''The Explorers Club'' is a play written by

Nell Benjamin Nell Benjamin is a lyricist, writer, and composer noted for her work in musical theatre. With her husband and frequent collaborator Laurence O'Keefe, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for writing ''Legally Blonde'' in 2011. And in 2007, she was ...

. Set in 19th-century

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, the

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

depicts the chaos that ensues when a woman tries to gain entry to the fictional titular club of explorers. It 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 2013 at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama, and the New York City Center 55th Street Theater) is a performing arts center at 131 West 55th Street (Manhattan), 55th Street between Sixth Avenue, Six ...

under the direction of Marc Bruni, receiving a moderately positive critical reception. It received an

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town news ...

for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play.

Summary

The show takes place in London in 1879 and depicts Phyllida Spotte-Hume's attempt to become the first female member of the titular club of elite explorers. As evidence of her exploring prowess, she presents a blue-skinned native man (who she has given the name Luigi), brought back from a lost city she has discovered. The club's president, botanist Lucius Fretway, who harbors a secret love for Phyllida, advocates for her admission, but other members stand in opposition, including the misogynistic "archeo-theologist" Professor Sloane. At one point, the action is interrupted by the entrance of member Harry Percy, who announces he has returned from a successful expedition to the "East Pole".

Development

''The Explorers Club'' was Nell Benjamin's first full-length play, having previously been known for her work in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, particularly her

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 ...

nominated score for the Broadway musical ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic and written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, based on Amanda Brown's novel. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victo ...

''. In an interview, Benjamin spoke of her love of comedy, citing ''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 farce by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of '' The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funni ...

'' as one of her favourite plays and "probably the finest of all the farces". The idea for ''The Explorers Club'' began with a female high school friend of Benjamin's who went on to earn a PhD in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline, James Keeler, said, astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the ...

, which Benjamin imagined would have been "tough" for a woman. Benjamin contrasted her friend's career accomplishments as a scientist with what she described as "a dangerous anti-scientific, anti-intellectual streak that runs through the world". Ultimately, Benjamin says, the play is more about science than the historical mistreatment of women.

Productions

''The Explorers Club'' had its premiere

on June 20, 2013, at Stage 1 of

. The show was directed by Marc Bruni and produced by the

Manhattan Theatre Club Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC) is a theatre company located in New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. Lynne Meadow has been the company’s Artistic Director and visionary since 1972. Barry Grove joined the company in 19 ...

. The cast included

Jennifer Westfeldt Jennifer Westfeldt (born February 2, 1970) is an American actress, director, screenwriter, and producer. She is best known for co-writing, co-producing, and starring in the 2002 indie film '' Kissing Jessica Stein'', for which she received an I ...

as Phyllida,

David Furr David Furr is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He received a Tony Award nomination for his role in Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of ''Noises Off'' and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination as part of the cast of H ...

as Harry Percy, Lorenzo Pisoni as Lucius Fretway, and Carson Elrod as Luigi. Its final performance was August 4, 2013. It has since been staged by a number of regional theatre companies in the US, including the Citadel Theatre in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and the Delaware Theatre Company in Wilmington.

Critical reception

Reviews for ''The Explorers Club'' were moderately positive, with many reviewers describing it as entertaining but lacking in substance. In a review for the ''New York Times'', Charles Isherwood described it as an "occasionally funny but mostly blunt-witted comedy". He criticized repetitive elements in the play, writing that "when Ms. Benjamin hits upon a joke she likes, she keeps banging away at it as if it were a gong". David Cote gave the show 4 out of 5 stars in a review for ''TimeOut New York'', writing that "as a sweet summer concoction, this one goes down easy and gets you happy". In a review for ''Variety'', Marilyn Stasio called the show "wildly funny" and praised the cast as "pitch-perfect". She criticised Benjamin's resolution of the plot's obstacles as "too dryly methodical and much too busy". Critics consistently praised the "superbly cluttered" set design by Donyale Werle, who furnished the explorers' clubhouse with leather chairs, burnished wood, taxidermied animals, and other "manly" artifacts.

Awards and nominations

''The Explorers Club'' received the 2013-2014

for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play. It was nominated for the 2014

Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play is an annual award presented by Drama Desk in recognition of achievements in the theatre across collective Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. The award was initially ...

(losing to ''

All the Way All the Way may refer to: Film and television * ''All the Way'' (1998 film), an Australian comedy directed by Marque Owen * ''All the Way'' (2001 film), a film directed by Shi Runjiu * ''All the Way'' (2016 film), an adaptation of Robert Schenk ...

''), with Donyale Werle also nominated for Outstanding Set Design. The production was financially supported by a 2012 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award and a grant of $125,000 from the

Alfred P. Sloan Foundation The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is an American philanthropic nonprofit organization. It was established in 1934 by Alfred P. Sloan Jr., president and chief executive officer of General Motors. The Sloan Foundation makes grants to support origina ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Explorers Club (play), The Comedy plays Off-Broadway plays 2013 plays Plays set in the 1870s Plays set in London