A Life in the Theatre | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy Drama |
Based on | A Life in the Theatre by David Mamet |
Screenplay by | David Mamet |
Directed by | Kirk Browning Gerald Gutierrez |
Starring | Peter Evans Ellis Rabb |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producer | Jac Venza |
Producers | Peter Weinberg Noam Yerushalmi (associate producer) |
Release | |
Original network | PBS |
Original release | October 3, 1979 |
A Life in the Theatre is a 1979 American television film based on the play A Life in the Theatre by David Mamet. [1] It stars Peter Evans and Ellis Rabb, reprising their roles from the original 1977 off-Broadway production. [2]
The story focuses on the relationship between two actors, the only characters. One, Robert, is a stage veteran while John is a young, promising actor. They are involved in a variety of productions, and gradually their relationship begins to change.
David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, filmmaker, and author. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988). He first gained critical acclaim for a trio of off-Broadway 1970s plays: The Duck Variations, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, and American Buffalo. His plays Race and The Penitent, respectively, opened on Broadway in 2009 and previewed off-Broadway in 2017.
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John Heard Jr. was an American actor. Heard made his debut appearance in film with the ensemble Between the Lines (1977). He appeared in a number of successful films, including Heart Beat (1980), Cutter's Way (1981), Cat People (1982), Beaches (1988), and Deceived (1991). Other films include The Trip to Bountiful (1985), Big (1988), The Pelican Brief (1993), White Chicks (2004), and his role as Kevin McCallister's father, Peter, in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992). From 1995 to 1996, he played the role of Roy Foltrigg in the television series The Client. From 2005 to 2006, Heard played the role of Governor Frank Tancredi in Prison Break. He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1999 for guest-starring as Vin Makazian on The Sopranos (1999–2004).
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A Life in the Theatre is a 1977 play by David Mamet.
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Ellis W. Rabb was an American actor and director who in 1959 formed the Association of Producing Artists, a theatre company that brought new works and noteworthy revivals to Broadway and to regional theatres. The APA merged with the Phoenix Theatre in 1964 and as the APA-Phoenix went on to mount Broadway revivals of Man and Superman, The Show Off, Right You Are If You Think You Are, and Hamlet among others, with the APA-Phoenix receiving a special Tony Award for distinguished achievement prior to disbanding in 1969.
The Woods is a 1977 play by David Mamet. The show involves a young couple's weekend at a lakeside cabin. Mamet banned the play from being put on in New York in 1985, but lifted the ban unexpectedly in 1996 for actress Danielle Kwatinetz.
A Life in the Theatre is a 1977 play by David Mamet.
Peter Evans was an American actor. He won the 1976 Clarence Derwent Award and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his portrayal of Richie in David Rabe's Streamers. However, he was best known for his role as Russ Merman in the 1980s sitcom 9 to 5.
A Life in the Theatre is a 1993 American made-for-television comedy-drama film starring Matthew Broderick and Jack Lemmon. It is based on David Mamet's 1977 play of the same name. Lemmon was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Robert.
At best, pic is a slight improvement over the play's previous TV adaptation, an unfortunately literal-minded videotaping (produced in the late 1970s for PBS) that's memorable only for recording the brilliant performances of Ellis Rabb and the late Peter Evans, stars of the original 1977 off-Broadway production.