Many contemporary critics of the drama and theatre, if they consider Sidney Kingsley at all, tend to dismiss him with a brief mention of his work and an acknowledgment that his plays are either dated or insignificant. And indeed, his plays would seem behind the times to a modern audience. However, such a summary dismissal of Kingsley's dramatic contributions is perhaps unwise, for while he is certainly not a playwright of the caliber of Eugene O'Neill or Arthur Miller, he has nonetheless been an important asset to the social conscience of twentieth-century American theatre. Kingsley has devoted his playwriting career to the forceful illumination of serious, difficult social issues in American society.

Every age of the theatre has had its social critics, from Euripides in ancient Greece to socially aware playwrights of the present day. Kingsley belongs in that dramatic tradition. He made his first appearance as a...