''Forty Carats'' is a play by
Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
original by
Pierre Barillet
Pierre Barillet (24 August 1923 – 8 January 2019) was a French playwright.
Biography
Barillet was born in Paris, France. Passionate about theatre since childhood, he wrote his first play, ''Les Héritiers'', in 1945 after being a law student. ...
and
Jean-Pierre Gredy
Jean-Pierre Grédy, often anglicised as Gredy (16 August 1920 – 6 February 2022) was a French playwright.
Biography
After studying literature and law, Grédy entered IDHEC because he wanted to write screenplays.
He wrote the screenplay for ...
, the
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
revolves around a 40-year-old
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
divorcee
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down during a vacation in
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
Their ensuing romantic interlude changes from a brief encounter to a potentially serious relationship when he turns up on her
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
doorstep to take her 17-year-old daughter on a date. Finding the attraction between them still irresistibly strong, she must overcome her resistance to a
May–December romance
Concepts of age disparity in sexual relationships, including what defines an age disparity, have developed over time and vary among societies. Differences in age preferences for mates can stem from partner availability, gender roles, and evoluti ...
while contending with her mother, ex-husband, and a
real estate
Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...
client who would like to discuss more than business.
After two previews, the
Broadway production, directed by
Abe Burrows,
opened on December 26, 1968, at the
Morosco Theatre
The Morosco Theatre was a Broadway theatre near Times Square in New York City from 1917 to 1982. It housed many notable productions and its demolition, along with four adjacent theaters, was controversial.
History
Located at 217 West 45th Stree ...
, where it ran for 780 performances. The opening-night cast included
Julie Harris (Ann Stanley),
Marco St. John (Peter Latham),
Iva Withers
Pearl Iva Edith Withers (July 7, 1917 – October 7, 2014) was a Canadian-born American actress and singer, best remembered as a replacement player who had long runs in some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's biggest musical theatre hits. From 1945-70, ...
(Mrs. Adams),
Polly Rowles
Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Rowles (January 10, 1914 – October 7, 2001 in Concord, New Hampshire) was an American actress.
Early years
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rowles was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph T. Rowles. Her father was a s ...
(Mrs. Margolin),
Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton (March 24, 1923 – September 1, 1986) was an American stage, screen, and television character actor who appeared in such films as ''Anatomy of a Murder'', ''The Hustler'', ''The Graduate'', ''Jaws'' and ''The Amityville Hor ...
(Billy Boylan),
Franklin Cover
Franklin Edward Cover (November 20, 1928 – February 5, 2006) was an American actor best known for starring in the sitcom ''The Jeffersons''. His character, Tom Willis, was half of one of the first interracial marriages to be seen on prime-time ...
(Eddy Edwards),
Glenda Farrell
Glenda Farrell (June 30, 1904 – May 1, 1971) was an American actress. Farrell personified the smart and sassy, wisecracking blonde of the Classical Hollywood films. Farrell's career spanned more than 50 years, appearing in numerous Broadwa ...
(Maud Hayes),
Gretchen Corbett (Trina Stanley),
Nancy Marchand (Mrs. Latham),
John Cecil Holm
John Cecil Holm (November 4, 1904, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – October 24, 1981, in Westerly, Rhode Island) was an American dramatist, theatre director and actor. He is best known for his 1935 play ''Three Men on a Horse'', co-written w ...
(Mr. Latham), and
Michael Nouri
Michael Nouri (born December 9, 1945) is an American screen and stage actor. He is best known for his television roles, including Dr. Neil Roberts on ''The O.C.'', Phil Grey on ''Damages'', Caleb Cortlandt on ''All My Children'', Eli David in ...
(Pat).
Julie Harris won the
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...
for Best Actress in a Play,
in the lead role and she was succeeded by
June Allyson
June Allyson (born Eleanor Geisman; October 7, 1917 – July 8, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actress, dancer, and singer.
Allyson began her career in 1937 as a dancer in short subject films and on Broadway in 1938. She sign ...
,
Joan Fontaine, and
Zsa Zsa Gabor throughout the run.
The
1973 film adaptation starred
Liv Ullmann
Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...
.
References
External links
Internet Broadway Database listing
{{Abe Burrows
1968 plays
American plays adapted into films
Broadway plays
Comedy plays
Greece in fiction
Plays based on other plays
Plays by Jay Presson Allen
Plays set in New York City