The Shadow Box
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The Shadow Box is a Tony and Pulitzer-winning play written by actor Michael Cristofer.
The play revolves around a trio of terminally ill patients, each of whom lives in a separate cottage at a hospice. Each is being interviewed about the process of dying. For most of the play, the interviewer is unseen, which means that characters speak directly to the members of the audience, as if they were the interviewer.
The first dying person is Joe, a middle-aged, blue-collar family man. Joe seems well-adjusted, and has accepted that he is dying. However, his wife Maggie is in denial, and has not told their son Steve about his father's condition.
The second dying person is Brian, a bisexual English professor. He's being cared for by his lover, Mark. They receive a visit from Brian's flamboyant, slightly trashy ex-wife Beverly. Beverly's presence lifts Brian's spirits, but rankles Mark.
The final dying person is Felicity, an elderly, cantankerous, somewhat senile woman, who is cared for by her long-suffering daughter Agnes. Felicity is in great pain, but refuses to die, because she remains hopeful that her favorite daughter, Claire, will return to her soon.
[edit] Broadway debut, TV-movie and today
"The Shadow Box" made its Broadway debut on March 31, 1977. The original cast included Simon Oakland as Joe, Laurence Luckinbill as Brian, Mandy Patinkin as Mark, and Geraldine Fitzgerald as Felicity.
Despite its initial success and the Tony award it received as Best Play, "The Shadow Box" is rarely performed today.
However, the play was made into a TV-movie that debuted in December 1980[1]. It won a Golden Globe and was nominated for three Emmys[2].
[edit] References
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