''Gemini'' is a play by

Albert Innaurato Albert Francis Innaurato Jr. (June 2, 1947 – September 24, 2017) was an American playwright, theatre director, and writer. Early career Innaurato was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1947. After graduating from the prestigious Central Hi ...

, and became the fourth longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.

Plot

Set in the backyard of a blue-collar

South Philadelphia South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south and the Schuylkill River to the west.blue collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and power ...

father Fran and Fran's widowed girlfriend Lucille, next-door neighbor Bunny Weinberger and her overweight son Herschel, and Francis' classmates, the wealthy

WASP A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

Hastings siblings; Judith (who seeks romance with Francis) and Randy (the object of Francis' unexpressed affection), who have arrived unexpectedly, much to their friend's dismay. All are dysfunctional to varying degrees, and the interactions among them provide the play with its comic and dramatic moments.

Production history

Playwrights Horizons Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work. Under the ...

first staged the play in December 1976 with a cast that included

Jonathan Hadary Jonathan Hadary (born October 11, 1948) is an American actor. Early life and education Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Hadary arrived at Tufts University already an accomplished actor. He was cast in many shows at ...

, Jon Polito, and

Sigourney Weaver Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver (; born October 8, 1949) is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Gramm ...

. The following March it was mounted by the

Circle Repertory Company The Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by direc ...

with Hadary (Herschel Weinberger), Jessica James (Bunny), Danny Aiello (Fran), Anne De Salvo (Lucille), Carol Potter (Judith Hastings), and

Robert Picardo Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on '' The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' S ...

(Francis Geminiani). Critical response encouraged the producers to transfer the play to Broadway. The Broadway production, with the same cast directed by Peter Mark Schifter and supervised by

Marshall W. Mason Marshall W. Mason (born February 24, 1940) is an American theater director, educator, and writer. Mason founded the Circle Repertory Company in New York City and was artistic director of the company for 18 years (1969–1987). He received an Obie ...

, opened on May 21, 1977 at the Little Theatre and closed on September 6, 1981 after 1,819 performances. A 1980 screen adaptation, written and directed by Richard Benner, was titled '' Happy Birthday, Gemini''. The cast included Madeline Kahn, Rita Moreno, Robert Viharo,

Alan Rosenberg Alan Rosenberg (born October 4, 1950) is an American actor. Rosenberg is perhaps best known for his character Eli Levinson which appeared in both the series '' Civil Wars'' and the popular '' L.A. Law''. From 2005 to 2009, he was president of the ...

David Marshall Grant David Marshall Grant (born June 21, 1955) is an American actor, singer and writer. Life and career Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut, to physician parents. Immediately after graduating from Connecticut College with an M.F.A. and receivin ...

, and Sarah Holcomb. Showtime created a "staged for video" version for cable television in 1982, starring Danny Aiello (Fran), Anne De Salvo (Lucille), and

Scott Baio Scott Vincent James Baio (; born September 22, 1960) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chachi Arcola on the sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1977–1984) and its spin-off '' Joanie Loves Chachi'' (1982–1983), the title character on ...

(Francis). A 1999 off-Broadway Second Stage Theatre revival closed after 14 performances.Lefkowitz, Davi
"Innaurato's Gemini Gets First Major NY Mounting Since Bway Smash, May 26 – June 27"
playbill.com, June 16, 1999

Critical reception

According to theatre scholar Jordan Schildcrout, many critics praised the performances of Aiello, De Salvo, and James, finding that "Innaurato depicted his larger-than-life supporting characters with such force that they often threatened to take over the play." Crucial to the success of the play was a 30-second television commercial that aired in the New York area, inviting audiences to the "party" and introducing each character with notable catchphrases such as "Take human bites!" and "I'm not hungry; I'll just pick." Although ''Gemini'' was denied a single Tony Award nomination, it was popular with audiences who "didn't fit the traditional profile of Broadway playgoers" and became the fourth longest-running non-musical play in Broadway history.

Awards and nominations

;1977 Off-Broadway * Obie Award :Anne DeSalvo – performance – winner :Danny Aiello- performance – winner :Albert Innaurato – playwriting – winner ;1977 Broadway Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New American Play – nomination

References

External links

* * * *
''The New York Times'' review, Peter Marks, June 17, 1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gemini 1977 plays Off-Broadway plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Fiction set in 1973 Philadelphia in fiction Plays set in Pennsylvania LGBT-related plays