Wise Child is a 1967 play by English playwright Simon Gray.
| Wise Child | |
|---|---|
 Playbill cover for Broadway production | |
| Written by | Simon Gray |
| Date premiered | 10 October 1967 |
| Place premiered | Wyndham's Theatre, London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | The present. The Southern Hotel, Reading, England |
| Official site | |
Plot
editThe play concerns orphaned Jerry Artminster, who blackmails a criminal named Jock Masters by promising he will not reveal his identity if Jock agrees to impersonate the boy's mother in the Reading, Berkshire, (England) hotel where the boy lives. Others involved are Mr. Booker, the gay hotel manager who fancies the boy, and Janice, a black woman who works in the hotel.[1]
Original production
editThe play was first staged on 10 October 1967 at Wyndham's Theatre in London, directed by John Dexter, with Alec Guinness as Jock.[2]
- Original cast
- Mrs. Artminster – Alec Guinness
- Mr. Booker – Gordon Jackson
- Jerry – Simon Ward
- Janice – Cleo Sylvestre
- Critical reception
Harold Hobson wrote in The Sunday Times, "in Mr Gray..the theatre has discovered a writer of quality and consequence."[3]
Broadway
editAfter 12 previews, the Broadway production at the Helen Hayes Theatre opened on 27 January 1972.[4] It closed after four performances following critical thrashings by Clive Barnes and Walter Kerr in The New York Times and Richard Watts Jr. in the New York Post.[5][6]
The New York City production was directed by James Hammerstein and starred Donald Pleasence as Jock.
- Broadway cast
- Jock - Donald Pleasence
- Jerry - Bud Cort
- Mr. Booker - George Rose
- Janice - Lauren Jones
- Critical reception
Clive Barnes wrote in The New York Times, "The play means to shock. It ends up by boring...and this despite a virtuoso performance by Donald Pleasence...Bud Cort, as a fey boy in search of a relationship, is also excellent. His washed-out youth and inarticulate passions were brilliantly expressed in a performance of almost flamboyant spontaneity."[7]
Donald Pleasence was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in Play.[8]
References
edit- ^ "Simon Gray: Playwright, novelist and author of a series of hilarious". The Independent. August 8, 2008.
- ^ Gray, Simon (May 2, 2013). Simon Gray: Plays 1: Butley; Wise Child; Dutch Uncle; Spoiled; Sleeping Dog. Faber & Faber. ISBN 9780571307630 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Wise Child".
- ^ "Wise Child – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB".
- ^ "Obituary: James Hammerstein". The Independent. January 11, 1999.
- ^ Hischak, Thomas S.; Hischak, Thomas; Bordman, Gerald Martin (February 22, 2001). American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1969-2000. OUP USA. ISBN 9780195123470 – via Google Books.
- ^ "WISE CHILD (1972 Broadway Comedy/Drama) Review #1". www.pleasence.com.
- ^ "Wise Child – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB".
External links
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