| A Day in the Death of Joe Egg | |
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 2001 West End revival theatrical poster |
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| Written by | Peter Nichols |
| Date premiered | 1967 |
| Place premiered | Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Scotland |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Parents with a child with cerebral palsy use humour to cope |
| Genre | Comedy |
| Setting | present day, Bristol, England |
| IBDB profile | |
| IOBDB profile | |
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is a 1967 play by English playwright Peter Nichols, first staged at the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow, Scotland before transferring to London's West End theatres in 1968.
Contents |
Plot summary
- Characters
- Bri
- Grace
- Joe
- Freddie
- Pam
- Sheila
The play centers on a British couple who are struggling to save their marriage whilst trying to raise their only child, a small girl with cerebral palsy. She uses a wheelchair and is unable to communicate. Caring for her has occupied nearly every moment of her parent's lives since her birth, and this has taken a heavy toll on their marriage.
Sheila, her mother, gives Josephine as much of a life as she can while Bri wants the child institutionalised and has begun to entertain chilling fantasies of killing himself and Josephine.
Productions
After its premiere in Glasgow in 1967, A Day in the Death of Joe Egg opened in London's West End in 1967 then transferred to Broadway the next year. On Broadway, the play was nominated for 4 Tony Awards including Best Play, Best Actor (Albert Finney), Best Actress (Zena Walker) and Best Director (Michael Blakemore). Walker won the Tony for Best Actress.
The play has been revived twice on Broadway. A 1985 revival staged at the Longacre Theatre ran for 93 performances. It was directed by Arvin Brown and the cast included Jim Dale, Stockard Channing, Joanna Gleason, Christina Pickles, and Kate Wilkinson. The production won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival.
A 2001 revival on London's West End starred Clive Owen and Victoria Hamilton and was directed by Laurence Boswell. The same production opened on Broadway in 2003 at the American Airlines Theatre and played for 69 performances. It starred Eddie Izzard and Victoria Hamilton.
Film adaptations
Nichols adapted A Day in the Death of Joe Egg for two films, first in 1970, and again in 2002. The 1970 feature film was directed by Peter Medak, starring Alan Bates, Janet Suzman, Joan Hickson, Peter Bowles and Elizabeth Robillard but went unreleased until 1972. The 2002 television film was directed by Robin Lough, with stars, Eddie Izzard, Prunella Scales, and Robin Weaver.
Awards and nominations
- Awards
- 1985 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival
- 1985 Outer Critics Circle Awards Best Revival
- 1985 Tony Award for Best Reproduction of a Play
- Nominations
- 1968 Tony Award for Best Play
- 2003 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play
- 2003 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Play
References
Further reading
- Nichols, Peter (1967). A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (First edition ed.). London: Faber & Faber. OCLC 254709626.
External links
- A Day in the Death of Joe Egg at the Internet Broadway Database
- A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1985 revival) at the Internet Broadway Database
- A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (2003 revival) at the Internet Broadway Database
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