Two plays by Chicago playwright Mickle Maher. "An Apology..." is a brilliant retelling of the Faust legend. Dr. John Faustus apologizes to the audience for leaving the writing of his life to "long-winded hacks" and explains how Mephistopheles prevented him from recording his own story for posterity. In "The Hunchback Variations" Maher brings together composer Ludwig van Beethoven and Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, for a panel discussion on the pitfalls of artistic collaboration. Their attempts to create an enigmatic sound called for by a stage direction in Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are thwarted by their deafness, unpleasant working conditions, and the fact that Beethoven has not yet finished reading the "The Cherry Orchard." Two funny, intelligent and highly original two-character plays.