''Father's Day'' is a 1971 play written by

Oliver Hailey Oliver Hailey (July 7, 1932January 23, 1993) was an American screenwriter and playwright. Hailey's television writing credits include episodes of ''Bracken's World'' and ''McMillan & Wife''. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for writin ...

. The play is a "

dark comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

" that follows three divorced women who reside in the same apartment building, exploring their post-divorce lives and their relationships with their ex-husbands. It was first produced on

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 ...

and opened at the

John Golden Theatre The John Golden Theatre, formerly the Theatre Masque and Masque Theater, is a Broadway theater at 252 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1927, the Golden Theatre was ...

on March 16, 1971. The Broadway production was directed by

Donald Moffat Donald Moffat (26 December 1930 – 20 December 2018) was a British–American actor with a decades-long career in film and stage in the United States. He began his acting career on- and off-Broadway, which included appearances in ''The Wild D ...

, and starred

Ken Kercheval Kenneth Marine Kercheval (July 15, 1935 – April 21, 2019) was an American actor, best known for his role as Cliff Barnes on the television series ''Dallas'' and its 2012 revival. Early life Kercheval was born on July 15, 1935, in Wolcottvil ...

as Harold,

Biff McGuire William "Biff" McGuire (October 25, 1926 – March 9, 2021) was an American actor. Best known as Inspector Kramer in ''Nero Wolfe'' (1979). Early years McGuire attended Hamden High School and the University of Massachusetts, where he studied agr ...

as Tom, Moffat as Richard,

Jennifer Salt Jennifer Salt is an American producer, screenwriter, and former actress known for playing Eunice Tate on ''Soap'' (1977–1981). Life and career Salt was born in Los Angeles, California to screenwriter Waldo Salt and actress Mary Davenport. Sh ...

as Estelle,

Marian Seldes Marian Hall Seldes (August 23, 1928 – October 6, 2014) was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' A Delicate Balance'' in 1967, and received subsequent nominations ...

as Marian, and

Brenda Vaccaro Brenda is a feminine given name in the English language. Origin The overall accepted origin for the female name Brenda is the Old Nordic male name ''Brandr'' meaning both ''torch'' and ''sword'': evidently the male name Brandr took root in area ...

as Louise. The production closed on the same day it opened, playing a total of 16

preview Preview may refer to: Theatre, film, television * Preview (subscription service), an early subscription television service in the United States * Preview (theatre), a public performance of a theatrical show before the official opening * Preview s ...

s and one regular performance. Despite its short run, the production received nominations for Best Actress in a Play (Seldes) and Best Scenic Design (

Jo Mielziner Joseph "Jo" Mielziner (March 19, 1901 – March 15, 1976) was an American theatrical scenic, and lighting designer born in Paris, France. He was described as "the most successful set designer of the Golden era of Broadway", and worked on both sta ...

) at the

25th Tony Awards The 25th Annual Tony Awards ceremony was held on March 28, 1971, at the Palace Theatre in New York City. The ceremony was broadcast by ABC television. Hosts were Lauren Bacall, Angela Lansbury, Anthony Quayle and Anthony Quinn. The ceremony The t ...

. While the original Broadway production of ''Father's Day'' was panned by critics, Hailey continued to revise the show with subsequent revivals outside of Broadway that received more positive reviews.

References

1971 plays Black comedy plays Broadway plays Plays about marriage {{1970s-play-stub