The Bad Seed 1954

Opened: December 8, 1954

The Bad Seed - 1954 - Broadway History , Info & More

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Review Roundup: MORNING'S AT SEVEN Opens Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 16, 2021


Morning's At Seven, Paul Osborn's treasured comedy classic, returned to New York this fall for the first time in 20 years. Directed by Obie Award winner Dan Wackerman, Morning's At Seven will play a strictly limited 12-week engagement, October 20 - January 9 at Theatre at St. Clements, 423 W. 46th Street, NYC).

BWW Exclusive: The 101 GREATEST PLAYS of the Past 100 Years (1920-2020)
by Peter Nason - Apr 7, 2020


BWW Reviewer Peter Nason chooses the greatest theatrical works (non-musical) from 1920-2020; see if your favorites made the list!

130+ Musicals That You Can Stream Now!
by Team BWW - Apr 4, 2021


Visit our list of the best musicals & shows you can watch from home! We've got you covered with all the must-sees on streaming sites including Tony-award winners, favorite stars and top performances.

The Final Show Of Dragon's 2019 Season, ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS Opens Nov 1
by Stephi Wild - Oct 23, 2019


On the eve of her death, Anne Boleyn reflects on the journey that led her to become a queen, a mother, and, eventually, a woman condemned. A fascinating look at one of history's most famous marriages. Part of the 2nd Stages Series.

BWW Review: Hell in a Handbag's Timely and Topical THE DRAG SEED
by Misha Davenport - Jul 31, 2019


David Cerda scores another camp hit with the timely and topical THE DRAG SEED

BWW Review: Desert Stages Theatre Presents THE BAD SEED
by Herbert Paine - Oct 23, 2018


Desert Stages Theatre's production of Maxwell Anderson's THE BAD SEED is on stage through November 18th.

LI Rep Presents BAD SEED Murder Mystery Ahead Of Halloween
by BWW News Desk - Oct 20, 2018


Just weeks before Halloween arrives, The Long Island Repertory Co. is presenting a horror story at Theater 294, 294 Farmingdale Rd (Route 109) that has been compared to Dracula.

LI Rep Presents BAD SEED Murder Mystery Ahead Of Halloween
by BWW News Desk - Oct 12, 2018


Just weeks before Halloween arrives, The Long Island Repertory Co. is presenting a horror story at Theater 294, 294 Farmingdale Rd (Route 109) that has been compared to Dracula.

BWW Review: Towne Centre Theatre's THE BAD SEED Offers 1950s-Flavored Seasonal Fun
by Jeffrey Ellis - Oct 6, 2018


A word to the wise is sufficient: Never turn your back on Rhoda Penmark. No matter how well-behaved, how polite or how sickeningly sweet she may seem, the little girl with the larcenous heart simply cannot be trusted and it is at your own peril that you decide to trust her - the fact that she is a fictional character notwithstanding.

LI Rep Presents BAD SEED Murder Mystery Ahead Of Halloween
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 28, 2018


Just weeks before Halloween arrives, The Long Island Repertory Co. is presenting a horror story at Theater 294, 294 Farmingdale Rd (Route 109) that has been compared to Dracula.

OutFox to Bring THE BAD SEED to Brockley Jack Studio Theatre
by BWW News Desk - Feb 23, 2017


OutFox Productions presents The Bad Seed by Maxwell Anderson, directed by John Fricker, running Tuesday 14 March to Saturday 1 April 2017 at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre. 

Majestic Repertory Theatre Presents Classic Thriller THE BAD SEED
by A.A. Cristi - Oct 24, 2016


Little Rhoda Penmark is every parent's dream...and one mother's nightmare! William March's chilling novel THE BAD SEED was such a huge hit when it was released that it was immediately adapted to the Broadway stage by Maxwell Anderson. It subsequently became a Hollywood film featuring most of the original stage cast. Since then it has become a staple of the horror canon and a cult classic among film lovers.

New CD OUT OF THE SHADOWS: REDISCOVERED AMERICAN ART SONGS Out This Fall
by BWW News Desk - Sep 2, 2016


A century's worth of treasures emerge from the shadows of both memory and history in this new CD, OUT OF THE SHADOWS: REDISCOVERED AMERICAN ART SONGS, out on digital Sept. 2 and physical CD on Sept. 9, 2016.

