Bobby Gould in Hell

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Bobby Gould in Hell is a play by the American playwright David Mamet. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1989 and also ran in London in 1991. The one-act play (45-minutes) updates the life of character Bobby Gould, from Mamet's 1988 play Speed-the-Plow .

Play (theatre) form of literature intended for theatrical performance

A play is form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of dialogue or singing between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. Plays are performed at a variety of levels, from London's West End and Broadway in New York – which are the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world – to regional theatre, to community theatre, as well as university or school productions. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference as to whether their plays were performed or read. The term "play" can refer to both the written texts of playwrights and to their complete theatrical performance.

Playwright Person who writes plays

A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. One such person, one of the most famous in the world, is William Shakespeare, who lived during both the Tudor and Stuart eras of British history.

David Mamet American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director

David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, film director, screenwriter 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 70s 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.

Contents

Plot overview

The play shows Bobby Gould, introduced in Mamet's 1988 play Speed-the-Plow and his time in Hell after he dies. Gould is subjected to questions from a devilish personage referred to simply as "The Interrogator." The Interrogator has had to interrupt a fishing trip in order to question Gould and he is consequently displeased. Through the course of the play, Gould confronts whether or not he is a "bad man."

<i>Speed-the-Plow</i> play written by David Mamet

Speed-the-Plow is a 1988 play by David Mamet that is a satirical dissection of the American movie business. As stated in The Producer's Perspective, "this is a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films Wag the Dog (1997) and State and Main (2000)". As quoted in The Producer's Perspective, Jack Kroll of Newsweek described Speed-the-Plow as "another tone poem by our nation's foremost master of the language of moral epilepsy."

Hell Afterlife location in which souls are subjected to punitive suffering, often torture

In religion and folklore, Hell is an afterlife location in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, often torture as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as eternal destinations, the biggest examples of which are Christianity and Islam, whereas religions with reincarnation usually depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations, as is the case in the dharmic religions. Religions typically locate hell in another dimension or under Earth's surface. Other afterlife destinations include Heaven, Paradise, Purgatory, Limbo, and the underworld.

Productions

Bobby Gould in Hell premiered Off-Broadway at the Lincoln Center Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on November 27, 1989 and closed on December 31, 1989 after 32 performances. [1] Directed by Gregory Mosher, the cast starred Treat Williams as Bobby Gould, W. H. Macy as The Interrogator and Felicity Huffman as Glenna. [2]

An Off-Broadway theatre is any professional venue in Manhattan in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than Off-Off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer than 100.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Performing arts venue in New York City

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a 16.3-acre (6.6-hectare) complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 million visitors annually. It houses nationally and internationally renowned performing arts organizations including the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet and the New York City Opera.

Gregory Mosher is a longtime director and producer of stage productions at the Lincoln Center and Goodman Theatres, on and off-Broadway, at the Royal National Theatre, and in the West End. He is also a film director and television director, producer, and writer. He currently chairs the Theatre Department at Hunter College.

The British premiere was presented by The Mandrake Theatre Company in September 1991 at the Lyric Studio, Hammersmith, in London. Directed by Aaron Mullen, the cast featured Steven O'Shea as The Interrogator, Nic d'Avirro as Bobby Gould, and Nancy Crane. [3]

Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith) theatre in King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre in King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions.

In both productions, Bobby Gould was double-billed with Shel Silverstein's The Devil and Billy Markham under the title Oh, Hell. [4] [5] [6]

Shel Silverstein American poet, cartoonist, and childrens writer

Sheldon Allan "Shel" Silverstein was an American writer known for his cartoons, songs, and children's books. He styled himself as Uncle Shelby in some works. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold more than 20 million copies. He was the recipient of two Grammy Awards, as well as Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nominations.

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References

  1. ↑ Bobby Gould in Hell Archived 2012-10-17 at the Wayback Machine Internet Off-Broadway Database, accessed June 19, 2012
  2. ↑ Rich, Frank."Review/Theater; Mamet's Tasteful Hell for a Movie Mogul" The New York Times, December 4, 1989
  3. ↑ Donald, Caroline. "THEATRE.'Oh Hell' - Lyric Studio, London W6", The Independent (London), September 20, 1991, p. 17
  4. ↑ David K. Sauer, Janice A. Sauer: David Mamet: A Research and Production Sourcebook, pp 71 and 75, Greenwood Publishing Group (2003)
  5. ↑ Simon, John. "Beelzebubee" New York Magazine, December 18, 1989, Vol. 22, No. 50, ISSN 0028-7369, p. 105
  6. ↑ Mamet, David; Silverstein, Shel. Oh, Hell!: Two One-act Plays, Samuel French, Inc., 1991, ISBN   0573692548, pp. 1-6, 47


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