''Tea and Sympathy'' is a 1953 stage play in three acts by
Robert Anderson about a male private school student, Tom Lee, who faces accusations of homosexuality. A woman, Laura, who is married to an instructor, opposes the students' shaming of Lee and romantically pursues him so he can prove that he has a masculine character.
[Thomas, Bob (May 17, 1956)]
"Deborah Kerr Signs For Unusual Role"
''Associated Press'' at the ''Milwaukee Sentinel''. Part 2, Page 15. Retrieved November 8, 2013. The title refers to what someone in Laura's position was supposed to offer a boy such as Tom.
Everett Evans of the ''Houston Chronicle'' called it "one of the first plays to tackle the then-taboo topic of sexual orientation and related prejudice." Evans stated that the play's final line, "Years from now, when you speak of this, and you will, be kind," is "one of the most quoted curtain lines in stage history".
[Evans, Everett (August 7, 2013).]
Sensitive 'Tea and Sympathy' teaches lesson of acceptance
" ''Houston Chronicle''. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Characters
* Tom Lee – A student at a New England
preparatory school who is accused of being effeminate and is targeted after sunbathing with a male professor.
[
* Bill Reynolds – The head of Tom Lee's dormitory house, Bill is hyper-masculine and in conflict with Tom. He prefers activities with the boys to spending time with his wife, Laura, from whom he is distant. Everett Evans of the ''Houston Chronicle'' wrote that Bill married Laura "apparently" because colleagues pressured him into doing so, and that "The play suggests Bill's persecution of Tom stems from doubts about his own masculinity."][
* Laura Reynolds – Bill's wife, Laura assists Tom and helps him during his troubles.][
]
Productions
Broadway
The play premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 243 West 47th Street (Manhattan), 47th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1928, it ...
on September 30, 1953, in a production by The Playwrights' Company, directed by Elia Kazan
Elias Kazantzoglou (, ; September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003), known as Elia Kazan ( ), was a Greek-American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one of the most honored and inf ...
with scenic and lighting design by Jo Mielziner.[''Tea and Sympathy'']
''Playbill'', retrieved August 30, 2017 The play starred Deborah Kerr
Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...
, Leif Erickson, and John Kerr, who won a Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
for his portrayal of Tom Lee. It transferred to 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, New York, U.S. Opened in 1913, it was designed by Henry B. Herts and is named for Longacre Square, the former ...
, and later the 48th Street Theatre
The 48th Street Theatre was a Broadway theatre at 157 West 48th Street in Manhattan. It was built by longtime Broadway producer William A. Brady and designed by architect William Albert Swasey. The venue was also called the Equity 48th Stree ...
.[ The play closed on June 18, 1955, after 712 performances. In the summer of 1954, Joan Fontaine and Anthony Perkins replaced Deborah Kerr and John Kerr in their respective roles.
]
London
The play was first performed in London at the Comedy Theatre (Harold Pinter Theatre since 2011), under membership conditions, because the Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...
had imposed an outright ban. The New Watergate Club was founded in 1956 for the staging of plays, previously suppressed under the Theatres Act 1843. By these means, the theatre premiered ''Tea and Sympathy'' in the United Kingdom.
Paris
A French adaptation was presented in 1956 at the Théâtre de Paris
The Théâtre de Paris () is a theatre located at 15, rue Blanche in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, 9th arrondissement of Paris. It includes a second smaller venue, the Petit Théâtre de Paris.
History
The first theatre on the site was built b ...
, Paris, starring Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...
and Jean-Loup Phillipe and directed by Jean Mercure.
Off-Broadway
The play was presented 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 ...
by the Keen Company at the Clurman Theater, from March 6, 2007, to April 14, 2007. Directed by Jonathan Silverstein, the cast featured Heidi Armbruster (Laura Reynolds), Dan McCabe (Tom Lee) and Craig Mathers (Bill Reynolds).
Adaptations
The play was adapted into a 1956 film. In 1956, Bob Thomas of the Associated Press wrote that "many said he playcould never be made into a movie."
Reception
In his 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 ...
review of the original 1953 production, Brooks Atkinson
Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theater critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...
called it an "uncommonly discerning study of character" and "the first big popular success of the season".[
]
References
External links
''Tea and Sympathy'' at Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tea And Sympathy
1953 plays
Broadway plays
Plays by Robert Woodruff Anderson
American plays adapted into films
LGBTQ theatre in the United States