| W;t | |
|---|---|
 1999Faber and Faber edition | |
| Written by | Margaret Edson |
| Characters | Vivian Bearing Harvey Kelekian Jason Posner Susie Monahan E.M. Ashford Mr Bearing Laboratory technicians Dr Bearing's Students |
| Date premiered | 1995 |
| Place premiered | South Coast Repertory Costa Mesa, California |
| Original language | English |
W;t (also written asWit) is aone-actplay written by American playwrightMargaret Edson, which won the 1999Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Edson used her work experience in a hospital as part of the inspiration for her play.[1][2]
W;t received its world premiere atSouth Coast Repertory (SCR),Costa Mesa, California, in 1995.[3] Edson had sent the play to many theatres, with SCR dramaturg Jerry Patch seeing its potential. He gave it to artistic director Martin Benson, who worked with Edson to ready the play for production. It was given a reading at NewSCRipts, and a full production was then scheduled for January 1995.[4]
Long Wharf Theater inNew Haven, Connecticut subsequently staged the play in November 1997, withKathleen Chalfant in the lead role of Vivian Bearing.[5][6] The play received its first New York City productionOff-Broadway in September 1998, at theMCC Theater (MCC), with Chalfant reprising her role as Vivian Bearing and direction by Derek Anson Jones. The play closed on October 4, 1998.[1][7] An excerpt from the play was published in theNew York Times in September 1998.[8] Chalfant received strong praise for her performance. She also incorporated her own life experience into her work on the play, including the final illness and death of her brother Alan Palmer from cancer.[9]
The play moved to the Off-Broadway Union Square Theater in December 1998, after its successful initial run at the MCC.[10] The lighting design for this production was by Michael Chybowski, the set design by Myung Hee Cho, the costume design by Ilona Somogyi, and the sound design and original music was byDavid Van Tieghem. The production closed on April 9, 2000 after 545 performances.,[11]
TheManhattan Theatre Club presented theBroadway premiere at theSamuel J. Friedman Theatre in a three-month run, starting in January 2012 and closing on March 17, 2012.[12] The production starredCynthia Nixon and was directed byLynne Meadow. The set design was bySanto Loquasto, costume design was byJennifer von Mayrhauser, lighting design was byPeter Kaczorowski.[13][14]
On the cover of the published book of the play, the use of a semicolon in place of the letter i givesW;t as one representation of the play's title. In the context of the play, the semicolon refers to the recurring theme of the use of a semicolon versus a comma in one of John Donne'sHoly Sonnets. BothWit andW;t have been used in various articles on the play for the title.
Elizabeth Klaver has discussed in detail the philosophical issues of "mind vs body" in the context ofWit.[15]
In the fall of 2018, Southwest Baptist University sold pins featuring the quote "Keep pushing the fluids" alongside their production ofW;t in order to raise money for ovarian cancer research.
The character E. M. Ashford is based on English literary criticHelen Gardner.[16]
The action of the play takes place during the final hours of Dr. Vivian Bearing, auniversityprofessor ofEnglish, dying ofovarian cancer. She recalls the initial diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic ovarian cancer from heroncologist, Dr. Harvey Kelekian. Dr. Kelekian then proposes an experimentalchemotherapeutic treatment regimen consisting of eight rounds at full dosage. Vivian agrees to the treatment.
Over the course of the play, Vivian reflects on her life through the intricacies of theEnglish language, especially the use ofwit in themetaphysical poetry ofJohn Donne. Throughout the play, she recites Donne'sHoly Sonnet X, "Death Be Not Proud," while reflecting upon her condition. (In the revised edition of John Donne's Holy Sonnets, "If Poysonous Mineralls" and "Death Be Not Proud" are sonnets IX and X, respectively.) As a professor, she has a reputation for rigorous teaching methods. She has lived her life alone, is unmarried and without children, her parents are deceased, and she has no emergency contact.
Vivian recalls undergoing tests by various medical technicians and being the subject ofgrand rounds. She remembers sharing a love of language and books with her father. She flashes back to her experiences as a student of Dr. E. M. Ashford, an expert onJohn Donne. Bearing later finds herself under the care of Dr. Jason Posner, an oncology research fellow who has taken her class on John Donne. At the hospital, she recognizes that doctors are interested in her for her research value and, like her, tend to ignore humanity in favor of knowledge. Gradually, she realizes that she would prefer kindness to intellectualism.
Vivian reaches the end stage in extreme pain as Susie Monahan, a nurse at the medical centre, offers Vivian compassion and discusses with her the option of exercising her final option, "do not resuscitate" (DNR), in case of a severe decline in her condition. Vivian decides to mark the DNR option. Dr. Ashford, in town for her great-grandson's birthday, visits the hospital after learning of Vivian's cancer. She comforts her and offers to read a Donne sonnet, but Vivian, scarcely conscious, declines. Instead, Ashford reads fromMargaret Wise Brown'sThe Runaway Bunny, which she had bought for her great-grandson. Dr. Ashford kisses a sleeping Vivian, quotesHamlet, and leaves.
While on a routine visit, Jason notices Vivian has stopped breathing and has no pulse. He immediately calls in a"code blue" and begins CPR, despite the DNR order. Susie enters on hearing the code blue announcement, attempts to stop Jason's efforts, and calls to cancel the code. The resuscitation team arrives with acrash cart and attempts to revive Vivian while Susie tries to intervene, repeating that Vivian is DNR. Jason eventually admits his mistake, and upon examining the chart, the team quickly stops. The play ends as Vivian, unclothed after her death, walks from her hospital bed "toward a little light".
| Role | Off-Broadway Premiere Cast, September 17, 1998 New York City, MCC Theater, Chelsea |
|---|---|
| Vivian Bearing, PhD | Kathleen Chalfant |
| Harvey Kelekian, MD | Walter Charles |
| Dr. Jason Posner | Alec Phoenix |
| Susie Monahan | Paula Pizzi |
| E. M. Ashford | Helen Stenborg |
| Laboratory technicians and students | Brian J. Carter, Daniel Sarnelli, Alli Steinberg, Lisa Tharps |
| Mr. Bearing | Walter Charles |
Wit won the 1999Pulitzer Prize for Drama.[17] The play also received the "Best New Play" award for 1999 from theNew York Drama Critics' Circle.[18] Because the play did not receive a production at a Broadway theatre,Wit was not eligible for theTony Awards at that time.[19] Chalfant received anObie award from theVillage Voice for her performance.
The 2012 Broadway production was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play, and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play (Cynthia Nixon).[20]
In 2001, the play was adapted into anEmmy Award-winningcable television film, directed byMike Nichols withEmma Thompson as Vivian Bearing.
Media related toWit (play) at Wikimedia Commons
