Vena, Gary

O'Neill's The Iceman Cometh. Reconstructing the Premiere

1988 0-7734-1990-X
This text reconstructs the premiere of what some critics consider to be O'Neill's most controversial play -- it marked his return to the theater after more than a decade, and was also the last stage production he'd oversee. The reconstruction incorporates the playwright's own set drawings; scene plans designed by the Guild's production manager, Karl Nielsen; set renditions designed by Robert Edmond Jones; interpretations of original lighting designs; and photographs of the original cast. Facilitated by Theatre Guild promptbooks and an actor's rehearsal text, the reconstruction provides a detailed story of the play and a step-by-step analysis of director Eddie Dowling's final achievement. Comments contributed through personal interviews with selected cast members and Guild personnel further illuminate the event. Carefully detailed textual modifications between the published play and the Guild's rehearsal script appear in the first appendix. Extracts from more than fifty theatre reviews appear in the second. With bibliography and index.