Question

Broadway producers bent on swapping two acts of a play by this author employed statisticians to compare the number of “chuckles,” “belly-laughs” and “roll-’em in the aisles” for both orders. Late in his career, Alain Resnais (“ah-LAN ren-AY”) directed three film versions of plays by this author, including one whose 16 endings are bisected by a woman’s decision to smoke a cigarette in its opening scene. In a play by this author of Intimate Exchanges, a woman tries to hang, electrocute, and burn herself (15[1])in the background while the cast repair and clean a (*) kitchen; (10[1])that (10[1])play ends with a game of “musical dancing” at a Christmas Eve party. In a (10[1])trilogy by this playwright based (10[1])in Scarborough, the title character romances his wife and two sisters-in-law in a fancy dining room, (10[1])living room, (10[1])and garden. For 10 points, (10[1])name this English playwright of social farces like Absurd Person Singular (10[2])and The Norman Conquests. ■END■ (10[1]0[2])

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