Romantic Comedy (play)
| Romantic Comedy | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Bernard Slade |
| Characters |
Phoebe Craddock Jason Carmichael |
| Date premiered | November 8, 1979 |
| Place premiered |
Ethel Barrymore Theatre New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Two playwrights collaborate over the course of nine years |
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
Romantic Comedy is a play by Bernard Slade, author of Same Time, Next Year.
The plot focuses on Phoebe Craddock and Jason Carmichael, playwrights who meet and decide to collaborate just as he is getting married. Their relationship produces first a failure and then a string of successes, and their repartée remains sharp and witty as their unrequited interest in each other gathers energy over a nine-year period, until some resolution finally is in sight.
Following eleven previews, the Broadway production opened on November 8, 1979 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, where it ran for 396 performances. The show was directed by Joseph Hardy, scenery by Douglas W. Schmidt, costumes by Jane Greenwood, and lighting by Tharon Musser.The original cast included Mia Farrow (Phoebe Craddock), Anthony Perkins (Jason Carmichael), Carole Cook (Blanche Dailey), Holly Palance (Allison St. James), Greg Mullavey (Leo Janowitz), and Deborah May (Kate Mallory). Benay Venuta and Keith Baxter were replacements later.
In 1983, Slade adapted his play for a feature film directed by Arthur Hiller.
References
- The Best Plays of 1979-1980 (1980), New York: Dodd, Mead, and Company, Inc., ISBN 0-396-07907-5