''La Bête'' (1991) is a comedy by American playwright,
David Hirson
David Hirson (born 1958) is an American dramatist, best known for his award-winning Broadway comedies, '' La Bête'' and ''Wrong Mountain''.
Biography
Hirson was born in New York City to actress Alice and playwright Roger O. Hirson. He was educ ...
. Written in rhymed couplets of
iambic pentameter
Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called "feet". "Iambi ...
, the
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
-inspired story, set in 17th-century France, pits dignified, stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe, against the foppish, frivolous street entertainer Valere, whom the troupe's patron, Prince Conti, wishes them to bring aboard. Despite Elomire's violent objections, the company is forced to perform one of Valere's own plays, which results in dramatic changes to the future of Elomire, Valere, and the company itself.
Performance history
Following 15 previews, the
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 ...
production, produced by
Stuart Ostrow
Stuart Ostrow (born February 8, 1932) is an American theatrical producer and theatre director, director, professor, and author.
Early life
Stuart Ostrow was born in 1932 in New York City to Abe and Anna Ostrow. He attended The High School of Music ...
and
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
and directed by
Richard Jones, opened on February 10, 1991 at the
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre, previously the Forrest Theatre and the Coronet Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 230 West 49th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and ...
, where it ran for only 25 performances. The cast included
Dylan Baker
Dylan Baker (born October 7, 1959) is an American actor. He gained recognition for his roles in the films such as ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''Happiness'' (1998), '' Thirteen Days'' (2000), ''Road to Perdition'' (2002), ''Spider-M ...
,
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 ...
,
John Michael Higgins
John Michael Higgins (born February 12, 1963) is an American actor and comedian whose film credits include Christopher Guest's mockumentaries, the role of David Letterman in HBO's '' The Late Shift'', and a starring role in the American versio ...
,
Tom McGowan
Thomas McGowan (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He first became known for his stage career both on and off Broadway. In 1991, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in ...
,
William Mesnik William Mesnik (born May 21, 1953, age 68) is an American character actor, musician and playwright who appeared in numerous films and television series of the 1990s and 2000s.
He started his career as a singer-songwriter in the mid-1970s, playing ...
,
Suzie Plakson
Suzie Plakson is an American actress.
Early life and education
Born Susan Plaksin in Buffalo, New York, she was raised in Kingston, Pennsylvania and attended Northwestern University.
Career
Plakson began her career on the stage, and playe ...
, and
James Greene.
Its Broadway run generated a loss of $2.3 million, making it one of the biggest lossmakers for a non-musical play on Broadway at the time.
The subsequent
West End production was a critical and commercial success and won the
Laurence Olivier Award
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 Comedy. The London cast included
Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...
,
Jeremy Northam
Jeremy Philip Northam (born 1 December 1961) is an English actor and singer. After a number of television roles, he earned attention as Mr. Knightley in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen's '' Emma''. He has appeared in the films ''An Ideal ...
,
Timothy Walker and
Simon Treves
Frederick Simon Treves (born 19 June 1957) is an England, English actor, theatre director, director and writer, best known for playing Harold Pinker, Harold 'Stinker' Pinker in three series of ITV Network, ITV's ''Jeeves and Wooster''. In 2018 ...
.
Despite its failure on Broadway, the play has been a popular choice of
regional theatre groups throughout the years.
Mark Rylance
Sir David Mark Rylance Waters (born 18 January 1960) is a British actor, playwright and theatre director. He is known for his roles on stage and screen having received numerous awards including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Laurenc ...
,
David Hyde Pierce
David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen ...
and
Joanna Lumley
Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...
starred in a new production in 2010, which premiered in London's West End before transferring to Broadway.
Matthew Warchus
Matthew Warchus (born 24 October 1966) is a British theatre director, filmmaker, lyricist, and playwright. He has been the Artistic Director of London's The Old Vic since September 2015.
Personal life
Warchus is married to American actress Lau ...
directed the revival, which played from June 26 until September 4, 2010 at the Comedy Theatre, and then transferred to Broadway. Previews began at the
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theatre is a Broadway theater at 239 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1921, the Music Box Theatre was designed by C. Howard Crane in a Palladian-inspir ...
on September 23, 2010 with an official opening on October 14, 2010.
[Probst, Andy]
La Bête, Starring David Hyde Pierce, Joanna Lumley, Mark Rylance, to Play Broadway's Music Box Theatre"
theatermania.com, May 24, 2010
Awards and nominations
;Awards
* 1991
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 New Playwright
* 1992
Olivier Award
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 Comedy of the Year
;Nominations
*
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 ...
for Best Actor in Play (McGowan)
*Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play (Baker)
*Tony Award for Best Scenic Design
*Tony Award for Best Lighting Design
*Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play
*
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...
for Outstanding New Play
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play (McGowan)
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play (Baker)
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costumes
*Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Set Design
References
*
Further reading
*
External links
*
1991 plays
Plays based on works by Molière
Broadway plays
Comedy plays
Plays by David Hirson
Laurence Olivier Award-winning plays
West End plays
Plays set in France
Plays set in the 17th century
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