Luv (play): Difference between revisions

Luv
Luv
Written by	Murray Schisgal
Date premiered	November 11, 1964
Place premiered	United States
Original language	English
Genre	Comedy
Setting	New York City

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Luv is a play by Murray Schisgal. The production originated on Broadway in 1964. The production was directed by Mike Nichols and featured performances from Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson.

It received five Tony Award nominations including for Best Play. It won three Tonys for Best Producer of a Play, Best Direction of a Play and Best Scenic Design.

Summary

A mix of absurdist humor and traditional Broadway comedy in the Neil Simon vein, Luv concerns two college friends—misfit Harry and materialistic Milt—who are reunited when the latter stops the former from jumping off a bridge, the play's setting.^[1] Each discovers the other is equally miserable as they share hard-luck stories. Milt sees in Harry an answer to his primary problem—his wife Ellen, whom he tries to foist on his old pal so he can run off with his mistress.

Production

After twenty-eight previews, the Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened on November 11, 1964, at the Booth Theatre.^[2] It transferred to the Broadhurst and then the now-demolished Helen Hayes before completing its run of 901 performances. It won the Tony Award for Best Director, Best Producer (Claire Nichtern) and Best Scenic Design (Oliver Smith).

Cast

Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson comprised the original cast.^[2] Barbara Bel Geddes, Larry Blyden, Gene Wilder, and Gabriel Dell were among the replacement performers later in the run.^[3]^[4]

The three original cast members appeared as the "Mystery Guest" on the TV Panel Show "What's My Line" on March 14, 1965.^[5]

Film adaptation

The 1967 film version, directed by Clive Donner and starring Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, and Elaine May, added various locations and extraneous characters. Reviews criticized Donner's heavy-handed approach to the material and the miscasting of the three leads, and it proved to be a commercial failure. Harrison Ford has an uncredited role as a hippie. Frank Sutton, best remembered for his role as Sergeant Carter on the Gomer Pyle TV series, was starring in a 1974 dinner theatre version of the play when he died backstage of a heart attack.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated work	Result	Ref.
1965	Tony Awards	Best Play	Luv	Nominated	^[6]
		Best Producer of a Play	Claire Nichtern	Won
		Best Author of a Play	Murray Schisgal	Nominated
		Best Direction of a Play	Mike Nichols	Won
		Best Scenic Design of a Play	Oliver Smith	Won
1965	New York Drama Critics' Circle	Best Play	Luv	Nominated

References

^ Guernsey, Otis L. (2000). Curtain Times: The New York Theatre, 1965-1987. Hal Leonard Corporation p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9368-3924-0.
^ ^a ^b "Theater: Schisgal's 'Luv' Is Directed by Nichols; New Comedy Opens at the Booth Theater; EliWallach,AlanArkin, Anne Jackson in Cast". The New York Times. November 12, 1964. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
^ Martinelli, Marissa (August 31, 2016). "Mel Brooks Tells Jimmy Fallon How He Once Made Gene Wilder Cry". Slate. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
^ Bennetts, Leslie (July 7, 1988). "Gabriel Dell, 68, a Dead End Kid On Broadway and in Many Films". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
^ "What's My Line? - Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson & Alan Arkin; William Shatner [panel] (Mar 14, 1965)". YouTube. 13 November 2014.
^ "Luv (Broadway)". Playbill. Retrieved June 30, 2022.

[Guernsey-1] Guernsey, Otis L. (2000). Curtain Times: The New York Theatre, 1965-1987. Hal Leonard Corporation p. 7. ISBN 978-0-9368-3924-0.

[Schisgal-2] "Theater: Schisgal's 'Luv' Is Directed by Nichols; New Comedy Opens at the Booth Theater; EliWallach,AlanArkin, Anne Jackson in Cast". The New York Times. November 12, 1964. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

[Wilder-3] Martinelli, Marissa (August 31, 2016). "Mel Brooks Tells Jimmy Fallon How He Once Made Gene Wilder Cry". Slate. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

[Dell-4] Bennetts, Leslie (July 7, 1988). "Gabriel Dell, 68, a Dead End Kid On Broadway and in Many Films". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

[5] "What's My Line? - Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson & Alan Arkin; William Shatner [panel] (Mar 14, 1965)". YouTube. 13 November 2014.

