''Visiting Mr. Green'' is a stage play by American author
Jeff Baron
Jeff Baron is an American novelist, playwright and screenwriter currently living in Manhattan. He is the author of ''I Represent Sean Rosen'' and ''Sean Rosen Is Not for Sale'', published by Greenwillow/HarperCollins and the ''Electro-Pup'' seri ...
that has been performed around the world.
Storyline
Eighty-six-year-old widower Mr. Green is almost hit by a car driven by young corporate executive Ross Gardiner. Found guilty of reckless driving, Ross is ordered to spend the next six months making weekly visits to Mr. Green. What starts off as a comedy about two people who resent being in the same room together develops into drama, as family secrets are revealed and old wounds are opened.
History
On June 20, 1996 the play had its premiere at the
Berkshire Theatre Festival in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts, with
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach (; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. From his 1945 Broadway debut to his last film appearance, Wallach's entertainment career spanned 65 years. Origina ...
in the lead role; the production played at the Berkshire through July 6. From 1997 it played a year-long run at the
Union Square Theatre
Union Square Theatre was the name of two different theatres near Union Square, Manhattan, New York City. The first was a Broadway theatre that opened in 1870, was converted into a cinema in 1921 and closed in 1936.(8 October 1921)Two landmarks to ...
in New York, again with Wallach in the lead role.
It was nominated for an ACE award (Buenos Aires), a Molière (Paris) and a Drama League Award (New York). It also won Best Play awards in Greece, Mexico, Israel, Uruguay, Turkey and Germany, and the Kulturpreis Europa. His newer plays have originated in Australia, South America and Europe.
The play has gone on to have over 500 productions in 49 countries and has been translated into 23 languages.
''So This Is My Family - Mr. Green Part 2'', Jeff Baron's sequel to ''Visiting Mr. Green'', had its world premiere at the Avignon Theatre Festival in France in July, 2018. Set three years after the original play, with two additional characters, the play will open in The Netherlands in 2020.
The United Nations presented a reading from the play by Eli Wallach in 1999.
Awards
*Drama League (NYC), Best Play nominee;
*Greek Theatre Awards, Best Play;
*Molière Awards (PARIS), Best Play nominee;
*Turkish Theatre Awards, Best Play;
*Israeli Theatre Awards, Best Play;
*Mexico Theatre Awards, Best Play;
*INTHEGA Prize (Germany), Best Touring Play;
*A.C.E. (Argentina), Best Foreign Play nominee;
*Kulturpreis Europa, 2001;
[
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*Florencio Prize (Uruguay), Best Foreign Play.
References
{{reflist
1996 plays
American plays