The Miracle Worker (play)
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The Miracle Worker is a Tony Award-winning three-act play by William Gibson adapted from his 1957 Playhouse 90 teleplay of the same name. It is based on Helen Keller's autobiography The Story of My Life.
The play is set in Tuscumbia, Alabama, where an illness renders infant Helen blind, deaf, and consequently mute. Pitied and badly spoiled by her parents, she learns no discipline and grows into a wild, raging creature by the age of six. Desperate, the Kellers hire Anne Sullivan to serve as a governess and teacher for their young daughter. After several fierce battles with the little girl, Annie convinces her parents she needs two weeks alone with the child if she is to achieve any progress in her education. In that time, she teaches Helen discipline and language through the use of her fingers, a breakthrough that has a direct effect on everyone's life and the way they live it.
The Broadway production was directed by Arthur Penn. It opened at the Playhouse Theatre on October 19, 1959 and closed on July 1, 1961 after 719 performances.
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[edit] Principal opening night cast
- Anne Bancroft ..... Annie Sullivan
- Patty Duke ..... Helen Keller
- Patricia Neal ..... Kate Keller
- Torin Thatcher ..... Captain Keller
- Michael Constantine ..... Anagnos
- Beah Richards ..... Viney
Patty Duke remained with the play for its entire run. Suzanne Pleshette eventually replaced Anne Bancroft.
[edit] Principal production credits
- Producer ..... Fred Coe
- Scenic Design ..... George Jenkins
- Lighting Design ..... George Jenkins
- Costume Design ..... Ruth Morley
- Stage Manager ..... Porter Van Zandt
[edit] Critical reception
Time called the play "fairly makeshift, at times clumsy, and, when sound-tracking voices from the past, occasionally embarrassing" but praised "the extraordinary performances, the magnificent teamwork of Anne Bancroft and ten-year-old Patty Duke, and the brilliant direction of Arthur Penn." [1]
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Tony Award for Best Play (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (winner)
- Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play (Anne Bancroft, winner)
- Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee)
- Tony Award for Best Stage Technician (John Walters, winner)
- Theatre World Award (Patty Duke, winner)
[edit] Screen adaptation
Gibson, Penn, Bancroft, and Duke reunited for a highly acclaimed 1962 film adaptation. Gibson and Penn were nominated for Academy Awards and both actresses won Oscars for their performances.
[edit] Off-Broadway revival
In 1987, the Roundabout Theatre Company staged a revival directed by Vivian Matalon and starring Karen Allen as Annie Sullivan and Eevin Hartsough as Helen Keller. In his review in The New York Times, Mel Gussow called the play "an awkward, overly episodic retelling of the Helen Keller story" but felt "the shortcomings of the play and the production are offset by the radiant dual performances . . . there is a cathartic outpouring of empathy as one watches two truthful actresses connect." [2]
[edit] References
[edit] External link
The Miracle Worker at the Internet Broadway Database
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