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Morning's at Seven

 
American Theater Guide: Morning's at Seven
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Morning's at Seven (1939), a comedy by Paul Osborn. [ Longacre Theatre, 44 perf.] The Swansons and the Boltons have lived side by side in a small American town for more than fifty years. Cora Swanson (Jean Adair) and Ida Bolton (Kate McComb) are sisters, so there is particular reason for excitement when the youngster of the clans, forty‐year‐old Homer Bolton (John Alexander), decides to marry his thirty‐nine‐year‐old sweetheart, Myrtle Brown (Enid Markey), to whom he has been engaged for many years. The excitement, however, is not all to the good. It makes old Carl Bolton (Russell Collins) more aware of his “spells” of introspection; causes Esther Crampton (Effie Shannon), Cora and Ida's sister, to have a falling out with her husband David (Herbert Yost); and prompts Cora to ask yet another sister, Aaronetta Gibbs (Dorothy Gish), a spinster who has been living with the Swansons, to move out. By the time Homer and Myrtle are ready to settle down, everything has been happily resolved: Aaronetta is to move across the yard and live with the Boltons. Although the play opened to excellent reviews, the Dwight Deere Wiman production found only a small public. Burns Mantle attributed the failure to the spate of fine comedies that had preceded it that season, most notably The Man Who Came to Dinner and Life with Father. A superb 1980 revival on Broadway confirmed the play's merits and ran over a year, making the old comedy a favorite in summer, community, and regional theatres. A 2002 mounting on Broadway was also well received.

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Wikipedia: Morning's at Seven
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This article is about the play. For the Eric Malpass novel, see Morning's at Seven (novel).
Poster for the 2002 Broadway revival

Morning's at Seven is a play by Paul Osborn.

Its plot focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1938, and it deals with ramifications within the family when two of them begin to question their lives and decide to make some changes before it’s too late.

The original Broadway production, directed by Joshua Logan, opened on November 30, 1939 at the Longacre Theatre, where it ran for 44 performances. The cast included Dorothy Gish, Jean Adair, Enid Markey, and Kate McComb.

After 16 previews, the first Broadway revival, directed by Vivian Matalon, opened on April 10, 1980 at the Lyceum Theatre, where it ran for 564 performances. The cast included Nancy Marchand, Maureen O'Sullivan, Elizabeth Wilson, Teresa Wright, Lois DeBanzie, and David Rounds.

In 1982 Matalon directed a television broadcast of the play with O'Sullivan, Wilson, Wright, and Kate Reid replacing Marchand.

After 27 previews, the second Broadway revival, directed by Daniel Sullivan, opened on April 21, 2002 once again at the Lyceum, where it ran for 112 performances. The cast included Elizabeth Franz, Frances Sternhagen, Estelle Parsons, Piper Laurie, Julie Hagerty, Buck Henry, Christopher Lloyd, William Biff McGuire, and Stephen Tobolowsky.

Over the decades since it was written, the play has proven to be a popular choice for regional, community, and summer stock theatre productions.

1980 awards and nominations

  • Tony Award for Best Reproduction (winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (Vivian Matalon, winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (David Rounds, winner)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Lois DeBanzie, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Rounds, winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (DeBanzie, winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance (winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play (Matalon, winner)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design (nominee)

2002 nominations

  • Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (William Biff McGuire and Stephen Tobolowsky, nominees)
  • Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (Elizabeth Franz, Estelle Parsons, and Frances Sternhagen, nominees)
  • Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
  • Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (Daniel Sullivan, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play (nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Franz, nominee)
  • Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design of a Play (nominee)

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This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
 

 

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American Theater Guide. The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. Copyright © 2004 by Oxford University Press, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Morning's at Seven".  Read more

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