''Midgie Purvis'' is a comedic

stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...

written by American playwright Mary Chase. The show premiered on Broadway in 1961 and starred

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

as the titular character. For her performance, Bankhead was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play is an honor presented at the Tony Awards, a ceremony established in 1947 as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, to actresses for quality leading roles in a Broad ...

. The play tells the story of a socialite who becomes bored with her life and decides to go to work as a nanny, altering her outlook on life in the process.

Original cast and characters

Production history

The play had an out-of-town tryout at the National Theatre in Washington D.C in January 1961 prior to transferring to Broadway. Mary Chase had continued re-writing the script and several cast from the tryout changed prior to moving to Broadway. The show was meant to be an ''

Auntie Mame ''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the Ward (law), ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father. The book i ...

'' style star vehicle for Bankhead. The show opened on Broadway on February 1, 1961 and closed on February 18, 1961 after 21 performances at the Martin Beck Theatre. The show was directed by

Burgess Meredith Oliver Burgess Meredith (November 16, 1907 – September 9, 1997) was an American actor and filmmaker whose career encompassed radio, theater, film, and television. Active for more than six decades, Meredith has been called "a virtuosic actor" ...

and had scenic design by Ben Edwards. The show is notable for being a return to Broadway for stage legend

, earning her only Tony Award nomination for her performance as the title character in a rare comedic performance. The play is available for licensing by

Dramatists Play Service Dramatists Play Service is a theatrical-publishing and licensing house imprint of Broadway Licensing Global. Established in 1936 by members of the Dramatists Guild of America and the Society for Authors' Representatives, DPS publishes English-la ...

''Dramatist Play Service Midgie Purvis''
accessed 04/27/2025

References

External links

* {{IBDB title, 2289 American plays Broadway plays 1961 plays