''K2'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

by Patrick Meyers. It tells the story of two mountain climbers who find themselves trapped on a ledge on K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. The play premiered at the Arena Stage in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in April 1982.

Synopsis

''K2'' is a one- act two-man play. It centers on mountain climbers Harold and Taylor, who find themselves trapped above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an mean, average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal Body of water, bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical ...

on a ledge on the side of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

Production history

''K2'' first ran at the Arena Stage's Kreeger Theater from April 23 to June 6, 1982. The production was directed by

Jacques Levy Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist. Early life and education Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 19 ...

and starred

Stephen McHattie Stephen McHattie Smith (born February 3, 1947) is a Canadian actor. Since beginning his professional career in 1970, he has amassed over 200 film and television credits. He won the Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in '' ...

and

Stanley Anderson Stanley Anderson (October 23, 1939 – June 24, 2018) was an American character actor who played Drew Carey's father on ''The Drew Carey Show''. Early life Born in Billings, Montana, Anderson attended Garfield Elementary School, Lincoln Junior ...

. It received rave reviews from ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'', particularly for

Ming Cho Lee Ming Cho Lee (; October 3, 1930 – October 23, 2020) was a Chinese-American theatrical set designer and professor at the Yale School of Drama. Personal life Lee was born on Oct. 3, 1930, in Shanghai, China to Lee Tsu Fa and Tang Ing. Lee, whos ...

's hyper-realistic set design. Lee used over 50,000

board feet The board foot or board-foot is a unit of measurement for the volume of lumber in the United States and Canada. It equals the volume of a board that is in length, one foot in width, and in thickness, or exactly liters. Board foot can be abbrev ...

styrofoam Styrofoam is a brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), manufactured to provide continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and as a water barrier. This material is light blue in ...

to build a set that simulated a massive icy mountainside. The play opened at the

Brooks Atkinson Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1926, it was desi ...

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 Stre ...

on March 30, 1983. This production was directed by

Terry Schreiber Terry Schreiber (born March 7, 1937) is an American theater director, acting teacher, and founder of the T. Schreiber Studio, in New York. Schreiber was born in Winona, Minnesota. He has directed theatre, principally in New York, since 1976, at ...

and starred

Jeffrey DeMunn Jeffrey P. DeMunn (born April 25, 1947) is an American stage, film, and television actor known for playing Captain Esteridge in '' The Hitcher'' (1986), Sheriff Herb Geller in '' The Blob'' (1988), Andrei Chikatilo in '' Citizen X'' (1995), Harry ...

and

Jay Patterson Jay Patterson (born August 22, 1954) is an American actor. He has appeared in more than sixty films since 1984. Selected filmography Film Television Videogames References External links * 1954 births Living people American m ...

. It closed on June 11, 1983, after 10 previews and 85 regular performances. ''K2'' received three nominations at the

37th Tony Awards The 37th Annual Tony Awards was held at the Gershwin Theatre on June 5, 1983, and broadcast by CBS television. Hosts were Richard Burton, Lena Horne, and Jack Lemmon. Eligibility Shows that opened on Broadway during the 1982–1983 season before ...

, winning Best Scenic Design for Lee's set. From December 15, 2000, to January 28, 2001, the play was revived at the Arena Stage.

Wendy C. Goldberg Wendy C. Goldberg (born 1973) is an American theatre director and the current Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Under Goldberg's tenure, The O'Neill was awarded the 2010 Regional Theatr ...

directed the revival which starred

Rick Holmes Richard "Rick" Holmes (born March 16, 1963, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American actor. He received his BA from Gettysburg College and an MFA in acting from New York University. He has played numerous stage roles, including roles in such ...

and Craig Wallace. ''K2'' has also been staged by other regional theaters, such as by the

Virginia Stage Company Virginia Stage Company (VSC) is a professional theater company located in Hampton Roads, Virginia. VSC presents locally produced plays for over 70,000 patrons a year both at the Wells Theatre in Norfolk, Virginia and throughout the community. A n ...

at the Wells Theatre in 2014.

Film adaptation

The play was adapted into a film of the same name in 1992.

References

{{reflist 1982 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Two-handers Works about climbing and mountaineering