# The Happiest Song Plays Last - Hardcover

by **Quiara Alegría Hudes** (Author)

"As ever, Hudes's writing is poetic but wry, full of swagger and poetry. There's live music, but oh, how the lines sing too." -- David Cote, _Time Out New York_

"Ms. Hudes draws all her characters with precision and understanding... this warm-blooded play underscores how the disorienting flux of life can be navigated with the help of carefully tended family ties." -- Charles Isherwood, _New York Times_

"Delightful... Hudes is a very accomplished storyteller, a playwright with an emergent, fulsome American narrative." -- Chris Jones, _Chicago Tribune_

"Hudes has a keen ear for dialogue and a gift for characterization." -Scotty Zacher, _Chicago Theater Beat_

At the dawn of the Arab Spring in an ancient Jordinian town, an Iraq War veteran struggles to overcome the traumas of combat by taking on an entirely new and unexpected career: an action-film hero. At the same time, halfway around the world in a cozy North Philadelphia kitchen, his cousin takes on a heroic new role of her own: as the heart and soul of her crumbling community, providing hot meals and an open door for the needy.

The final installment in Hudes's three-play cycle, which began with the Pulitzer Prize-finalist _Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue_ and Pulitzer Prize-winner _Water By the Spoonful_, _The Happiest Song Plays Last_ is about the search for redemption, humility and one's place in the world.

**Quiara Alegría Hudes** is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning _Water by the Spoonful_, the Tony Award-winning musical _In the Heights_ and the Pulitzer Prize finalist _Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue_. Her other works include _Barrio Grrrl!_, a children's musical; _26 Miles_; _Yemaya's Belly_ and _The Happiest Song Plays Last_, the third piece in her acclaimed trilogy. Hudes is on the board of Philadelphia Young Playwrights, which produced her first play in the tenth grade. She now lives in New York with her husband and children.  

### Author Biography

**Quiara Alegría Hudes** is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning _Water by the Spoonful_, the Tony Award-winning musical _In the Heights_ and the Pulitzer Prize finalist _Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue_. Her other works include _Barrio Grrrl!_, a children's musical; _26 Miles_; _Yemaya's Belly_ and _The Happiest Song Plays Last_, the third piece in her acclaimed trilogy. Hudes is on the board of Philadelphia Young Playwrights, which produced her first play in the tenth grade. She now lives in New York with her husband and children.

**Number of Pages:** 112

**Dimensions:** 0.6 x 8.8 x 5.4 IN

**Publication Date:** December 16, 2014

## Details

- **Price:** 28.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 28.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Happiest Song Plays Last - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/the-happiest-song-plays-last-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23