''The Cryptogram'' is a play by

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

. The play concerns the moment when childhood is lost. The story is set in 1959 on the night before a young boy is to go on a

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

trip with his father. The play premiered in 1994 in London, and has since been 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 th ...

in 1995 and again in London in 2006.

Productions

''The Cryptogram'' was originally produced in July 1994 at the Ambassadors Theatre in London, starring

Eddie Izzard Edward John Izzard (; born 7 February 1962) is a British stand-up comedian, actor and activist. Her comedic style takes the form of what appears to the audience as rambling whimsical monologues and self-referential pantomime. Izzard's stand- ...

and

Lindsay Duncan Lindsay Vere Duncan (born 7 November 1950) is a Scottish actress. On stage, she has won two Olivier Awards (for ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' and ''Private Lives'') and a Tony Award (for ''Private Lives''). She has starred in several plays by Ha ...

and directed by Gregory Mosher.Nathan, Joh
"Mamet’s The Cryptogram Begins London Previews Oct. 12"
Playbill.com, October 12, 2006 ''The Cryptogram'' opened at the American Repertory Theater, Boston in February 1995. It opened

at the Westside Theater Upstairs on April 13, 1995. The production was directed by David Mamet with a cast that featured Shelton Dane (John), Ed Begley, Jr. (Del) and

Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...

(Donny). The play won the

Obie 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 ...

Award, Best Play and Performance, Huffman for 1995. It was produced at the

Donmar Warehouse The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977. Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...

(London) in October 2006 through November 2006 with Kim Cattrall as Donny,

Douglas Henshall Douglas “Dougie” James Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series '' Primeval'' (2007–2011) and Detective Inspect ...

as Del and Oliver Coopersmith as John with direction by Josie Rourke. The play was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Critical reception

The ''CurtainUp'' reviewer wrote of the 2006 Donmar production: "David Mamet’s play 'The Cryptogram', about the breakup of a marriage from a child’s point of view, has a lasting impact beyond its slight sixty five minutes in the theatre.... The dialogue brims with that distinctive Mamet style of unfinished sentences and jabbing, intercepting, interrupted conversation..... The adults are very repetitive as is the boy when his stream of questions is not answered.... It seems that what we are watching is the child’s memory of the events of that night and the day, weeks later, when he has to move out of his home. There are too many gaps that seem improbable from an adult’s point of view, like Donny’s reaction to the note from her husband leaving her. No asking, Why? No talk about a meeting with her husband..... It is very difficult for English actors to play Mamet well, to get the timing perfect but under Josie Rourke’s direction this cast pulls it off."Loveridge, Lizzi
"A CurtainUp London Review.'The Cryptogram' "
CurtainUp.com, 17 October 2006

References

External links

Internet Off-Broadway Database Listing
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cryptogram, The 1994 plays Plays by David Mamet Fiction set in 1959