Have you ever...

Every time I walk into a bookstore I naturally head over to the drama section. Sadly most mainstream book sellers don't carry a large selection of theatre. There will always be Death of a Salesman, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, a few Edward Albee plays, and of course a whole section of William Shakespeare plays. They have the biggies, but you're usually not going to find a new play by Caryl Churchill there - at least not right away.

But have you ever noticed that a play that is almost always on these shelves is T.S. Elloit's Murder in the Cathedral.

Now I'm going to confess to a bunch of things here. 1) I too own a copy - it's a hand-me-down from my father. 2) I've never read it. 3) I've never studied it. 4) I've never seen it in performance. 4) I've never heard of it being studied or performed. 5) I've never even heard of anyone even talk about it.

So why is this a common book on the shelves of bookstores around America.

I guess the easiest answers are it's by an important author (which it explains why they have it) and no one ever reads it (which explains why it's always on the shelf.) But it could be a very important piece of literature or theatre.

So I'm asking for your help. If you are familiar with this play; if you have seen a moving production or studied it on one of your favorite classes, please share with us about this play and why I shouldn't wait any longer but head straight for my office and begin reading the play right now.