp.