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''Machinal'' is a 1928 play by American
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
Sophie Treadwell Sophie Anita Treadwell (October 3, 1885 – February 20, 1970) was an American playwright and journalist of the first half of the 20th century. She is best known for her play ''Machinal'' which is often included in drama anthologies as an exampl ...
, inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder. Its Broadway premiere, directed by
Arthur Hopkins Arthur Hopkins (October 4, 1878 – March 22, 1950) was a well-known Broadway theater director and producer in the early twentieth century. Between 1912 and 1948, he produced and staged more than 80 plays – an average of more than two per year â ...
, is considered one of the highpoints of
Expressionist theatre Expressionism was a movement in drama and theatre that principally developed in Germany in the early decades of the 20th century. It was then popularized in the United States, Spain, China, the U.K., and all around the world. Similar to the broader ...
on the
American stage 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 ...
. ''Machinal'' has appeared on a variety of lists of the greatest plays.


Synopsis

A young woman works as a low-level stenographer and lives with her mother. She follows the rituals that society expects of a woman, however resistant she may feel about them. She subsequently marries her boss, whom she finds repulsive. After having a baby with him, she has an affair with a younger man who fuels her lust for life. Driven to murder her husband, she is convicted of the crime and is executed in the electric chair.


Production

Produced and directed by
Arthur Hopkins Arthur Hopkins (October 4, 1878 – March 22, 1950) was a well-known Broadway theater director and producer in the early twentieth century. Between 1912 and 1948, he produced and staged more than 80 plays – an average of more than two per year â ...
, ''Machinal'' opened on Broadway at the
Plymouth Theatre Plymouth Theatre or Plymouth Theater may refer to: * Plymouth Theatre (Boston) * Plymouth Theatre (Worcester) * Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, New York City, formerly the Plymouth Theatre * H Street Playhouse The H Street Playhouse was a black box ...
on September 7, 1928, and closed on November 24, 1928, after 91 performances. The scenic design was by Robert Edmond Jones, who used an open stage with a permanent background and made scene changes primarily with lighting. The play is presented in two parts, with ten scenes in the first and four in the second. The production is notable for featuring
Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
in his Broadway debut.


Cast

*
Zita Johann Zita Johann (born Elisabeth Johann; 14 July 1904 – 24 September 1993) was an Austrian-American actress. She is known for her role in Karl Freund's film '' The Mummy'' (1932) starring Boris Karloff. Life and career A German-speaking Bana ...
as A Young Woman * Millicent Green as A Telephone Girl * Grace Atwell as A Stenographer * Leopold Badia as A Filing Clerk * Conway Washburn as An Adding Clerk and A Reporter *
Jean Adair Jean Adair (born Violet McNaughton; June 13, 1873 – May 11, 1953) was a Canadian actress. She was also known as Jennet Adair. Career Born Violet McNaughton in Hamilton, Ontario, Her work as Jennet Adair in vaudeville included performing as a ...
as A Mother * George Stillwell as A Husband * Otto Frederick as A Bellboy and A Court Reporter * Nancy Allan as A Nurse * Monroe Childs as A Doctor * Hal K. Dawson as A Young Man and Third Reporter * Zenaide Ziegfeld as A Girl * Jess Sidney as A Man * Clyde Stork as A Boy *
Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
as A Man * Hugh M. Hite as Another Man and Second Reporter * John Hanley as A Waiter, A Bailiff and A Jailer * Tom Waters as A Judge * John Connery as A Lawyer for Defense * James Macdonald as A Lawyer for Prosecution * Mrs. Charles Willard as A Matron * Charles Kennedy as A Priest In Britain, the play was first performed under the title ''The Life Machine'' in 1931.


Reception

"It was unfortunate that word was sent broadcast before the first performance of ''Machinal'' that its theme and characters grew out of the notorious Snyder-Gray murder case," wrote Perriton Maxwell, editor of ''Theatre Magazine''. "The play bears no likeness to the sordid facts of that cheap tragedy … ''Machinal'' transcends the drab drama of the police court; it has a quality one finds it difficult to define, a beauty that cannot be conveyed in words, an aliveness and reality tinctured with poetic pathos which lift it to the realm of great art, greatly conceived and greatly presented." Calling ''Machinal'' "the most enthralling play of the year," Maxwell attributed the play's success to "three remarkable persons: Sophie Treadwell, Arthur Hopkins and Zita Johann." "From the sordid mess of a brutal murder the author, actors and producer of ''Machinal'' … have with great skill managed to retrieve a frail and sombre beauty of character," wrote theatre critic Brooks Atkinson of ''
The 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 ...
''. "Subdued, monotonous, episodic, occasionally eccentric in its style, ''Machinal'' is fraught with a beauty unfamiliar to the stage." Atkinson describes the play as "the tragedy of one who lacks strength; she is not adaptable; she submits. … Being the exposition of a character, stark and austere in style, ''Machinal'' makes no excuses for the tragedy it unfolds."


Adaptations and Later Productions

Adapted for television by Irving Gaynor Neiman, ''Machinal'' was presented January 18, 1954, on NBC-TV's '' Robert Montgomery Presents''. Reviewing the starring performance of Joan Lorring,
Jack Gould John Ludlow Gould (February 5, 1914 – May 24, 1993) was an American journalist and critic, who wrote commentary about television. Early life and education Gould was born in New York City into a socially prominent family and attended the Loomis ...
of ''The New York Times'' wrote that "her interpretation of the mentally tortured young woman in ''Machinal'', Sophie Treadwell's expressionistic and bitter poem for the theatre, must rank among the video season's finest accomplishments." The cast also included
Malcolm Lee Beggs Malcolm Lee Beggs (1907 – December 10, 1956) was an American stage, television and film actor. Biography The son of actor/director Lee Beggs and stage actress Doris Singleton, he began performing professionally on the stage at the age of 5. He ...
as the husband. An adaptation of ''Machinal'' aired August 14, 1960, on
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
the United Kingdom in the ABC Armchair Theatre series.
Joanna Dunham Joanna Elizabeth Dunham (6 May 1936 – 25 November 2014) was an English actress, best noted for her work on stage and television. She also appeared in several major films. Career Dunham was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, the daughter of Peter Bro ...
starred, with Donald Pleasence portraying the husband. ''Machinal'' was produced
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 ...
at the Gate Theatre, opening in April 1960, with direction by
Gene Frankel Eugene V. Frankel (December 23, 1919 – April 20, 2005) was an American actor, theater director, and acting teacher especially notable in the founding of the off-Broadway scene. Frankel served in the Army during World War II in entertainment and ...
, and featuring Delores Sutton,
Vincent Gardenia Vincent Gardenia (born Vincenzo Scognamiglio; January 7, 1920 – December 9, 1992) was an Italian-American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated twice for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, first for ''Bang the Drum Slow ...
, and Gerald O'Loughlin. In his review in ''The New York Times'', Brooks Atkinson wrote "Gene Frankel has added modernistic details that visualize the inhumanity of the background... Ballou's cold settings, Lee Watson's macabre lighting complete the design of one of Off-Broadway's most vibrant performances." The play was produced Off-Broadway by the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Public Theatre, running from September 25, 1990 to November 25, 1990. Directed by Michael Greif, the cast featured Jodie Markell (Young Woman), John Seitz (Husband), and Marge Redmond (Mother). The production won three
Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
s: for Performance (Jodie Markell), Direction, and Design (John Gromada). ''Machinal'' was revived by the
Royal National Theatre The Royal National Theatre in London, commonly known as the National Theatre (NT), is one of the United Kingdom's three most prominent publicly funded performing arts venues, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Opera House. I ...
in London in a production directed by Stephen Daldry.From the programme to the production. It opened on 15 October 1993 with
Fiona Shaw Fiona Shaw (born Fiona Mary Wilson; 10 July 1958) is an Irish film and theatre actress. She is known for her roles as Petunia Dursley in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2001–2010), Marnie Stonebrook in the fourth season of the HBO serie ...
as the Young Woman,
Ciarán Hinds Ciarán Hinds (; born 9 February 1953) is an Irish actor. Born in Belfast, Hinds is known for a range of screen and stage roles. He has starred in feature films including '' The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' (1989), ''Persuasion'' (19 ...
as the Man, and John Woodvine as the Husband. The scenic design, which included a large metal grid that moved into different positions for the play's different scenes, was by Ian MacNeil, costumes were by Clare Mitchell, lighting design was by Rick Fisher, with music by Stephen Warbeck. A production directed b
Risa Brainin
was included in the 2000/2001 season by Missouri Repertory Theatre. A revival opened on Broadway in a
Roundabout Theatre The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres. History The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizab ...
production at the
American Airlines Theatre The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1918, it was designed by George Keister and developed by brothe ...
on January 16, 2014, directed by Lyndsey Turner, featuring Rebecca Hall,
Michael Cumpsty Michael Cumpsty (born 28 February 1960) is a British actor. He has been acting since childhood. He has worked extensively performing Shakespeare, as well as both musicals and dramas on Broadway. He also performs in films and on television. Lif ...
, Suzanne Bertish and
Morgan Spector Morgan Michael Spector (born October 4, 1980) is an American actor. Spector has appeared in the TV series ''Allegiance'' (2015), '' The Mist'' (2017), ''Homeland'' (2018), and ''Pearson'' (2019), as well as the films '' The Drop'' (2014), ''Chris ...
. A new production opened at the Almeida Theatre in London on June 4, 2018, directed by
Natalie Abrahami Natalie Abrahami is a British theatre, film and opera director. She was Associate Director and Genesis Fellow at the Young Vic in London 2013-16 and Associate Artist at Hull Truck Theatre. From 2007–12 she was joint Artistic Director of the ...
. A production of ''Machinal'' was presented at Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA on September 27–30, 2018, directed by Lou Jacob, Baker Artist-in-Residence. A production, advised by the Tony-nominated lighting designer of the 2014 Broadway revival production, opened at Princeton University in January 2019. A production of ''Machinal'' was presented at the Bolton Theater at Kenyon College, Gambier, OH on February 1–2, 2019, directed by Anton Dudley and starring Delilah Draper, Teddy Fischer and Alec Ogihara. A production of ''Machinal'' was presented by the Richard Burton Theatre Company at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff in February 2019. A production of ''Machinal'' was presented by the CBU Boardmore Theatre Company at the Boardmore Playhouse,
Cape Breton University , "Diligence Will Prevail" , mottoeng = Perseverance Will Triumph , established = 1951 as Xavier Junior College 1968 as NSEIT 1974 as College Of Cape Breton 1982 as University College of Cape Breton 2005 as Cape Breton ...
, in Cape Breton Regional Municipality,
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
, Canada in February 2019. A production of ''Machinal'' was presented by the College of Saint Rose Theatre Company at the
College of Saint Rose The College of Saint Rose is a private Roman Catholic college in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1920 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet as a women's college. It became fully co-educational in 1969; the following year, the college ad ...
, in Albany, New York from April 4 to 7 of 2019. A production of ''Machinal'' was translated and adapted in Filipino ("Makinal") by thesis students in the University of the Philippines Diliman, in April 2019. The play was adapted to take place in the 80s for
University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...
's Drama Society production of ''Machinal'', which was presented at the
Bloomsbury Theatre The Bloomsbury Theatre is a theatre on Gordon Street, Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, owned by University College London. The Theatre has a seating capacity of 547 and offers a professional programme of innovative music, drama, come ...
from November 18th to 20th of 2021. In this adaptation, the young woman has an affair with another woman. In September 2021,
play reading event
of ''Machinal'' was led by th
Crane Creations Theatre Company
This monthly event is hosted by professional theatre artists and aims to spread awareness of playwrights from around the globe.


