One of two other Beane plays that have gained the attention of critics is his The Country Club (2000), a comedy about a group of party-goers in a small country town and their small-town prejudices and undying promises to cling to the status quo for as long as they possibly can. The other play is Beane's Music from a Sparkling Planet (2002), also a comedy. This one focuses on three men and their search for hope, which they seem to have lost as they edge toward their thirties.

David Lindsay-Abaire's name is often linked to Beane's in that they both are contemporary playwrights who like comedy. Lindsay-Abaire has won many awards for his work, which includes A Devil Inside (2000), a comedy of revenge, and Fuddy Meers (1999), a funny but harrowing tale of an amnesia victim.

Kenneth Lonergan is an award-winning playwright with...