''Checking Out'' is a 1976 Broadway play written by

Allen Swift Ira Stadlen (January 16, 1924 – April 18, 2010), known professionally as Allen Swift, was an American voice actor, best known for voicing cartoon characters Simon Bar Sinister and Riff-Raff on the ''Underdog'' cartoon show. He took his pr ...

. It opened on September 14, 1976, at the

Longacre Theatre The Longacre Theatre is a Broadway theater at 220 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. Opened in 1913, it was designed by Henry B. Herts and was named for Longacre Square, now known a ...

and closed on September 25, 1976, after 16 performances.

Original production

The show was directed by Jerry Adler, scenery David Jenkins, lighting Ken Billington, costumes Carol Luiken, production stage manager Murray Gitlin, and press by Susan Bloch. The opening night cast starred

Joan Copeland Joan Maxine Kupchik ( Miller; June 1, 1922 – January 4, 2022), known professionally as Joan Copeland, was an American actress. She was the younger sister of playwright Arthur Miller. She began her career during the mid-1940s, appearing in thea ...

(Florence Grayson), Hy Anzell (Bernard Applebaum),

(Morris Applebaum), Jonathan Moore (Mr. Johnson),

Mason Adams Mason Adams (February 26, 1919 – April 26, 2005) was an American character actor and voiceover artist. From the late 1940s until the early 1970s, he was heard in numerous radio programs and voiceovers for countless television commercials, ...

(Dr. Theodore Applebaum), Larry Bryggman (Dr. Sheldon Henning), Tazewell Thompson (Gilbert), and Michael Gorrin (Schmuel Axelrod).

Setting

Morris Applebaum's apartment on West 57th Street. ;Act I *Scene 1 — An April morning *Scene 2 — 530 am the next day *Scene 3 — Four hours later ;Act II — A few days later, morning

Plot

An aging Yiddish stage actor decides to schedule and stage-manage his own death.

References

{{reflist 1976 plays Broadway plays Plays set in New York City