''Time Stands Still'' is a play written by Donald Margulies and directed by Daniel J. Sullivan. It was nominated for two

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...

for Best Play and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for

Laura Linney Laura Leggett Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an American actress. She is the recipient of several awards, including two Golden Globe Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards, and has been nominated for three Academy Awards and five Tony Awards. ...

Synopsis

''Time Stands Still'' is set in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

and revolves around Sarah, a photo journalist who has returned from covering the

Iraq war The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

after being injured by a roadside bomb, and her

reporter A journalist is a person who gathers information in the form of text, audio or pictures, processes it into a newsworthy form and disseminates it to the public. This is called journalism. Roles Journalists can work in broadcast, print, advertis ...

boyfriend James who is swamped by guilt after leaving Sarah alone in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. They receive a visit from their friend Richard, a photo editor, who introduces them to his new girlfriend Mandy, who is much younger than he. The play focuses on their relationships and Sarah and James' prospects at a more conventional life.

Productions

''Time Stands Still'' premiered in February 2009 at the ''Geffen Playhouse'' in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and was the fourth collaboration for writer Donald Margulies and director Daniel J. Sullivan. It starred

Anna Gunn Anna Kathryn Gunn (born August 11, 1968) See also: * is an American actress. She is known for playing Martha Bullock on the HBO Western series '' Deadwood'' (2004–2006) and Skyler White on the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008� ...

as Sarah and David Harbour as James. Robin Thomas appeared as Richard, with

Alicia Silverstone Alicia Silverstone ( ; born October 4, 1976) is an American actress. She made her film debut in the thriller ''The Crush (1993 film), The Crush'' (1993), earning the 1994 MTV Movie Award for Best Breakthrough Performance, and gained further pro ...

as Mandy. Margulies stated that the meaning of the play was "to capture a sense of the way we live now, to dramatize the things that thinking, feeling, moral people are thinking about and struggle with." ''The Los Angeles Times'' called it a "compelling if at times elusive drama" and praised Gunn's performance. The play premiered on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in a

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

production, on January 5, 2010 (previews), officially on January 28, 2010 and closed on March 27, 2010. The play was again directed by Daniel Sullivan. Alicia Silverstone reprised her role as Mandy, with

starring as Sarah,

Brian d'Arcy James Brian d'Arcy James (born June 29, 1968) is an American actor and musician. He is known primarily for his Broadway roles, including Shrek in '' Shrek the Musical'', Nick Bottom in '' Something Rotten!'', King George III in '' Hamilton'', and T ...

as James and

Eric Bogosian Eric Michael Bogosian (; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian-American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and attended the University ...

as Richard.

Charles Isherwood Charles Splaine Isherwood Jr. (born October 1964) is an American theater critic. Career A graduate of Stanford University, Isherwood wrote for '' Backstage West'' in Los Angeles. In 1993, he joined the staff of '' Variety'', where he was promote ...

, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reviewer wrote, "the heart of ''Time Stands Still'' lies in the gently evolving relationship between Sarah and James, which develops troubling new ripples in each scene," and said Silverstone "brings warmth, actorly intelligence and delicate humor." The ''New York Daily News'' said Margulies "writes with intelligence and humor and creates dialogue that always hits the ear as real." ''Time Stands Still'' opened again on Broadway at the

Cort Theatre The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 48th Street (Manhattan), West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater ...

beginning September 23, 2010, with the official opening on October 7. Three of the four cast members returned. Alicia Silverstone had prior scheduling commitments and

Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge. Ricci works mostly in Independent film, independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box-office hits. She is ...

played the role of Mandy. This production closed on January 30, 2011.Jones, Kennet
"Broadway's Time Stands Still, Acclaimed Drama About War Scars, Will Close Jan. 30"
playbill.com, December 8, 2010

References

External links

*
Geffen Playhouse website

Manhattan Theatre Club website

Official Broadway website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Time Stands Still (Play) 2009 plays Plays by Donald Margulies Brooklyn in fiction Broadway plays Iraq War in fiction Plays set in New York City