Minick
Minick | |
---|---|
![]() Playbillfor the Booth Theatre production | |
Written by | Edna FerberandGeorge S. Kaufman |
Based on | "Old Man Minick" by Edna Ferber |
Date premiered | September 24, 1924 |
Place premiered | Booth Theatre |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy |
Setting | Chicago |
Minickis a three-act Broadway play written byEdna FerberandGeorge S. Kaufman,[1]based on Ferber's 1922 short story "Old Man Minick",that opened on September 24, 1924. ProducerWinthrop Amesstaged it at theBooth TheatreonBroadway,withO. P. Heggiein the title role. The play is about an elderly widower who comes to live with his son and daughter-in-law in theirChicagoapartment.
History
[edit]George S. KaufmanandEdna Ferberdeveloped Ferber's short story "Old Man Minick"into the playMinick,which was initially produced byWinthrop Amesand opened on September 24, 1924.[2]
Ames cast a Black actress, Emma Wise, to play the Minicks' maid, which was unusual at a time when most productions were racially segregated.[3]Previewswere held in three cities inConnecticut:New Haven,Hartford,[4]andNew London.In New London, a disused theater was reopened for the preview, which was interrupted by the emergence of hundreds of bats that had taken up residence in the building while it was closed.[3]
Cast and characters
[edit]The characters and opening night cast from the Broadway production are given below:[5]
Character | Broadway cast |
---|---|
Old Man Minick | O. P. Heggie |
Fred Minick | Frederic Burt |
Nettie Minick | Phyllis Povah |
Jim Corey | Sydney Booth |
Al Diamond | Ralph Bunker |
Mr. Dietenhofer | Charles R. Burrows |
Mrs. Lippincott | Jessie Graham |
Marge Diamond | Myra Hampton |
Miss Crackenwald | Mary Hubbard |
Mr. Prince | Thomas Meegan |
Annie | Beatrice Moreland |
Lil Corey | Antoinette Perry |
Mrs. Smallridge | Lavinia Shannon |
Miss Stack | Ann Winslow |
Lula | Emma Wise |
Reception
[edit]The play received positive reviews from critics.[6]A 1924 review inTimesaid of Ferber and Kaufman, "they very nearly did a masterpiece. The play is amusing, deeply touching in spots, but overshoots the mark by a too tenacious realism."[7]Stark Young wrote in a review forThe New York Times,"The whole tone of the play is constantly funny, loving and tragic altogether. The long gap between the generations of these people, the lack of any idea that might bring them closer to each other: the barren mediocrity of their lives, their good intentions, their good hearts, their stupid interests, and most of all the dumbness of human beings toward each other no matter what they feel, these are the themes that are woven into the texture of the piece."[8]
Adaptations
[edit]Famous Players–Laskyadapted the play as asilent filmin 1925 under the titleWelcome Home,directed byJames Cruze.[9]
Warner Brothersdid two sound film adaptations. In 1932,Archie MayodirectedThe Expert,starringChic Sale.In 1939,Terry O. MorsedirectedNo Place to Go,starringDennis Morgan.
References
[edit]- ^Ferber, Edna (1924).Old Man Minick. A Short Story. By Edna Ferber. Minick. A Play Based on the Short Story. By E. Ferber and George S. Kaufman, Etc.London – viaGoogle Books.
{{cite book}}
:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^Hischak, Thomas S. (2009).Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts of More Than 14,000 Shows through 2007.McFarland. p.301.ISBN978-0-7864-5309-2.
- ^abMeredith 1974,p.228.
- ^"Old Man Minickan Unusual Play ".The Hartford Courant.September 7, 1924. p. 3.1 – viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Minick".Internet Broadway Database.RetrievedJanuary 11,2023.
- ^Meredith 1974,p.229.
- ^"New Plays".Time.October 6, 1924 – via EBSCOhost.
- ^Young, Stark (September 25, 1924). "The Play".New York Times.ProQuest103350919
- ^Hall, Mourdant (May 18, 1925). "Minick".New York Times.ProQuest103477269
Works cited
[edit]- Meredith, Scott(1974).George S. Kaufman and His Friends.Doubleday.ISBN978-0-385-01566-0.