(Applause Books). The Applause Best Plays Yearbook was started by Burns Mantle in 1919 and has appeared every year since then, becoming the standard reference book for American Theater. This volume features synposes and excerpts for the ten best plays of the 1988-1989 season, including: Aristocrats * The Cocktail Hour * Eastern Standard * Emerald City * Gus and Al * The Heidi Chronicles * Lend Me a Tenor * Other People's Money * Road * Shirley Valentine. This value-packed volume also includes Al Hirschfeld's complete gallery of the theater season as well as essays and statistics about the season around the United States, the Off-Off-Broadway season, the various awards, and more. Also includes lots of photos from the productions.