[6] "Luv (Broadway)". Playbill. Retrieved June 30, 2022.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1965 stage play by Murray Schisgal}}
-{{Unreferenced|date=January 2007}}
+{{italic title}}
-'''''Luv''''' is a play by [[Murray Schisgal]].
+{{Infobox play
+| name = Luv
+| writer = [[Murray Schisgal]]
+| premiere = November 11, 1964
+| orig_lang = English
+| place = United States
+| genre = [[Comedy]]
+| setting = [[New York City]]
+}}
+'''''Luv''''' is a play by [[Murray Schisgal]]. The production originated on [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] in 1964. The production was directed by [[Mike Nichols]] and featured performances from [[Alan Arkin]], [[Eli Wallach]], and [[Anne Jackson]].
+It received five [[Tony Award]] nominations including for [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]]. It won three Tonys for Best Producer of a Play, Best Direction of a Play and Best Scenic Design.
-A mix of absurdist humor and traditional Broadway comedy more in the [[Neil Simon]] vein, ''Luv'' concerns two college friends - misfit Harry and materialistic Milt - who are reunited when the latter stops the former from jumping off a bridge, the play's setting. Each discovers the other is equally miserable as they share hard-luck stories. Milt sees in Harry an answer to his primary problem - his wife Ellen, who he tries to foist on his old pal so he can run off with his mistress.
+== Summary ==
-After twenty-eight previews, the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production, directed by [[Mike Nichols]], opened on November 11, 1964 at the [[Booth Theatre]]. It transferred to the [[Broadhurst Theatre|Broadhurst]] and then the now-demolished [[Fulton Theatre|Helen Hayes]] before completing its run of 901 performances. It won the Tony Award for Best Director, Best Producer (Claire Nichtern) and Best Scenic Design ([[Oliver Smith (designer)|Oliver Smith]]).
+A mix of absurdist humor and traditional Broadway comedy in the [[Neil Simon]] vein, ''Luv'' concerns two college friends—misfit Harry and materialistic Milt—who are reunited when the latter stops the former from jumping off a bridge, the play's setting.<ref name="Guernsey">{{cite book |last=Guernsey |first=Otis L. |title=Curtain Times: The New York Theatre, 1965-1987 |publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation]] p. 7 |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-9368-3924-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/curtaintimesnewy00guer }}</ref> Each discovers the other is equally miserable as they share hard-luck stories. Milt sees in Harry an answer to his primary problem—his wife Ellen, whom he tries to foist on his old pal so he can run off with his mistress.
+== Production ==
-[[Alan Arkin]], [[Eli Wallach]], and [[Anne Jackson]] comprised the original cast. [[Barbara Bel Geddes]], [[Larry Blyden]], [[Gene Wilder]], and [[Gabriel Dell]] were among the replacement performers later in the run.
+After twenty-eight previews, the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] production, directed by [[Mike Nichols]], opened on November 11, 1964, at the [[Booth Theatre]].<ref name= "Schisgal">{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1964/11/12/archives/theater-schisgals-luv-is-directed-by-nichols-new-comedy-opens-at.html |title=Theater: Schisgal's 'Luv' Is Directed by Nichols; New Comedy Opens at the Booth Theater; EliWallach,AlanArkin, Anne Jackson in Cast |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 12, 1964 |accessdate=November 17, 2018}}</ref> It transferred to the [[Broadhurst Theatre|Broadhurst]] and then the now-demolished [[Fulton Theatre|Helen Hayes]] before completing its run of 901 performances. It won the Tony Award for Best Director, Best Producer (Claire Nichtern) and Best Scenic Design ([[Oliver Smith (designer)|Oliver Smith]]).
+== Cast ==
