Next (play)

Next is a one-act play by Terrence McNally. The play opened Off-Broadway in 1969.

Plot

At the comedy's center are Marion Cheever, a middle-aged, overweight, debt-ridden, divorced father of two who mistakenly has been called by the draft, and Sergeant Thech, a no-nonsense female examining officer. A battle-of-wits is waged between the "sad sack" determined to avoid military service and the career officer just as determined to sign him up.[1]

Production history

The original version of Next premiered at the White Barn Theatre, Westport, Connecticut on July 16, 1967. The play was then produced on television Channel 13 in New York City in March 1968. The role of Marion Cheever was played by James Coco.[2]

Paired with Elaine May's Adaptation,[3] Next opened Off-Broadway at the Greenwich Mews Theatre on February 10, 1969, where it ran for 707 performances. James Coco and Elaine Shore were directed by May.[4] Elaine May won the 1969 Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Director.[5]

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ " 'Next' " doollee.com, accessed April 26, 2014
  2. ↑ McNally, Terrence. " 'Next' Original Version'" Apple Pie: Three One Act Plays, Dramatists Play Service, Inc., 1969, ISBN 0822200619, p. 16
  3. ↑ The New Boston Theatre Season, The Harvard Crimson, September 22, 1969
  4. ↑ Guernsey, Otis L. "1968-1968" Curtain Times: The New York Theatre, 1965-1987, Hal Leonard Corporation, 1987, ISBN 0936839244, p. 137
  5. ↑ "Awards, 1969" Outer Critics Circle (awardsandwinners.com), accessed April 26, 2014

External links