Man and Boy (play)
| Man and Boy | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Charles Boyer on Playbill cover for original 1963 Broadway production | |
| Original language | English |
| Written by | Terence Rattigan[1] |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 1963[2] |
| Place | Queen's Theatre, London (4 September 1963)[3] Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York (12 November 1963) |
Man and Boy is a play by Terence Rattigan. It was first performed at The Queen's Theatre, London, and Brooks Atkinson Theatre, New York, in 1963,[4] with Charles Boyer starring as Gregor Antonescu. It had a Broadway revival in 2011 with Frank Langella and Adam Driver.
Synopsis
The play is a study of a ruthless, sociopathic businessman: his inability to love and the impact of this on others (notably, his son and his wife). The central character Gregor Antonescu was based on the lives of Ivar Kreuger, the Swedish Match King,[5] and Samuel Insull the Anglo-American investor.[6]
Cast and characters
| Character | Broadway debut | West End debut | Broadway Revival | London Revival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 2005 | 2011 | 2026 | |
| Gregor Antonescu | Charles Boyer | David Suchet | Frank Langella | Ben Daniels |
| Basil Anthony | Barry Justice | Ben Silverstone | Adam Driver | Laurie Kynaston |
| David Beeston | William Smithers | Will Huggins | Michael Cristofer | Leo Wan |
| Carol Penn | Louise Sorel | Jennifer Lee Jellicorse | Virginia Kull | Phoebe Campbell |
| Sven Johnson | Geoffrey Keen | Colin Stinton | Zack Grenier | Nick Fletcher |
| Mark Herries | Austin Willis | David Yelland | Brian Hutchison | Malcolm Sinclair |
Production history
The play, directed by Michael Benthall, opened at the Theatre Royal, Brighton on 19 August 1963, moving to the Queen's Theatre in London on 4 September[7] and transferring to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway on 12 November.[8] It was poorly received, with a limited London run and only 54 performances on Broadway; but was revived by Maria Aitken in 2005 at the Duchess Theatre, London, with David Suchet as Gregor Antonescu, to great acclaim.[9][10] Maria Aitken again directed the play for Roundabout Theatre Company on Broadway in the fall of 2011 at the American Airlines Theatre starring Tony Award winner Frank Langella as Antonescu and Academy Award nominee Adam Driver as Basil.[11] The Australian premiere of Man and Boy was performed at the Garrick Theatre in Perth, Western Australia, in June 2007.[12]
In 2026, London's Royal National Theatre staged a revival of Man and Boy, directed by Anthony Lau and starring Ben Daniels and Laurie Kynaston.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Frank Langella | Nominated | [13] |
References
- ↑ Geoffrey Wansell (3 May 2012). Terence Rattigan: A Biography. Oberon Books. pp. 368–. ISBN 978-1-84943-267-2.
- ↑ John A. Bertolini (17 November 2016). The Case for Terence Rattigan, Playwright. Springer. pp. 95–. ISBN 978-3-319-40997-9.
- ↑ Geoffrey Wansell (3 May 2012). Terence Rattigan: A Biography. Oberon Books. pp. 459–. ISBN 978-1-84943-267-2.
- ↑ Owen O'Donnell; Sara Steen (20 July 1990). Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television. Gale. ISBN 978-0-8103-2071-0.
- ↑ Lahr, John (17 October 2011). "Vile Bodies". The New Yorker. Vol. LXXXVII, no. 32. Condé Nast Publications. pp. 96–97. ISSN 0028-792X.
- ↑ Rattigan, Terence (1964). Man and Boy. Samuel French, Inc. ISBN 9780573612145.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) - ↑ The Stage, 25 July 1963, p.1.
- ↑ League, The Broadway. "Man and Boy – Broadway Play – Original – IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ↑ "Man and Boy". The Actors Company Theatre. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
- ↑ Aitken, Maria (22 October 2017). "Is this Rattigan's lost masterpiece?". The Telegraph.
- ↑ "The Art of Wreaking Havoc With Other People's Money". The New York Times. 10 October 2011.
- ↑ "Man and Boy". theatre australia. Archived from the original on 2 October 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2011.
- ↑ "Man and Boy (Broadway, 2011)". Playbill. Retrieved 21 April 2024.