''Burn This'' (stylized as ''Burn/This'' for the 2019 revival) is a play by Lanford Wilson. Like much of Wilson's work, the play includes themes of gay identity and relationships.

Plot summary

The play begins shortly after the funeral of Robbie, a young, gay dancer who drowned in a boating accident with his lover Dom. In attendance were Robbie's roommates: his sensitive dance partner and

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

, Anna, and confident, gay advertising executive Larry. Soon joining them in Robbie's lower Manhattan loft are screenwriter Burton (Anna's longtime lover) and Pale (Robbie's

cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

-snorting, hyperactive restaurant manager brother). In the face of their shared tragedy, the quartet attempts to make sense of their lives and reconsider their own identities and relationships. Anna learns to be independent and self-confident. She begins to pursue her interest in

choreography Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

and begins a relationship with Pale, ending her dispassionate relationship with her longtime boyfriend.

Production history

''Burn This'' was commissioned by the Circle Repertory Company. The play opened

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 ...

on February 19, 1987 at Theatre 890. Directed 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 ...

, the cast featured Jonathan Hogan, Joan Allen, John Malkovich, and Lou Liberatore. John Lee Beatty won the 1988 Henry Hewes Design Award for Scenic Design for this production. The world premiere was produced by the Center Theatre Group at the Mark Taper Forum 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, ...

opening January 22, 1987, also directed by Mason."From Missouri to Manhattan" in ''Discovery and Invention: The Urban Plays of Lanford Wilson'',

Fairleigh Dickinson University Press Fairleigh Dickinson University Press (FDU Press) is a publishing house under the operation and oversight of Fairleigh Dickinson University, the largest private university in New Jersey. History FDU Press was established in 1967 by the university ...

, 1994. , pp. 28-29. The play transferred to Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre, opening on October 14, 1987 and closing on October 29, 1988 after 437 performances and seven previews. Again directed by Mason, the original cast appeared in the Broadway production."''Burn This'' (Broadway, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, 1987)"
''

Playbill ''Playbill'' is an American monthly magazine for Audience, theatergoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most copies of ''Playbill'' are printed for particular productions and distributed at the door as the ...

''. Accessed June 10, 2022. Over the course of the production, replacements and understudies included Lisa Emery,

Scott Glenn Theodore Scott Glenn (born January 26 between 1938 and 1942) is an American actor. His roles have included Bill Lester in '' She Came to the Valley'' (1979), Pfc Glenn Kelly in ''Nashville'' (1975), Wes Hightower in '' Urban Cowboy'' (1980), as ...

Lonny Price Lonny Price (born March 9, 1959) is an American director, actor, and writer, primarily in theatre. He is best known for his New York directing work, including ''Sunset Boulevard'', '' Sweeney Todd'', ''Company'', and ''Sondheim! The Birthday Co ...

, and

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time. Roberts' career ...

. The West End production directed by Robert Allan Ackerman opened on November 7, 1990 at the Lyric Theatre. Malkovich and Liberatore were joined by

Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actress of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film '' Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Le ...

and Michael Simkins. The play had previously played at the

Hampstead Theatre Hampstead Theatre is a theatre in South Hampstead, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. History The original ''Hampstead Theatre Clu ...

prior to transferring to the Lyric Theatre. The

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

presented ''Burn This'' at the Wharf Theatre in 1990, starring Heather Mitchell and Richard Roxburgh. The 2002 Signature Theatre Company revival directed by James Houghton at the Union Square Theatre opened on August 27 in previews, officially on September 19, and closed on December 29, 2002.Weinstein, Jerry and Lohrey, David
"Review. 'Burn This' 2002"
''CurtainUp'', September 15 and December 15, 2002. The cast featured

Edward Norton Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving to New York City ...

Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Academ ...

Ty Burrell Tyler Gerald Burrell (born August 22, 1967) is an American actor. Burrell is best known for playing Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom '' Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...

, and

Dallas Roberts Dallas Mark Roberts (born May 10, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Milton Mamet in the third season of AMC's '' The Walking Dead'' (2012–2013), Eliot Delson in ''Unforgettable'', and Owen Cavanaugh in '' The Good ...

. Norton won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

, and both he and the production received Lucille Lortel Award nominations."'Burn This' 2002"
Lortel Archives. Accessed September 3, 2015. Peter Sarsgaard replaced Norton, and

Elisabeth Shue Elisabeth Shue (born October 6, 1963) is an American actress. She has starred in films such as '' The Karate Kid'' (1984), '' Adventures in Babysitting'' (1987), ''Cocktail'' (1988), ''Back to the Future Part II'' (1989), '' Back to the Future P ...

replaced Keener on November 20, 2002. A Broadway revival of ''Burn This'' was announced to begin in February 2017 and open on March 6, 2017 at the re-opened Hudson Theatre. Jake Gyllenhaal was to star, with direction by Michael Mayer. On October 21, 2016, it was announced that the production was postponed until the 2017-18 season due to scheduling conflicts with Gyllenhaal. A revival opened on Broadway at the Hudson Theatre on March 15, 2019 in previews with the official opening on April 16. The cast featured Adam Driver as Pale, Keri Russell as Anna, David Furr as Burton and Brandon Uranowitz as Larry, with direction by Michael Mayer. The production closed on July 14, 2019.Clement, Olivia
" ''Burn This'' Closes on Broadway July 14"
''Playbill'', July 14, 2019

Casts

Notable replacements * Pale: Paul Perri (1988),

(1988),

(1988), Peter Sarsgaard (2002) * Anna: Lisa Emery (1988),

(2002) * Larry:

(1988)

Awards

Original Broadway Production

2019 Broadway Revival

References

External links

Internet Broadway Database listingLortel Archives listing

Lanford Wilson Collection
at the University of Missouri Libraries {{Authority control 1987 plays Broadway plays Plays by Lanford Wilson Plays set in New York City