Picnic (play)
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| Picnic | |
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| Written by | William Inge |
| Characters | Hal Carter Madge Owens Alan Seymour Millie Owens |
| Date of Premiere | February 19, 1953 |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Setting | A small Kansas town. |
Picnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. It won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was adapted for film in 1955.
The play premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway on 19 February 1953 in a production by the Theatre Guild, directed by Joshua Logan and designed by Jo Mielziner. The cast included Ralph Meeker, Eileen Heckart, Arthur O'Connell, Janice Rule, Reta Shaw, Kim Stanley and Paul Newman. The production won the Tony Award for Best Director for Logan and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the season. It ran for 477 performances.
The play was Paul Newman's Broadway debut. An unknown at the time, Newman campaigned heavily for the leading role of Hal, but director Joshua Logan did not think Newman was physically large enough to convey the lead character's athletic attributes. As a result, Ralph Meeker was given the role of Hal opposite Janice Rule as Madge. Newman played Hal's former college roommate Alan Seymour while understudying the role of Hal. Newman eventually took over the lead role.
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[edit] Synopsis
The play begins with Hal arriving in a small Southern town to visit Alan, his old college friend. Hal is hoping to secure a steady job working for Alan's father, but his rough manners and good looks quickly get him into trouble. He becomes attracted to Alan's fiancee Madge, the prettiest girl in town, while he is adored by Millie, Madge's younger sister. He also catches the eye of Rosemary, a teacher who rents a room from their mother. In the end, Madge cannot resist her attraction to Hal. She breaks off her engagement with Alan. Madge and Hal leave town, intending to marry.
[edit] Cast
The original cast for the 1953 Music Box Theatre production (in order of appearance):
- Ruth McDevitt - Helen Potts
- Ralph Meeker - Hal Carter
- Kim Stanley - Millie Owens
- Morris Miller - Bomber
- Janice Rule - Madge Owens
- Peggy Concklin - Flo Owens
- Eileen Heckart - Rosemary Sydney
- Paul Newman - Alan Seymour
- Reta Shaw - Irma Kronkite
- Elizabeth Wilson - Christine Schoenwalder
- Arthur O'Connell - Howard Bevans
[edit] Opera
The University of Kansas' operatic version of the play premiered April 8, 2008. Librettist and stage director Tim Ocel recalled:
- When Forrest Pierce knocked on my door during the fall of 2006 and said he’d like to compose something for KU Opera, I jumped at the chance. The voice/opera division was just beginning to consider what our contribution to the 50th Murphy Hall celebration would be. I thought maybe we should create something; William Inge is the playwright and dramatic storyteller of 1950s Kansas, so why not explore the possibility of turning one of his plays into an opera? We both agreed that Picnic was the play that lent itself best to an operatic treatment. The libretto formed over the next six months, and by June 2007 Forrest was composing. The opera is a domestic comedy of sorts. Inge calls the play "A Summer Romance." It’s about everyday people… you and I… who have to figure out what it means to be alive and connected and useful in this world. It attempts to show the truth and the possibility of our everyday lives.[1]