Legacy

''Machinal'' was included in Burns Mantle's ''The Best Plays of 1928–29''. In 2013, ''Machinal'' was included on
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
's list of the "50 Greatest Plays of the Past 100 Years". In 2015, theatre critic Michael Billington included the play in his list of the "101 greatest plays" ever written in any western language. In 2019, ''Machinal'' was named as one of the "40 best plays of all time" by ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
''. In 2020, ''Machinal'' was included on
BroadwayWorld BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City covering Broadway, 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 ...
's list of the "101 GREATEST PLAYS of the Past 100 Years". Accolades The Royal National Theatre production won three 1994
Laurence Olivier Awards The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known as ...
, for Best Revival of a Play or Comedy, for Fiona Shaw as Best Actress and Stephen Daldry as Best Director of a Play. Ian MacNeil was nominated as Best Set Designer. The 2014 Broadway production received four 2014
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 ...
nominations: Best Scenic Design of a Play (
Es Devlin Esmeralda "Es" Devlin (; born 24 September 1971) is an English artist and stage designer who works in a range of media, often mapping light and projected film onto kinetic sculptural forms. Early life Devlin was born in Kingston upon Thames, ...
), Best Costume Design of a Play (Michael Krass), Best Lighting Design of a Play (Jane Cox) and Best Sound Design of a Play (Matt Tierney).Gans, Andrew
"68th Annual Tony Awards Nominations Announced; 'Gentleman's Guide' Leads the Pack"
playbill.com, April 29, 2014


References


Sources

* Treadwell, Sophie. 1993. ''Machinal.'' London: Nick Hern Books and Royal National Theatre, London. .


External links

* * * {{OlivierAward PlayRevival 1991–2000 1928 plays Broadway plays Expressionist plays Mariticide in fiction Off-Broadway plays Plays based on actual events Plays by Sophie Treadwell West End plays