Harvey
Closing: August 05, 2012Harvey - 2012 Broadway History , Info & More
Studio 54 (Broadway)
254 West 54th St. New York, NY
Harvey was first brought to the Broadway stage in 1944 and was directed by Antoinette Perry. The play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1944, and its initial run lasted for four years—1,775 performances. James Stewart assumed the role of “Elwood” from Frank Fay in the 1944 production and originated the role in the 1970 production as well as the film adaptation in 1950. Helen Hayes played “Veta” opposite Mr. Stewart in the 1970 production. Jim Parsons stars as one of modern theatre’s most lovable characters, Elwood P. Dowd. Charming and kind, Elwood has only one character flaw: an unwavering friendship with a 6-foot-tall, invisible white rabbit named Harvey. In order to save the family’s social reputation, Elwood’s sister Veta (Jessica Hecht) takes Elwood to the local sanatorium. But when the doctors mistakenly commit his anxiety-ridden sister, Elwood — and Harvey—slip out of the hospital unbothered, setting off a hilarious whirlwind of confusion and chaos as everyone in town tries to catch a man and his invisible rabbit.
Harvey - 2012 - Broadway Cast
PREVIEW Harvey - 2012 - Broadway
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FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Harvey
Harvey
5 / 10
Comedy can be deadly. Just a few directorial misjudgments and uh-oh, sudden death: forced laughs, desperate thesps, and an aud growing surlier by the minute. Something like that has befallen the Roundabout's revival of 'Harvey,' Mary Chase's 1944 Pulitzer Prize-winning play…Jim Parsons aims to charm the pants off us by giving Elwood P. Dowd an air of sweet serenity. But the vacancy behind his bland facial expressions has a chilling effect.
Delusion, Repression—and Comedy
7 / 10
Jim Parsons, the star of 'The Big Bang Theory,' is playing Elwood, which says much—maybe everything—about why the Roundabout is doing 'Harvey.' Big guns from Hollywood, after all, are an even bigger part of what keeps Broadway afloat these days. It doesn't matter whether or not they know anything about stage acting: All they have to do to sell tickets by the shovelful is show up. Mr. Parsons, who has plenty of stage experience, does much more than that, but he's still giving the kind of affably superficial performance that you'd expect from a network sitcom star. Sure, it's unfair to compare him to one of the best screen actors of the 20th century, but it's also inevitable, and the gentle, wistful gravity that Mr. Stewart brought to the role is nowhere to be found in Mr. Parsons's once-over-lightly interpretation.
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Harvey History
Other Productions of Harvey
| 1944 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 1970 | Broadway |
Broadway |
| 2012 | Broadway |
Roundabout Theatre Production Broadway |
| West End |
West End West End |
Harvey - 2012 Broadway Awards and Nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jessica Hecht |
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