| Whose Life Is It Anyway? | |
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| Written by | Brian Clark |
| Characters | Ken Harrison Dr. Scott Dr. Emerson Mrs. Boyle Andrew Eden Dr. Barr Mr. Justice Millhouse John Peter Kershaw Sister Anderson Dr. Paul Travers Kay Sadler Philip Hill |
| Date premiered | 1978 |
| Place premiered | Mermaid Theatre London, England |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Accident victim, paralysed from the neck down, fights for the right to die. |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | a London hospital |
| IBDB profile | |
Whose Life Is It Anyway? is a play by Brian Clark adapted from his 1972 television play of the same title. The play premiered at the Mermaid Theatre in London's West End in 1978 starring Tom Conti as Ken.
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Plot
Set in a hospital room, the action revolves around Ken Harrison, a sculptor by profession, who was paralysed from the neck down (quadriplegia) in a car accident and is determined to be allowed to die. Clark presented arguments both in favour of and opposing euthanasia and to what extent government should be allowed to interfere in the life of a private citizen. In portraying Ken as a bright, witty, vibrant mind trapped in a useless body, he left the audience with conflicting feelings about his desire to end his life.
Productions
After nine previews, the drama, produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, opened at the Trafalgar Theatre (renamed the Nederlander Theatre) in New York City on April 17, 1979 and ran for 223 performances. It marked the Broadway debut of Conti, who was joined by Jean Marsh and Philip Bosco. Conti was nominated for a Drama Desk Award and won the 1979 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play. Both the play itself and Lindsay-Hogg were nominated as well.
The play, again directed by Lindsay-Hogg, was revived on Broadway, at the Royale Theatre, where it opened on February 24, 1980 after nine previews. A gender reversal found Mary Tyler Moore in the lead role, rechristened Claire, and James Naughton as her now-male doctor. Josef Sommer rounded out the principal cast. The play ran for 96 performances. Moore was nominated for a Drama Desk Award as Outstanding Actress in a Play and won a special 1980 Tony Award for her performance.
Husband and wife Laurence Luckinbill and Lucie Arnaz starred in the national tour of the play. The two rotated playing the patient (Ken/Claire) and doctor.
Adaptations
Whose Life Is It Anyway? was adapted from Clark's own television film of the same title directed by Richard Everitt starring Ian McShane.
A film adapted by Reginald Rose and directed by John Badham was released in 1981, starring Richard Dreyfuss, John Cassavetes, and Christine Lahti.
Author David Benedictus adapted the play into a novel, which was also released in 1981.
Awards and nominations
- Awards
- 1978 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
- 1979 Selection, Burns Mantle, The Best Plays of 1978-1979[1]
- Nominations
- 1979 Tony Award for Best Play
References
- ^ Guernsey Jr. (Ed.), Otis L. (1979). The Best Plays of 1978-1979. New York & Toronto: Dodd, Mead & Company. pp. 299-314. ISBN 0-396-07723-4.
- Clark, Brian (1974). Whose Life Is It Anyway? A Full-Length Play (First edition ed.). Chicago: Dramatic Publishing Co. OCLC 3530311.
External links
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? at the Internet Broadway Database
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1972 film) at the Internet Movie Database
- Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981 film) at the Internet Movie Database
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