-The 1967 film version, directed by [[Clive Donner]] and starring [[Jack Lemmon]], [[Peter Falk]], and [[Elaine May]], added various locations and extraneous characters. Reviews criticized Donner's heavy-handed approach to the material and the miscasting of the three leads, and it proved to be a commercial failure. [[Harrison Ford]] has an uncredited role as a hippie.
+[[Alan Arkin]], [[Eli Wallach]], and [[Anne Jackson]] comprised the original cast.<ref name= "Schisgal" /> [[Barbara Bel Geddes]], [[Larry Blyden]], [[Gene Wilder]], and [[Gabriel Dell]] were among the replacement performers later in the run.<ref name= "Wilder">{{cite news |last=Martinelli |first=Marissa |url= https://slate.com/culture/2016/08/mel-brooks-remembers-gene-wilder-on-the-tonight-show-starring-jimmy-fallon-video.html |title=Mel Brooks Tells Jimmy Fallon How He Once Made Gene Wilder Cry |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=August 31, 2016 |accessdate=November 17, 2018}}</ref><ref name= "Dell">{{cite news |last=Bennetts |first=Leslie |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/07/obituaries/gabriel-dell-68-a-dead-end-kid-on-broadway-and-in-many-films.html |title=Gabriel Dell, 68, a Dead End Kid On Broadway and in Many Films |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 7, 1988 |accessdate=November 17, 2018}}</ref>
+The three original cast members appeared as the "Mystery Guest" on the TV Panel Show "What's My Line" on March 14, 1965.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqPXZ5QaNmc&t=1145s | title=What's My Line? - Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson & Alan Arkin; William Shatner &#91;panel&#93; (Mar 14, 1965) | website=[[YouTube]] | date=13 November 2014 }}</ref>
-==Awards and nominations==
-*[[Tony Award]] for Best Play (nominee)
-*Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play (winner)
-*Tony Award for Best Scenic Design (winner)
-*Tony Award for Best Producer of a Play (winner)
-*Tony Award for Best Author of a Play (nominee)
+== Film adaptation ==
-{{DEFAULTSORT:Luv (Play)}}
+The 1967 [[Luv (film)|film version]], directed by [[Clive Donner]] and starring [[Jack Lemmon]], [[Peter Falk]], and [[Elaine May]], added various locations and extraneous characters. Reviews criticized Donner's heavy-handed approach to the material and the miscasting of the three leads, and it proved to be a commercial failure. [[Harrison Ford]] has an uncredited role as a hippie. [[Frank Sutton]], best remembered for his role as Sergeant Carter on the Gomer Pyle TV series, was starring in a 1974 dinner theatre version of the play when he died backstage of a heart attack.
+== Awards and nominations ==
+{|class="wikitable"
+|-
+! Year
+! Award
+! Category
+! Nominated work
+! Result
+! Ref.
+|-
+|rowspan=5|[[19th Tony Awards|1965]] || rowspan=5|[[Tony Awards]] || [[Tony Award for Best Play|Best Play]] || ''Luv'' || {{nom}} || rowspan=6|<ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/production/luv-booth-theatre-vault-0000001718|title= Luv (Broadway)|website= Playbill|accessdate= June 30, 2022}}</ref>
+|-
+|[[19th Tony Awards|Best Producer of a Play]] || Claire Nichtern || {{won}}
+|-
+|[[Tony Award for Best Author|Best Author of a Play]] || [[Murray Schisgal]] || {{nom}}
+|-
+|[[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play|Best Direction of a Play]] || [[Mike Nichols]] || {{won}}
+|-
+|[[Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play|Best Scenic Design of a Play]] || [[Oliver Smith (designer)|Oliver Smith]] || {{won}}
+|-
+|1965 || [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] || Best Play || ''Luv'' || {{nom}}
+|-
+|}
+==References==
+{{reflist}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Luv}}
 [[Category:1964 plays]]
 [[Category:Broadway plays]]
-[[Category:American plays]]
+[[Category:American plays adapted into films]]
-[[Category:1967 films]]
+[[Category:Plays set in New York City]]
-[[Category:Films based on plays]]
-[[Category:Comedy films]]
-[[ru:Лав (фильм)]]