''A Life in the Theatre'' is a 1977 play by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and '' Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first gained cri ...

. It focuses on the relationship between two actors, the play's only characters. One, Robert, is a stage veteran while John is a young, promising actor. As the play goes on they are involved in a variety of productions, and gradually their relationship begins to change.

Production history

It was first produced in the US at the

Goodman Theatre Goodman Theatre is a professional theater company located in Chicago's Loop. A major part of the Chicago theatre scene, it is the city's oldest currently active nonprofit theater organization. Part of its present theater complex occupies the la ...

, Chicago,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

, in February 1977, with

Mike Nussbaum Myron G. Nussbaum (born December 29, 1923) is an American actor and director. Early years Nussbaum was born to a Jewish family and grew up in the Albany Park area of Chicago. He married soon after he returned to Chicago following military ser ...

and

Joe Mantegna Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor. Mantegna began his career on stage in 1969 in the Chicago production of the musical ''Hair''. He earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Joseph Jeff ...

and directed by

Gregory Mosher Gregory Mosher (born 1949) is an American director and producer of stage productions at the Lincoln Center and Goodman Theatres, on and off-Broadway, at the Royal National Theatre, and in the West End. He is also a film director and television di ...

. It was revived at the Goodman in March 2006, directed by Artistic Director

Robert Falls Robert Falls (born March 2, 1954) is an American theater director and the current artistic director of the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, Illinois. Biography Early years Falls was born in Ashland, Illinois to Arthur Joseph Falls and Nancy (Stribl ...

. The play premiered Off-Broadway at the

Lucille Lortel Theatre The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unch ...

(then the Theatre De Lys) in October 1977 through July 1978, with

Ellis Rabb Ellis W. Rabb (June 20, 1930 – January 11, 1998) was an American actor and director who in 1959 formed the Association of Producing Artists, a theatre company that brought new works and noteworthy revivals to Broadway and to regional theatres. ...

as Robert and Peter Evans as John and directed by

Gerald Gutierrez Gerald Gutierrez (February 3, 1950 – December 29, 2003) was an American Tony Award-winning stage director. He was born and died in Brooklyn, New York. Career Gutierrez was a graduate of Midwood High School in Brooklyn, New York, and then the Jui ...

. It was again produced Off-Broadway at the Jewish Repertory Theatre in February 1992 through March 1992, with

F. Murray Abraham F. Murray Abraham (born Murray Abraham; October 24, 1939) is an American actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen, he came to prominence for his acclaimed leading role as Antonio Salieri in the drama film '' Amadeus'' (1984) for which he wo ...

as Robert and

Anthony Fusco Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descendants of Anton ...

as John. It was the featured play at UCSC's Shakespeare Santa Cruz summer festival in 1986, with

Trevor Baxter Trevor Baxter (18 November 1932 – 16 July 2017) was a British actor and playwright. He was educated at Dulwich College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Early years A postal worker's son, Baxter was born in Lewisham, London, England, an ...

and Paul Whitworth. Notable UK productions include a run at London's

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

, from February 2 to April 30, 2005 with

Patrick Stewart Sir Patrick Stewart (born 13 July 1940) is an English actor who has a career spanning seven decades in various stage productions, television, film and video games. He has been nominated for Olivier, Tony, Golden Globe, Emmy, and Screen Actors ...

as Robert and

Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in t ...

playing John, and an

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

production in 2008 by Schadenfreude Productions, with David Cann as Robert and Jonathan Rhodes as John. Another revival featuring

and

T.R. Knight Theodore Raymond Knight (born March 26, 1973) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dr. George O'Malley on the ABC medical drama television series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005–2009, 2020), which earned him a nomination for the P ...

and directed by Neil Pepe began performances on Broadway in a limited engagement, opened officially on October 12, 2010 for a 15-week run, through January 2, 2011. However, after mixed critical reviews and low box office returns, the show closed on November 28, 2010 after 24 previews and 56 regular performances. Opened for a three-week run on January 31, 2019 at The Arctic Playhouse.

Adaptations

The play was first adapted into a 1979 television film '' A Life in the Theatre'', with Peter Evans and Ellis Rabb reprising their roles from the 1977 Off-Broadway production. The play was adapted into another television movie in 1993. The teleplay was written by David Mamet. It was directed by

, and starred

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994) ...

and Jack Lemmon.

References

External links

*
A Life In The Theatre Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Life in the Theatre 1977 plays Plays by David Mamet