Butley (play)
| Butley | |
|---|---|
West End production | |
| Written by | Simon Gray |
| Date premiered | 14 July 1971 |
| Place premiered | Criterion Theatre, London |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | An office in a London university |
| Official site | |
Butley is a play by
Characters
- Ben Butley
- Joseph Keyston
- Miss Heasman
- Edna Shaft
- Anne Butley
- Reg Nuttall
- Mr Gardner
Productions
Butley was first performed at the Criterion Theatre in London on 14 July 1971, produced by Michael Codron and directed by Harold Pinter, with the following cast:[5]
- Ben Butley – Alan Bates
- Joseph Keyston – Richard O'Callaghan
- Miss Heasman – Brenda Cavendish
- Edna Shaft – Mary Wimbush
- Anne Butley – Colette O'Neil
- Reg Nuttall – Michael Byrne
- Mr Gardner – George Fenton
Alan Bates won the 1971
A successful 2006 limited-run Broadway revival at the Booth Theatre was directed by Nicholas Martin.[3] It starred Nathan Lane and Dana Ivey, who was nominated for the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Play.[9]
A 2011 London
In his introduction to the play, Harold Pinter wrote:
Simon Gray asked me to direct Butley in 1970. I found its savage, lacerating wit hard to beat and accepted the invitation... The extraordinary thing about Butley, it still seems to me, is that the play gives us a character who hurls himself towards the destruction while living, in the fever of his intellectual hell, with a vitality and brilliance known to few of us. He courts death by remaining ruthlessly – even dementedly – alive. It's a remarkable creation and Alan Bates as Butley gave the performance of a lifetime.[1]
1974 film
A 1974 film adaptation Butley directed by Pinter starred Alan Bates, Jessica Tandy, Richard O'Callaghan, Susan Engel, and Michael Byrne.[12]
References
- ^ Faber and Faber, 2010.
- ^ "Butley | Samuel French". www.samuelfrench.com.
- ^ a b Brantley, Ben (October 26, 2006). "Butley - Theater - Review". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ a b "Evening Standard theatre awards: 1955-1979". Evening Standard. October 30, 2003.
- ISBN 9780571307630– via Google Books.
- ^ "Simon Gray: Playwright, novelist and author of a series of hilarious". The Independent. August 8, 2008.
- ^ "Butley – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ "Butley – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ "Butley – Broadway Play – 2006 Revival | IBDB".
- ^ Billington, Michael (June 6, 2011). "Butley - review". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
- ^ "Preview: Butley, by Simon Gray, Brighton Theatre Royal, May 25-28". www.sussexexpress.co.uk.
- ^ "Butley (1974) - Harold Pinter | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
External links
- Butley at the Internet Broadway Database
- Butley at IMDb
- Butley information, Simon Gray website
