''Billy Budd'' is a play by

Louis O. Coxe Louis Osborne Coxe (April 15, 1918 – May 25, 1993) was an American poet, playwright, essayist, and professor who was recognized by the Academy of American Poets for his "long, powerful, quiet accomplishment, largely unrecognized, in lyric ...

and Robert H. Chapman based on

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American people, American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his bes ...

's novella of the same name. Originally titled ''Uniform of Flesh'', the play premiered

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

in 1949. Coxe and Chapman restructured and retitled the work for its

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

debut in 1951. The revised version was a critical success, winning the

Donaldson Award The Donaldson Awards were a set of theatre awards established in 1944 by the drama critic Robert Francis in honor of W. H. Donaldson (1864–1925), the founder of ''The Billboard'' (now ''Billboard'') magazine. Categories included "best new pla ...

for Best First Play and the

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

for Best Play in 1951. In 1952 the play was adapted for the television anthology series ''

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The title was shortened to ''Schlitz Playhouse ...

'', and

Peter Ustinov Sir Peter Alexander Ustinov (born Peter Alexander Freiherr von Ustinov ; 16 April 192128 March 2004) was a British actor, filmmaker and writer. An internationally known raconteur, he was a fixture on television talk shows and lecture circuits ...

adapted the play into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

which premiered in 1962.

Plot

Set aboard the British naval vessel HMS ''Indomitable'' at sea in 1798, Billy Budd is a handsome, young, pure hearted and impressionable man who is the representation of good in the play. His counter is John Claggart, the Master of Arms, who is sadistic, bitter, and hates life. Claggart becomes envious of Billy's popularity with the crew and falsely accuses him of mutiny. Unable to defend himself due to a stutter condition which renders him unable to speak, Budd lashes out at Claggart in frustration and accidentally kills him. Although the crew comprehend that Claggart's death was not motivated by murderous intent, under the law Budd is guilty of killing a superior officer and is condemned to be hanged.

Original version: ''Uniform of Flesh''

In its original version, ''Uniform of Flesh'', the play was structured in two acts and nine scenes. It premiered

on January 29, 1949, at the Lenox Hill Theatre. Directed by

Norris Houghton Charles Norris Houghton (26 December 1909 – 9 October 2001) was an American stage manager, scenic designer, producer, director, theatre manager, academic, author, and public policy advocate. Houghton is known as an American expert in 20th-centur ...

, the original cast included

Charles Nolte Charles Nolte (November 3, 1923 – January 14, 2010) was an American stage and film actor, director, playwright, and educator. Career Nolte was born in Duluth, Minnesota and moved to Wayzata, Minnesota with his family in the early 1930s. ...

in the title role; Peter Hobbs as John Claggart, Master-at-Arms; Tom McDermott as Captain Fairfax; Martin Brandt as Dansker; Winston Ross as First Officer Michael Seymour; Preston Hanson as Lieutenant Ratcliffe;

Robert McQueeney Robert McQueeney (March 5, 1919 – April 24, 2002) was an American actor, best known for television roles during the 1950s and 1960s. During and after his acting career, he also worked as a golf pro and instructor. Acting career A versatile c ...

as Lieutenant Wyatt; Carl Shelton as the Surgeon;

Lee Marvin Lee Marvin (born Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.; February 19, 1924August 29, 1987) was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Alth ...

as Quartermaster Payne; John Fisher as Midshipman Gardiner; Everett Dwight as Midshipman Rea; Paul Anderson as Jenkins; Anthony Carr as Kincaid; Sherman Lloyd as O'Daniel; Guy Tano as the Butler; and

Wynn Handman Wynn Handman (May 19, 1922 – April 11, 2020) was the Artistic Director of The American Place Theatre, which he co-founded with Sidney Lanier and Michael Tolan in 1963. His role in the theatre was to seek out, encourage, train, and present n ...

as Sentry Hallam.

