| The Gin Game | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Donald L. Coburn |
| Characters | Weller Martin Fonsia Dorsey |
| Date premiered | September 24, 1976 |
| Place premiered | American Theater Arts Hollywood, California |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Tragicomedy |
| Official site | |
The Gin Game is a two-person, two-act play byDonald L. Coburn that premiered at American Theater Arts in Hollywood in September 1976, directed byKip Niven. It was Coburn's first play, and the theater's first production. The play won the 1978Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey, two elderly residents at a nursing home for senior citizens, strike up an acquaintance. Neither seems to have any other friends, and they start to enjoy each other's company. Weller offers to teach Fonsia how to playgin rummy, and they begin playing a series of games that Fonsia always wins. Weller's inability to win a single hand becomes increasingly frustrating to him, while Fonsia becomes increasingly confident.
While playing their games of gin, they engage in lengthy conversations about their families and their lives in the outside world. Gradually, each conversation becomes a battle, much like the ongoing gin games, as each player tries to expose the other's weaknesses, to belittle the other's life, and to humiliate the other thoroughly.
The play premiered in a production by American Theatre Arts in Los Angeles, California in September 1976, directed byKip Niven and with actors,Carol Locatell and John Terry Bell creating the roles of Fonsia and Weller. The play went on to be presented at theActors Theatre of Louisville festival of new plays, theLong Wharf Theatre (New Haven) in July 1977, and theWilbur Theatre, Boston.[1][2]
The Gin Game opened onBroadway on October 6, 1977 at theJohn Golden Theatre and closed on December 31, 1978 after 517 performances. The play was directed byMike Nichols and starred the married coupleHume Cronyn andJessica Tandy.[3] The play has come to be closely associated with them. Cronyn and Tandy were succeeded in the original Broadway run byE. G. Marshall andMaureen Stapleton.
Cronyn and Tandy revived their roles in London at theLyric Theatre in 1979. It was revived in London in 1999 withJoss Ackland andDorothy Tutin at theSavoy Theatre, directed byFrith Banbury.
Romanian directorLiviu Ciulei directed the Romanian premiere at theBulandra Theatre in 1980.[4]
It was revived onBroadway at theLyceum Theatre from April 20, 1997 to August 31, 1997, for 145 performances.Charles Durning andJulie Harris co-starred, directed byCharles Nelson Reilly. It received severalTony Award nominations, including forBest Revival of a Play.[5] This production had a seven-month tour, starting in Durham, North Carolina in October 1998.[6] The tour played an engement at the Wilshire Theater, Los Angeles, California, in December 1998. TheVariety reviewer wrote: "Some of the actors' movements in the early going could be smoother and less artificial, and the climactic moments of the final scene are more baffling than illuminating, but overall, Charles Nelson Reilly's direction reflects a keen sensitivity to the play's finer, unspoken points. Durning and Harris are delightful as the sparring duo. Their masterful work makes this "Gin Game" a sure bet."[7]
The play was revived on Broadway in a limited run, at theJohn Golden Theatre, on September 23, 2015 in previews, officially on October 14, 2015. It closed on January 10, 2016. It starredJames Earl Jones andCicely Tyson, with direction by Leonard Foglia.[8]
Adaptations for television versions were made in 1981 produced byArcher King with Cronyn and Tandy forShowtime.[9]Dick Van Dyke andMary Tyler Moore appeared in a televised film onPBS in May 2003.[10]
| Characters | LA Production (1976) | Broadway (1977) | Broadway Replacements (1977) | Broadway Revival (1997) | Television Production (2003) | Second Broadway Revival (2015) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weller Martin | John Terry Bell | Hume Cronyn | E.G. Marshall | Charles Durning | Dick Van Dyke | James Earl Jones |
| Fonsia Dorsey | Carol Locatell | Jessica Tandy | Maureen Stapleton | Julie Harris | Mary Tyler Moore | Cicely Tyson |
The Gin Game won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for 1978. The Pulitzer jury, in awarding the prize, said: "The one new play...of sufficient originality, invention and staying power was 'The Gin Game'".[11]