New CD OUT OF THE SHADOWS: REDISCOVERED AMERICAN ART SONGS Out This Fall
by BWW News Desk - Jul 25, 2016


A century's worth of treasures emerge from the shadows of both memory and history in this new CD, OUT OF THE SHADOWS: REDISCOVERED AMERICAN ART SONGS, out on digital Sept. 2 and physical CD on Sept. 9, 2016.

HAND TO GOD, CARRIE & More Set for The Onyx's 2016-17 Season
by Tyler Peterson - Mar 24, 2016


After producing ten Main Stage shows in ten months to celebrate its tenth anniversary season, The Onyx has settled into a more comfortable groove.

Mauckingbird Theatre Company Presents BAD SEED, 1/25-27
by Kelsey Denette - Dec 20, 2012


Mauckingbird Theatre Company, best known for its clever, poignant reflection on classic works through a gay lens, takes on a new kind of classic with a staged reading of the 1950s play Bad Seed by Maxwell Anderson. Directed by Mauckingbird Artistic Director Peter Reynolds, the reading includes performances by Barrymore Award winner Amanda Schoonover as 9-year-old Rhoda Penmark, the titular "bad seed," and Michelle Eugene as her suffering mother Christine Penmark. The Bad Seed runs for one weekend only, January 25-27, at the Off-Broad Street Theater. Philadelphia's own Martha Graham Cracker will serve as hostess for the reading, which benefits Mauckingbird, Philadelphia's award-winning professional gay-themed theatre company.

BWW Reviews: Street Theatre Company Misfires With Anachronistic THE DESPERATE HOURS
by Jeffrey Ellis - Oct 21, 2012


Despite the taut direction of Ryan Williams, particularly sinister underscoring by Rollie Mains and a compelling, bravura performance by Luke Hatmaker as the ringleader of a group of prison escapees, Street Theatre Company's The Desperate Hours is a rare misfire from the company and the creative team charged with bringing it to the stage.

Metropolitan Playhouse Announces BOTH YOUR HOUSES, Opening 9/22
by Kelsey Denette - Aug 21, 2012


Tickets are $25 general; $20 students/seniors; $10 children, and may be purchased at www.metropolitanplayhouse.org/tickets or 212 995 5302.

BWW Reviews: THE BAD SEED from Street Theatre Company
by Jeffrey Ellis - Jun 12, 2011


Who among us doesn't love a suspenseful yet wickedly entertaining melodrama about an eight-year-old sociopath who lets nothing stand in the way of her lifelong quest to get exactly what she wants? Whether it's a penmanship medal, a crystal ball, a garnet from a necklace - or even to prevent a trip to the electric chair - young Rhoda Penmark, who is the very picture of sweetness and light and old-fashioned manners and deportment, has for more than 50 years mesmerized audiences, delighting them with her larcenous, murderous ways. Let's face it: Who among us hasn't had flashes of going all Rhoda Penmark on the people who are obstacles in our own lives?

The Sherman Playhouse Opens 2011 with BAD SEED, 4/22-5/14
by BWW News Desk - Apr 22, 2011


The Sherman Playhouse will open its 2011 season with the classic, Tony Award-winning thriller, BAD SEED, by Maxwell Anderson. The play opens April 22 for a four-week run.

The Sherman Playhouse Opens 2011 with BAD SEED, 4/22-5/14
by Kelsey Denette - Apr 6, 2011


The Sherman Playhouse will open its 2011 season with the classic, Tony Award-winning thriller, BAD SEED, by Maxwell Anderson. The play opens April 22 for a four-week run.

STC's search for Rhoda Penmark gets a contemporary twist
by Jeffrey Ellis - Mar 12, 2011


First created by writer William March in his 1954 book The Bad Seed, then recreated by playwright Maxwell Anderson for his hugely successful Broadway play of the same name (which was filmed for the screen by Mervyn LeRoy, starring the Broadway duo of Patty McCormick and Nancy Kelly as Rhoda and her mother), the character of Rhoda Penmark has inspired (Tina Denmark in the musical Ruthless is clearly a doppelganger for Rhoda) and sent chills up the spines of audiences for more than 50 years - and now Nashville's Street Theatre Company plans a revival - with a contemporary twist - of the melodrama for presentation in June.

The Bad Seed FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What productions of The Bad Seed have there been?
The Bad Seed has had 1 productions including Broadway which opened in 1954.

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