''Mary, Mary'' is a play by Jean Kerr. After two previews, the Broadway production opened on March 8, 1961, at the original Helen Hayes Theatre, where it ran for nearly three years and nine months before transferring to the Morosco, where it closed on December 12, 1964, after 1572 performances, making it the longest-running non-musical Broadway play of the 1960s.

Production

Directed by Joseph Anthony, the original cast starred Barbara Bel Geddes as Mary, Barry Nelson as Bob, Michael Rennie as Dirk, John Cromwell as Oscar, and

Betsy Von Furstenberg Elizabeth Caroline Maria Agatha Felicitas Therese, Graf, Gräfin von Fürstenberg-Herdringen (August 16, 1931 – April 21, 2015), known as Betsy von Furstenberg, was a German-born American actress who starred in several Broadway theatre, Broadw ...

as Tiffany. Bel Geddes was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Actress in a Play. Later in the run, Nancy Olson and Inger Stevens were among those who assumed the role of Mary, while Bob was portrayed by George Grizzard, Murray Hamilton, and Tom Poston. Hiram Sherman replaced Cromwell as Oscar, Edward Mulhare and Michael Wilding appeared as Dirk, and Carrie Nye was cast as Tiffany. The London production opened in February 1963 with Maggie Smith in the role of Mary. The play became extremely popular at summer stock theatres, with notable productions including Shari Lewis and Alvin Epstein at the Bucks County Playhouse and real-life married couple Craig Stevens and Alexis Smith at the Shady Grove Theatre. Bob was played by Chuck Connors at the Sahara Tahoe Casino in 1972, and Farley Granger played the role in an Equity stock company production in Queens in 1977. ''Mary, Mary'' was revived off-off-Broadway in 2019 by Retro Productions.

Plot

The plot focuses on wisecracking cynic Mary and infuriatingly-sensible Bob, who have recently divorced and have not seen each other in nine months. They meet at his apartment in hopes that they can avert an audit by the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

, and a snowstorm forces Mary to spend the night. The next morning, mutual friend and lawyer Oscar, Hollywood-heartthrob neighbor Dirk Winston, and Bob's considerably-younger fiancée Tiffany arrive on the scene. The comedy's humor is derived from discussions about

income tax An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...

es, marriage, alimony, divorce, remarriage, extramarital affairs, weight-loss programs, exercise, and sex.

Film

Richard L. Breen adapted Kerr's play for a 1963 film version directed by

Mervyn LeRoy Mervyn LeRoy (; October 15, 1900 – September 13, 1987) was an American film director and producer. During the 1930s, he was one of the two great practitioners of economical and effective film directing at Warner Bros., Warner Brothers studios, ...

. Nelson, Rennie, and Sherman reprised their stage roles, with Debbie Reynolds as Mary and Diane McBain as Tiffany. It opened at Radio City Music Hall to lukewarm reviews. The play ran far longer than the movie.Wilmeth, Don B. and Miller, Tice L. ''Cambridge guide to American theatre'' (1996), Cambridge University Press, , p. 252

References

External links

* (play) * (play) * {{IMDb title, qid=Q6778694, title=Mary, Mary (film) 1961 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films