| Misery (Moore adaptation) | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the 1992 play | |
| Book | Simon Moore |
| Basis | Misery byStephen King |
| Premiere | December 17, 1992:Criterion Theatre, London[1] |
| Productions |
|
| Misery (Rooijen adaptation) | |
|---|---|
| Music | Florus Van Rooijen |
| Book | Florus Van Rooijen |
| Basis | Misery byStephen King |
| Premiere | August 7, 2014:Theatre van 't Woord |
| Productions |
|
Stephen King's 1987 novelMisery has been adapted as aplay several times, notably bySimon Moore andWilliam Goldman, who also wrote the1990 film.
| Production | Writer/Translator | Annie Wilkes | Paul Sheldon | Sheriff Buster |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criterion Theatre (1992–93) | Simon Moore | Sharon Gless | Bill Paterson | N/a |
| Tampere Theatre (1994) | Simon Moore/Timo Ojala | Tuija Vuolle [fi] | Vesa Veijalainen [fi] | N/a |
| GableStage (2005) | Simon Moore | Lisa Morgan | Stephen G. Anthony | N/a |
| King's Head Theatre (2005) | Simon Moore | Susan Penhaligon | Michael Praed | N/a |
| Bucks County Playhouse (2012) | William Goldman | Johanna Day | Daniel Gerroll | James DeMarse |
| Theatre van 't Woord (2014) | Florus Van Rooijen | Marjolein Algera [nl] | Sander de Heer [nl] | N/a |
| Broadhurst Theatre (2015–16) | William Goldman | Laurie Metcalf | Bruce Willis | Leon Addison Brown |
| Kwadrat Theatre (2017) | William Goldman/Jacek Kaduczak | Ewa Wencel | Piotr Polk | Marcin Pietowski |
| Kuopio City Theatre [fi] (2019) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Henna Haverinen [fi] | Seppo Pääkkönen | Ari-Kyösti Seppo [fi] |
| Tampere Theatre (2019) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Mari Turunen | Esa Latva-Äijö [fi] | Jukka Leisti [fi] |
| Pori Theatre (2022) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Mirva Tolppanen | Vesa Haltsonen [fi] | Hannu Müller [fi] |
| Seinäjoki City Theatre (2025) | William Goldman/Timo Mikkola | Satu Silvo | Reidar Palmgren [fi] | Jukka Puronlahti |
In 1992,Simon Moore wrote and directed a play based on Stephen King's novelMisery. The play premiered in London'sCriterion Theatre on December 17, 1992, running for six months. The production starredSharon Gless asAnnie Wilkes andBill Paterson as Paul Sheldon.[1]
An August 2005 production at the GableStage inCoral Gables, Florida, was directed byJoseph Adler and starred Lisa Morgan and Stephen G. Anthony.[2] In September of the same year, Alan Cohen directed a production atKing's Head Theatre, starringSusan Penhaligon andMichael Praed.[3][4]
Timo Ojala directed Finnish version based on Moore's play calledPiina in 1994. It was premiered atTampere Theatre inTampere and it was starring byVesa Veijalainen [fi] as Sheldon andTuija Vuolle [fi] as Wilkes.[5]
Composer Florus Van Rooijen wrote and directed a musical adaptation of the novel, which premiered in Amsterdam on August 7, 2014. It starredSander de Heer [nl],Marjolein Algera [nl],Tara Hetharia [nl] (as Misery Chastain), andBuddy Vedder (as Ian Carmichael and Tony Bonasaro).[6]
| Misery (Goldman adaptation) | |
|---|---|
| Book | William Goldman |
| Basis | Misery byStephen King |
| Premiere | November 24, 2012:Bucks County Playhouse, Pennsylvania |
| Productions |
|
| Awards | 2016Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play – Nominated |
William Goldman's adaptation, created in association withCastle Rock Entertainment,[7] premiered at theBucks County Playhouse on November 24, 2012. It ran for 11 performances and closed on December 8, 2012.[8] It was directed by Will Frears[9][10] and starredDaniel Gerroll as Sheldon,Johanna Day as Wilkes, and James DeMarse as Sheriff Buster.[11]
A new version of Goldman's play officially opened at theBroadhurst Theatre on October 22, 2015 and closed on February 16, 2016.[12] This version starredBruce Willis as Sheldon,Laurie Metcalf as Wilkes, and Leon Addison Brown as Buster.[13] The show ran for 102 performances, grossing $12,518,415 in ticket sales.[14][15][16]
Metcalf was nominated for theBest Actress in a Play at the70th Tony Awards for her performance as Wilkes.[17][18] Willis's performance as Sheldon was generally panned by critics, who called it "vacant" and "inert".[19][20][21] One critic faulted Willis for using an ear piece when performing during previews.[22]
Goldman's play was translated into Polish by Jacek Kaduczak and premiered at theKwadrat Theatre inWarsaw on January 9, 2017. The production was directed byRobert Gliński and starred Ewa Wencel as Wilkes,Piotr Polk as Sheldon, and Marcin Pietowski as Buster.[23]
Timo Mikkola translated Goldman's play into Finnish for a September 2019 production.Piina premiered at Kuopio City Theatre inKuopio, directed by Olli Matti Oinonen and starringSeppo Pääkkönen as Sheldon,Henna Haverinen [fi] as Wilkes, and Ari-Kyösti Seppo as Buster.[24][25][26] Since then, Mikkola's translation has been performed in October 2019 by Tampere Theatre[27][28] (directed by Antti Mikkola and starringMari Turunen,Esa Latva-Äijö [fi], and Jukka Leisti),[29]Pori Theatre inPori in November 2022[30] (directed byTuomo Aitta [fi] and starringVesa Haltsonen [fi], Mirva Tolppanen, and Hannu Müller),[31] and in February 2025 bySeinäjoki City Theatre inSeinäjoki (directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen, who had previously directed the play at the Kuopio Theatre, and starringSatu Silvo andReidar Palmgren [fi]).[32][33]