Revised version: ''Billy Budd''

Coxe and Chapman reworked portions of the play; changing its structure to 3 Acts and 4 scenes. Describing the experience of revising the play, Chapman stated, "We did it in six days over a barrel of martinis. God, what a wonderful time it was!" The work was retitled ''Billy Budd'', and was first presented in

tryout ''Tryout'' was an amateur press journal published from 1914 to 1946 by Charles W. Smith of Haverhill, Massachusetts. It was connected to the National Amateur Press Association. Smith (1852–1948) was a friend and correspondent of H. P. Lovecraft ...

performances at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, from January 25 to 28, 1951; and at the

Forrest Theatre The Forrest Theatre is a live theatre venue at 1114 Walnut Street Center City area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It has a seating capacity of 1,851 and is managed by The Shubert Organization.

in Philadelphia from January 29 to February 3, 1951. ''Billy Budd'' debuted on

on February 10, 1951, at the Biltmore Theatre. Norris Houghton also directed the Broadway production, and the work was produced by Chandler Cowles and Anthony B. Farrell. Several cast members continued with the production, including Nolte in the title role. Recast roles or added roles included

Dennis King Dennis King (born Dennis Pratt, 2 November 1897 – 21 May 1971) was an English actor and singer. Early years Born on 2 November 1897 in Coventry, Warwickshire, or Birmingham, England, King was the son of John and Elizabeth King Pratt. He ...

as Captain Fairfax,

Torin Thatcher Torin Herbert Erskine Thatcher (15 January 1905 – 4 March 1981) was a British actor who was noted for his flashy portrayals of screen villains. Personal life Thatcher was born in Bombay, British India, to British parents, Torin James Blair T ...

as John Claggart,

Walter Burke Walter Lawrence Burke (August 25, 1908 – August 4, 1984) was an American character actor of stage, film, and television whose career in entertainment spanned over a half century. Although he was a native of New York, Burke's Irish ancest ...

as O'Daniel,

Norman Ettlinger Norman Ettlinger (20 January 1920 – 1979), was an English actor who appeared in ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' as his colleague Percy Hoskins. He also played many other roles, both on stage and screen. He notably portrayed Boardman Wyatt in the ...

as Boardman Wyatt, Robert Dudley as a Sailor,

Bernard Kates Bernard Kates (December 26, 1922 – February 2, 2010) was an American actor on television, in movies and on the stage. Serving as a bomber pilot during World War II, Kates earned an Air Medal with three clusters and a Distinguished Flying Cro ...

as Squeak, and Jack Manning as Gardiner. Paul Morrison designed the sets, and the costumes were designed by

Ruth Morley Ruth Morley (November 19, 1925 – February 12, 1991) was an Austrian-born American costume designer, active from the late 1950s through 1991. She was nominated for Best Costumes-Black and White for her work on ''The Miracle Worker'' during t ...

. A critical success, the play won the

for Best First Play and the

for Best Play in 1951. The play was the

New York Drama Critics' Circle The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 22 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization is best known for its annual awards for excellence in theater.Jone ...

's runner-up for best play, losing by just two votes to

Sidney Kingsley Sidney Kingsley (22 October 1906 – 20 March 1995) was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Men in White'' in 1934. Life and career Kingsley was born Sidney Kirschner in New York. He studied at ...

's ''Darkness at Noon''. ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' critic

Brooks Atkinson Justin Brooks Atkinson (November 28, 1894 – January 14, 1984) was an American theatre critic. He worked for ''The New York Times'' from 1922 to 1960. In his obituary, the ''Times'' called him "the theater's most influential reviewer of his ...

wrote,

Mr. Coxe and Mr. Chapman have written an extraordinarily skillful play that begins casually enough with the gossip and groaning of the crew. But gradually it moves out of familiar things into the tension of a moral problem that tightens the whole ship and challenges the universe ... ''Billy Budd'' has size and depth as well as color and excitement.

While reviews of ''Billy Budd'' were highly complimentary, the production struggled to draw large audiences and turn a profit. The play closed its twelve-week run on May 12, 1951, after 105 performances. In 1952 the play was adapted for the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

television anthology series ''

''.

Walter Hampden Walter Hampden Dougherty (June 30, 1879 in Brooklyn – June 11, 1955 in Los Angeles), known professionally as Walter Hampden, was an American actor and theatre manager. He was a major stage star on Broadway in New York who also made numerous ...

portrayed Captain Fairfax, with Nolte and Hobbs reprising their roles from the stage production. The play has been revived infrequently, most notably Off-Broadway at the Phoenix Theatre in 1955; by the Equity Community Theatre in 1959; and in several student productions in the theatre departments of American universities.

adapted the play into a film in 1962; penning the screenplay, producing, directing, and starring as Captain Fairfax.

References

External links

Billy Budd at IBDB
{{Billy Budd 1949 plays 1951 plays Adaptations of works by Herman Melville Broadway plays Donaldson Award winners