Before It Hits Home | |
---|---|
Written by | Cheryl West |
Characters |
|
Date premiered | January 1991 |
Place premiered | Arena Stage (1991) LuEster Hall (1992) |
Subject | Middle-American family comes to grips with AIDS |
Genre | Drama |
Before It Hits Home is a 1991 American play written by Cheryl West.
The show was originally workshopped by the Seattle Group Theatre at the Multicultural Playwrights Festival in 1989, then later was given a reading at the Circle Repertory Company in 1990.
The original production opened in January 1991, at the Arena Stage, directed by Tazewell Thompson, set design Douglas Stein, lighting design Nancy Schertler, costume design Helen Qizhi Huang, and sound design Susan R. White. The cast starred Michael Jayce (Wendal), Cynthia Martells (Simone/Mrs. Peterson), Keith Randolph Smith (Douglas), Trazana Beverley (Reba), Mercedes Herrero (Nurse), Sandra Reaves-Phillips (Maybelle), Julian Hughes (Doctor), Wally Taylor (Bailey), Ryan Richmond (Dwayne), and Lee Simon Jr. (Junior). [1]
The production then had its Off-Broadway premiere at LuEster Hall in February 1992, directed by Thompson, set design Loy Arcenas, costume design Paul Tazewell, lighting design Schertler, and sound design White. The cast starred James McDaniel (Wendal), Sharon Washington (Simone/Mrs. Peterson), Smith (Douglass), Yvette Hawkins (Reba), Marcella Lowery (Maybelle), Frankie Faison (Bailey), James Jason Lilley (Dwayne), Carol Honda (Nurse), Beth Dixon (Dr. Weinberg), and Monti Sharp (Junior).
Frank Rich of the New York Times said the show has "validity and brute force" and that it's "authentic, at times almost hysterical wake-up call to the black community, sounded from within." [2]
Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1991 | Susan Smith Blackburn Prize | Susan Smith Blackburn Prize | Cheryl West | Won |
1992 | Obie Award | Obie Award for Distinguished Performance by an Actor | James McDaniel | Won |
Born Yesterday is a play written by Garson Kanin which premiered on Broadway in 1946, starring Judy Holliday as Billie Dawn. The play was adapted into a successful 1950 film of the same name.
The Women is a 1936 American play, a comedy of manners by Clare Boothe Luce. Only women comprise the cast.
The Rink is a musical with a book by Terrence McNally, lyrics by Fred Ebb, and music by John Kander, the tenth Kander and Ebb collaboration.
Wings is a 1978 play by American playwright Arthur Kopit. Originating as a radio play, it was later adapted for stage and screen.
The Diary of Anne Frank is a stage adaptation of the posthumously published 1947 book The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. It premiered on Broadway at the Cort Theatre in 1955. Its script also primarily formed the basis of the Academy Award-winning 1959 film adaptation.
My Favorite Year is a musical with a book by Joseph Dougherty, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens. It is based on the 1982 film of the same name.
Grind is a 1985 musical with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh, and a book by Fay Kanin. Grind is a portrait of a largely African-American burlesque house in Chicago in the Thirties.
La Bête is a 1991 comedy play by American playwright David Hirson. Written in rhymed couplets of iambic pentameter, the Molière-inspired story, set in 17th-century France, pits dignified, stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe, against the foppish, frivolous street entertainer Valere, whom the troupe's patron, Prince Conti, wishes them to bring aboard. Despite Elomire's violent objections, the company is forced to perform one of Valere's own plays, which results in dramatic changes to the future of Elomire, Valere, and the company itself.
Sophisticated Ladies is a musical revue based on the music of Duke Ellington. The revue ran on Broadway in 1981–83, earning two awards and eight nominations at the 35th Tony Awards.
Stop Kiss is a play written by the American playwright Diana Son, and produced Off-Broadway in 1998 at The Public Theater in New York City. It was directed by Jo Bonney, stage managed by Buzz Cohen, with set design by Narelle Sissons, costumes by Kaye Voyce, lighting design by James Vermeulen, sound design and original music by David Van Tieghem. It was extended three times. It focuses on the story of Sara and Callie, who are assaulted on the street after their first kiss.
Copperfield is a 1981 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn, who were nominated for the 1981 Tony Award for Best Original Score. It is based on the classic 1850 novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.
You Never Know is a musical with a book by Rowland Leigh, adapted from the original European play By Candlelight, by Siegfried Geyer and Karl Farkas, with music by Cole Porter and Robert Katscher, lyrics by Cole Porter, additional lyrics by Leigh and Edwin Gilbert, directed by Leigh, and songs by others.
Painting Churches is a play written by Tina Howe, first produced Off-Broadway in 1983. It was a finalist for the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play concerns the relationship between an artist daughter and her aging parents.
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The plot revolves around George, a fictionalized version of Seurat, who immerses himself deeply in painting his masterpiece, and his great-grandson, a conflicted and cynical contemporary artist. The Broadway production opened in 1984.
Big Al is an Off-Broadway play by Brian Goluboff that went up at the Arclight Theatre. It was originally a 1991 play that premiered at the Ensemble Studio Theatre's marathon, then 1992 at the American Jewish Theatre, and in 1993 it was a 24-minute film on Showtime. It then was a one-act play that premiered at Man In The Moon Theatre in London in 1996.
Little Miss Sunshine is a musical adapted from the 2006 film of the same name, with music and lyrics by William Finn and book and direction by James Lapine. The musical premiered in San Diego, California at the Mandell Weiss Theater, La Jolla Playhouse on February 15, 2011 and began performances Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in October 2013. The musical opened Off West End at the Arcola Theatre in 2019.
Marco Polo Sings a Solo is a play by John Guare. It premiered in 1973 with the Nantucket Stage Company in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and made its Off-Broadway debut in 1977, and was revived Off Broadway in 1999. The play is dedicated to Ralph Warton.
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is a jukebox musical with book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cary, and Des McAnuff and music and lyrics Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, Paul Jabara, and others, based on the life of Summer.
The Cher Show is a jukebox musical with a book by Rick Elice that tells the story of the life and career of Cher, using songs that she performed throughout her career. The part of Cher is played by three actresses: one portraying her in the 1950s and 60s, one for the 1970s, and one for the 1980s and 90s. The three interact with each other and help each other out at various points.
Jeffrey is a 1992 American play by Paul Rudnick. At first no theater would produce the play, because it was described as a comedy about AIDS, but after an acclaimed, sold-out run at the tiny WPA Theater in New York City, the show transferred for a commercial run. The play ran from December 31, 1992 to February 14, 1993 at the WPA Theatre.