Whose Life Is It Anyway? (play)

Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Written by Brian Clark
Characters Ken Harrison
Dr. Scott
Dr. Emerson
Mrs. Boyle
Andrew Eden
Dr. Barr
Mr. Justice Millhouse
John
Peter Kershaw
Sister Anderson
Dr. Paul Travers
Kay Sadler
Philip Hill
Date premiered 1978
Place premiered Mermaid Theatre
London, England
Original language English
Subject Accident victim, paralysed from the neck down, fights for the right to die.
Genre Drama
Setting a London hospital

Whose Life Is It Anyway? is a play by Brian Clark adapted from his 1972 television play of the same title, which starred Ian McShane. The stage version was premièred in 1978 at the Mermaid Theatre in London starring Tom Conti as Ken.

Plot

Set in a hospital room, the action revolves around Ken Harrison, a sculptor by profession, who was paralysed from the neck down (quadriplegia) in a car accident and is determined to be allowed to die. Clark presents arguments both in favour of and opposing euthanasia and to what extent government should be allowed to interfere in the life of a private citizen. In portraying Ken as an intelligent man with a useless body, he leaves the audience with conflicting feelings about his desire to end his life.

Productions

Whose Life Is It Anyway? opened at the Mermaid Theatre, London, before playing at the Savoy Theatre from June 1978 to October 1979. This production originally starred Tom Conti and Jane Asher, but Conti transferred to New York to star in the Broadway production.

After nine previews, the drama, produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, opened at the Trafalgar Theatre (subsequently renamed the Nederlander Theatre) in New York City on April 17, 1979 and ran for 223 performances. It marked the Broadway debut of Tom Conti, who was joined by Jean Marsh and Philip Bosco. Conti was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and won the 1979 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Both the play itself and Lindsay-Hogg were nominated as well.

The play, again directed by Lindsay-Hogg, was revived on Broadway at the Royale Theatre, where it opened on February 24, 1980 after nine previews. A gender reversal found Mary Tyler Moore in the lead role, rechristened Claire, and James Naughton as her now-male doctor. Josef Sommer rounded out the principal cast. The play ran for 96 performances. Moore was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Play and won a special 1980 Tony Award for her performance.

Husband and wife Laurence Luckinbill and Lucie Arnaz starred in the national tour of the play. The two rotated playing the patient (Ken/Claire) and doctor.

Adaptations

Whose Life Is It Anyway? was adapted from Clark's own television film of the same title directed by Richard Everitt starring Ian McShane.

A film adapted by Reginald Rose and directed by John Badham was released in 1981, starring Richard Dreyfuss, John Cassavetes, and Christine Lahti.

Author David Benedictus adapted the play into a novel, which was also released in 1981.

Awards and nominations

Awards
Nominations

References

  1. ↑ Guernsey Jr. (Ed.), Otis L. (1979). The Best Plays of 1978-1979. New York & Toronto: Dodd, Mead & Company. pp. 299–314. ISBN 0-396-07723-4.

External links