The Innocents (play)
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''The Innocents'' is a play written by William Archibald that premiered on
Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in 1950 and was revived in 1976. The play is based on the 1898 novella ''
The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in ''Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmill ...
'' by
Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
.


Overview

The play is based on the novel ''
The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in ''Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmill ...
'' by
Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
. The play takes place in 1880 in the drawing room of an old country house in England. A new governess, Miss Giddens, arrives to look after the orphaned brother (age 12) and sister (age 8), who are "The Innocents". The household also employs a cook, Mrs. Grose. The spirits of the former valet, Peter Quint, and governess, Miss Jessel, haunt the house. (The name of the new governess was changed to Miss Bolton in the 1976 revival.) Barnes, Clive. "Stage: ''The Innocents'' Stars Claire Bloom", ''The New York Times'', October 22, 1976, p. 51Archibald, William
"Script"
''The Innocents'', Samuel French, Inc., 2010, , pp.3, 6, 12


Productions

The original production opened on Broadway at the
Playhouse Theatre The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square, central London. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt i ...
on February 1, 1950 and closed on June 3, 1950 after 141 performances. Directed by
Peter Glenville Peter Glenville (born Peter Patrick Brabazon Browne; 28 October 19133 June 1996) was an English film and stage actor and director. Biography Born in Hampstead, London, into a theatrical family, Glenville was the son of Shaun Glenville (born J ...
, the cast featured
Beatrice Straight Beatrice Whitney Straight (August 2, 1914 – April 7, 2001) was an American theatre, film and television actress and a member of the prominent Whitney family. She was an Academy Award and Tony Award winner as well as an Emmy Award nominee. ...
as Miss Giddens and
Isobel Elsom Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women. Early years Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Chesterton, C ...
as Mrs. Grose. Costumes were by Motley and Scenic Design was by Jo Mielziner. The play won the 1950
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
, Best Scenic Design (Jo Mielziner). Regarding Straight's performance,
Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...
wrote: "In his ''Times'' review, Mr. Atkinson said that Ms. Straight acted 'with force, sensitivity and old-fashioned charm, in a style that Henry James would have been compelled to applaud.'" It was revived
Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
at the Gramercy Arts Theatre in April 1959 for 32 performances.Kabatchnik, Amnon. "''The Turn of the Screw''", ''Blood on the Stage, 1975-2000: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection'', Scarecrow Press, 2012, , p. 466 The play featured
Peggy Feury Peggy Feury (born Margaret Feury; June 30, 1924 – November 20, 1985) was an American actress on Broadway, in films, and on television. She became a highly regarded acting teacher in New York and then in Los Angeles. Throughout her career, she t ...
as Miss Giddens,
Carroll McComas Carroll McComas (June 27, 1886 – November 9, 1962) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Biography Born in Albuquerque, New Mexico Territory, McComas was the daughter of Judge Charles Carroll McComas and his wife, Ellen M ...
as Mrs. Grose and Judy Sanford and Christian de Bresson as the children. Carolyn Coates played Miss Jessel, the ghost. The set, by Gary Smith, was called "excellently ominous" by ''The New York Times'' reviewer, Louis Calta. Calta noted that the background music, by
Alex North Alex North (born Isadore Soifer, December 4, 1910 – September 8, 1991) was an American composer best known for his many film scores, including ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' (one of the first jazz-based film scores), ''Viva Zapata!'', ''Spa ...
"set the proper mood for the frightening experiences". A revival opened at the
Morosco Theatre The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial. History Located at 217 West 45th Stree ...
on October 21, 1976 and closed on October 30, 1976 after 12 performances. The play was directed by
Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanne ...
, with scenery by
John Lee Beatty John Lee Beatty is an American scenic designer who has created set designs for more than 115 Broadway shows and has designed for other productions. He won two Tony Awards, for ''Talley's Folly'' (1980) and ''The Nance'' (2013), was nominated for ...
, costumes by Deirdre Clancy, lighting by
Neil Peter Jampolis Neil Peter Jampolis was a light designer, set designer, and stage director. He was best known for the light designing he did for the Royal Shakespeare Theatre’s 1975 production of '' Sherlock Holmes'' for which he won a Tony Award and a Drama ...
, music by
Harrison Birtwistle Sir Harrison Birtwistle (15 July 1934 – 18 April 2022) was an English composer of contemporary classical music best known for his operas, often based on mythological subjects. Among his many compositions, his better known works include ''Th ...
, and costume supervisor Mary McKinley. The cast starred
Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Golden Globe Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 1 ...
(Flora),
Pauline Flanagan Pauline Flanagan (29 June 1925 – 28 June 2003) was a Irish-born actress who had a long career on stage, she was best known in the United States for her role as Annie Colleary, on the television soap opera '' Ryan's Hope'' in 1979 and again in ...
(Mrs. Grose),
Claire Bloom Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is an English actress. She is known for leading roles in plays such as ''A Streetcar Named Desire,'' ''A Doll's House'', and '' Long Day's Journey into Night'', and has starred in nearly sixty film ...
(Miss Bolton), Michael Mackay (Miles), Dino Laudicina (Peter Quint), and Catherine Wolf (Miss Jessel). Understudies included
Timothy Britten Parker Timothy Britten Parker (born February 8, 1962), also known as Toby Parker, is an American actor. Background Parker was born in Iowa City, Iowa and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He moved to New York City with his family in 1977 as he began pursui ...
and the Parker siblings' stepfather Paul Forste. Clive Barnes, in his review of the 1976 revival for ''The New York Times'' wrote "Mr. Pinter has staged the piece with meticulously Gothic sensibility... The question remains why it was thought interesting enough to revive the play. The taste with which the revival was accomplished is unquestionable, but when you have talents of the nature of Miss Bloom and Mr. Pinter on hand, merely to resuscitate a pedestrian stage adaptation of a great novel seems to savor something of folly."


London

The play opened in the West End at Her Majesty's Theatre on July 3, 1952. The play, directed by Peter Glenville, featured
Flora Robson Dame Flora McKenzie Robson (28 March 19027 July 1984) was an English actress and star of the theatrical stage and cinema, particularly renowned for her performances in plays demanding dramatic and emotional intensity. Her range extended from q ...
.


Film

A film was made based on the novel ''The Turn of the Screw'' and on this play. The film '' The Innocents'' was released in 1961.


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Innocents 1950 plays Broadway plays Plays based on novels The Turn of the Screw