''Sweet Eros'' is a one-act, two-character play by

Terrence McNally Terrence McNally (November 3, 1938 – March 24, 2020) was an American playwright, librettist, and screenwriter. Described as "the bard of American theater" and "one of the greatest contemporary playwrights the theater world has yet produced," M ...

, which premiered

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 ...

in 1968.

Productions

''Sweet Eros'' opened

at the Gramercy Arts Theatre on November 21, 1968, on a double bill with another McNally play, ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, either oral or written, of what they know or claim to know. A witness might be compelled to provide testimony in court, before a grand jur ...

''. The two plays closed on January 26, 1969. Directed by Larry Arrick, the cast starred

Sally Kirkland Sally Kirkland Jr. (born October 31, 1941) is an American actress and producer. A former member of Andy Warhol's The Factory and an active member in 1960s New York avant-garde theater, she has appeared in more than 250 film and television produ ...

as "The Girl" and

Robert Drivas Robert Drivas (born Robert Choromokos; November 21, 1935 – June 29, 1986) was an American actor and theatre director. Life and early career Drivas studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Miami with further training at th ...

as the "Young Man" (to whom McNally dedicated the work).

Regional and international

Some U.S. productions of ''Sweet Eros'' (as of 2008) have been produced: * Washington, D.C., by Source Theatre Company and Yellow Taxi Productions (Feb.-March 2004), directed by Dominic A. D'Andrea, featuring Justin Benoit and MaryBeth Fritzky * Madison, Wisconsin, by Mercury Players Theatre (MercLab) (July 2006), directed by Cara Peterson and featuring Kelly Lee Kriesel and R. Peter Hunt * Austin, Texas, by Tongue and Groove Theatre (Sept. 2006), directed by David Yeakle and featuring Mark Stewart and

Hilah Johnson Hilah Johnson is an American chef, Internet personality and author from Austin, Texas. She is best known for her YouTube series ''Hilah Cooking''. Early life Johnson grew up in Hudson Bend, Texas, a suburb of Austin near Lake Travis. Her fathe ...

* Tucson, Arizona, by Live Theatre Workshop (May 2008), directed by Danielle Dryer and featuring Miranda McBride and Christopher Johnson A May 2005 revival in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was staged by and featured Robert Braiden and Veronica Smith.

Plot

A disturbed young man, soured by two failed romantic relationships, has kidnapped a young woman (a complete stranger) and taken her to his home in the country. As the play opens, the woman is seated in a chair, bound and gagged, the man sitting opposite, observing her. The man explains to the woman his reasons for kidnapping her, saying he had long fantasized about doing such a thing to a young woman. He methodically strips his captive naked, presumably rapes her, then proceeds to subject her to an ongoing series of rants, ruminations and reflections on life and love as he seeks to force the woman to understand him – and, ultimately, to submit to him.

Nudity

''Sweet Eros'' caused a sensation when it first opened in New York because its female star, Sally Kirkland, was nude for nearly the entire length of the play, which lasts approximately 45 minutes. Because of this play, Kirkland has claimed to be the first actress to perform completely naked in legitimate New York theatre, but this claim is undercut by the fact that the rock musical ''Hair'', with its notorious group nude scene, had opened on Broadway seven months earlier. According to an article in the ''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'', "The event was duly noted as the first completely nude role."Glover, William
"Sally Kirkland Wants Out"
December 6, 1969

References

{{reflist

External links

1968 plays Plays by Terrence McNally One-act plays