Mary, Mary - 1961 play

[Valentina3]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 7:20am

I recently ran into the text of this play. The original Broadway production ran for 1572 performances, making it one of the longest running shows of the decade. This is the summary from the wikipedia page - 

"The plot focuses on wisecracking cynic Mary and infuriatingly sensible Bob, only recently divorced and who have not seen each other in nine months, who meet at his apartment in the hope they can avert an audit by the Internal Revenue Service. A snowstorm forces Mary to spend the night, and the following morning, mutual friend and lawyer Oscar, Hollywood heartthrob and neighbor Dirk Winston, and Bob's considerably younger fiancée Tiffany arrive on the scene. The comedy's humor is derived from discussions about income taxes, marriage, alimony, divorce, remarriage, extramarital affairs, weight-loss programs, exercise, and sex."

Debbie Reynolds was in a movie version too (which I just bought and will see this weekend).

I read this and had an insane craving to see Nina Arianda play Mary.

Does anyone have memories of having seen this play?

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 7:57am

Yes, I have wonderful memories of seeing this play. It was a joy from start to finish, and one of the highlights of my theatregoing experience. When the curtain began to fall I felt so distressed.  Why did this magical evening have to come to an end? And how could I now go back to reality?

My heart sank the day it closed. How could there be a Broadway without Mary, Mary? Somehow I knew that Broadway would never be the same. Was I ever right, unfortunately.

 

Valentina,

If you liked Mary, Mary, I would recommend you read Any Wednesday, Forty Carats, and Neil Simon's sadly underrated The Star-Spangled Girl.

Updated On: 3/16/17 at 07:57 AM

[Valentina3]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 8:11am

I GOT A8 TO SAY NICE THINGS!

 

I just bought second hand copies of Any Wednesday and Forty Carats. I'll read them, thank you :)

[Dollypop]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 8:33am

I have to disagree about STAR SPANGLED GIRL. I did a summer production of it and it's a poorly constructed play that goes nowhere and has nothing to say. Audiences were mildly amused, though.

[newintown]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 8:41am

I agree that the story of Star Spangled Girl  is thin and rather inane, but it is full of some of Simon's best gags.

I love all of After Eight's recommendations, but they are that very difficult animal to pull off decades after their conception: contemporary and rather audacious plays during their time, that are now tame distant period pieces. The tourist crowd today would find them quaint at best, incomprehensible at worst.

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 10:27am

Mary, Mary ran 1,572 performances?!?!? 

I saw the film and it was so mundane. It was also stage bound because it all took place in Mary's apartment. It plays like a television sit-com. I was mildly amused by Diane McBain's character but other than that didn't see what the big deal was surrounding it.

A play about avoiding an IRS tax audit - - - how fun! 

Updated On: 3/15/17 at 10:27 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 11:05am

Well, the audit is a plot device; saying that Mary, Mary is a "play about avoiding an IRS tax audit" is like saying Oklahoma is about a box social, or Nine is about a director making a movie.

That is, the plot and the story are not the same thing: Mary, Mary is about the altering nature of love and marriage, loving the inner person rather than her appearance, stuff like that. It's a tidy play, but it told a certain story well that was important to the audience of its time.

[themysteriousgrowl]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 11:41am

 

*And is important to After Eight now.

[Valentina3]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 12:23pm

I found this movie review, and it greatly agrees with you Theater_Nerd. 

"They talk about income taxes, marriage, alimony, divorce, remarriage, extra-marital relations, diet, exercises and just plain sex"

I don't see how these topics can ever get dated, broadly speaking. Minor updates where the joke's how scandalous something was in 1960s, to make them relevant to 2017 is probably in order and necessary (short of producing it as a period piece), but I can totally see an appeal and market with decent stars.

Updated On: 3/15/17 at 12:23 PM

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 12:35pm

Valentina3 said: "I found this movie review, and it greatly agrees with you Theater_Nerd. 

"They talk about income taxes, marriage, alimony, divorce, remarriage, extra-marital relations, diet, exercises and just plain sex"

I don't see how these topics can ever get dated, broadly speaking. Minor updates where the joke is how scandalous something was in 1960s, to bring it to 2017 is probably in order and necessary (short of producing it as a period piece), but I can totally see an appeal and market with decent stars.



The original play boasted a fine cast: Barbara Bel Geddes ("Miss Ellie" on Dallas) was "Mary", Barry Nelson played "Bob".  Betsy Von Furstenberg was "Tiffany". The cast was rounded out by Michael Rennie and John Cromwell. Joesph Anthony directed.

 



The 1963 Warner Bros. movie adaptation was directed by Mervy LeRoy and starred Debbie Reynolds as "Mary", Barry Nelson as "Bob" and Diane McBain as "Tiffany". Michael Rennie reprised his stage role of "Dirk". 
 

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 12:39pm

@Valentina3: That New York Times review just about sums it all up for me as far as this play is concerned. Especially this observation:

 

What is funny about it? Nothing that I can see. The whole thing is the most unoriginal and obvious sort of stage-talk comedy. 

There must be some simple explanation of why Miss Kerr's play has run for so long, but I don't get it from this movie, which is two hours of conversational fuzz.

 

[Theater_Nerd]

Posted: 3/15/17 at 12:49pm

Valentina3 said: "I GOT A8 TO SAY NICE THINGS!
 
I just bought second hand copies of Any Wednesday and Forty Carats. I'll read them, thank you :)
 
Any Wednesday featured a Tony Award winning performance by Sandy Dennis. It is (now) an extremely dated swingin' sixties sex comedy. It was adapted into a film starring Jason Robards, Jane Fonda (in Dennis' role), Dean Jones and reprising her stage role, Rosemary Murphy.
 
Forty Carats was adapted by Jay Presson Allen from a french play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy. Barillet and Gredy's previous play, "Fleur de Cactus" was adpated in 1966 by Abe Burrows as "Cactus Flower". 

The play starred Julie Harris, Murray Hamilton, Nancy Marchand and Michael Nouri.

It was adapted in 1973 into a film by Leonard Gershe ["Butterflies are Free"] and directed by Milton Katselas ["Butterflies are Free"] and starred Liv Ullmann, Edward Albert, Gene Kelly, Binnie Barnes and Deborah Raffin. 

Updated On: 3/15/17 at 12:49 PM