![]() | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these template messages)
|
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove | |
---|---|
Written by | Jane Chambers |
Characters | Lil Eva Dr. Kitty Annie Rita Rae Sue Donna |
Date premiered | December 22, 1980 |
Place premiered | Actors Playhouse New York City |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy/Drama |
Last Summer at Bluefish Cove is a 1980 American play by Jane Chambers. It is a landmark piece in lesbian dramatic literature as the first mainstream play of its kind.
The play focuses on the friendships and journeys of the eight women at Bluefish Cove. It was one of the first pieces of theatre to present lesbians as rounded, three-dimensional characters, avoiding the problematic and homophobic tropes that had been necessary to portray queer stories on stage. Chambers' comedic dialogue, sensitivity to human nature, and tender treatment of her characters help the play transcend preconceptions and show the universality of these women's journeys, whether straight or lesbian.
Originally produced by The Glines (John Glines), artistic director and Lawrence Lane, managing director. Last Summer at Bluefish Cove had an AEA showcase production, directed by Harriet Leider, which opened at The Shandol Theater, West 22 Street, New York, NY, and ran March 13-30, 1980 before moving to the Actors Playhouse in New York City on December 22, 1980 [1] and closed March 1, 1981 after 80 performances. [2] The cast included Jean Smart as 'Lil', Susan Slavin as 'Eva', Janet Sarno as 'Dr. Kitty', Holly Barron as 'Annie', Dulcie Arnold as 'Rita', Lauren Craig as 'Rae', Celia Howard as 'Sue' and Robin Mary Paris as 'Donna'. Other credits include Director: Nyla Lyon, Set Design: Reagan Cook, Lighting Design: Jeffrey Schissler, Costume Design: Giva R. Taylor. [3]
In Judy Miller's 1982 Los Angeles production, Jean Smart reprised the role of 'Lil', also featuring Lee Garlington (Rae), Camilla Carr (Kitty), Nora Heflin (Annie), Sandra J. Marshall (Eva), Dianne Turley Travis (Sue), Linda Cohen (Rita), and Shannon Kriska (Donna). The production was directed by Hilary Moshereece. The Production Stage Manager was Laurie Moore with Lighting by Dana Winkelman (also known as Gwin DeMatteo). It opened at the 99-seat Fountain Theater in Hollywood in 1982, running for 2.5 years, 4 nights a week to sold-out audiences. The production, its ensemble and Jean Smart won numerous awards during the run. These include the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Jean Smart for Best Actress, as well as a nomination for Best Ensemble Performance. [4] The production won seven Hollywood Drama-Logue Awards - Production, Direction, Writing (Jane Chambers), Ensemble, Lighting, Sets and Costumes, as well as Robby Awards and Oscar Wilde Awards for all the same 7 categories, and numerous GLAAD awards. The production also received a Certificate of Outstanding Theatre from the City of Los Angeles. Jean Smart was discovered at the LA Production by the casting director for Designing Women, leading to her starring role on that successful TV series.
In 1983 Judy Miller produced Bluefish at the 750 seat Theater on the Square in San Francisco featuring Susan Sullivan as Lil under Marshall W. Mason's direction, for which it received numerous awards.
In 1986, N. Leigh Dunlap and Kate Bornstein produced Bluefish in Philadelphia with some of the highest profile lesbian activists of the time. They were invited to prestigious art festivals, including the Sister Space Women's Festival. As well as being a producer, Dunlap played the lead role 'Lil' in this production.
The play has been performed for the past 30 years across the globe in hundreds of college and regional productions, often to sold-out audiences. [5]
Kitty — Has just left her OBGYN clinic to become a full-time writer after she took the feminist world by storm with her book The Female Sexual Imperative. A force to be reckoned with in any situation, Kitty is terrified of being publicly outed, and worries that Eva’s arrival at Bluefish Cove might expose her.
Rita — Kitty's wide-eyed and level-headed secretary – and lover. Punctual, to-the-point, and insightful.
Donna — A party girl in her early 20s who faces accusations of being a gold digger in her relationship with the older Sue.
Sue — A wealthy and weathered blueblood, involved with the much younger Donna – an age difference which Sue is self-conscious about.
Rae — A second-wave feminist through and through – which sometimes clashes with her stereotypically “feminine,” housewife-type sensibilities and likes.
Annie — A master sculptor (or, sculptress, depending on who at Bluefish Cove you ask) who’s been involved with Rae for 10 years. Strong, Spunky, and Artistic.
Lil – Sarcastic, witty, and knows how to clean a fish in her sleep. Dying of cancer, but keeping the diagnosis close to her chest. The only single lesbian at the start of the play.
Eva – Caring and somewhat sheltered, Eva has just left her husband of nearly a decade at the start of the play, and is staying at Bluefish Cove unaware that it is a lesbian colony. Entering a new chapter in her life, Eva is open to new ideas and experiences – including exploring her sexuality.
Act One begins with a chance encounter: Lil is a regular at Bluefish Cove, fishing on the coast. Eva is a fairly naïve housewife who has just left her husband and has rented a cottage at Bluefish Cove on a whim. Lil feels an immediate attraction for Eva, but she misunderstands Lil’s flirting as friendliness, and Lil fails to realize that Eva is straight, inviting her to a party later that night. Bluefish Cove has become somewhat of a lesbian colony, a haven for Lil and her friends. Lil is mortified upon realizing Eva is not a lesbian, but Eva doesn’t take any hints and shows up at the party.
To soften the blow, Lil convinces her friends to pretend they are all straight, at least for the party. When Eva arrives, she and Kitty – who is terrified of being outed – stumble through awkward dialogue until Donna and Sue arrive. Not aware that they are supposed to be pretending to be straight, Donna and Sue exclaim that they are lesbians - and that everyone at the cove is a lesbian. Eva realizes her misunderstanding to everyone’s extreme embarrassment and leaves. Later, she returns to Lil and their attraction is actualized – they begin an affair, but Lil conceals her cancer from Eva.
Act Two jumps to midsummer. Lil’s cancer has significantly progressed, and she collapses in agonizing pain. Refusing to undergo any further treatment or have any more organs removed, Lil has accepted that this summer at Bluefish Cove will be her last. It is a crushing realization to Lil that this coincides with her first real love, Eva. Still, Eva refuses to be pushed away by Lil’s tough exterior and promises to spend the rest of Lil’s time by her side.
The last scene shows Lil’s friends mourning her recent death. A number of commitments have been made in her honor – Kitty decides to reopen her OBGYN practice, Eva considers renting Lil’s cabin next summer…all of the friends feel Lil’s loss, but resolve to maintain their connection to Bluefish Cove, Lil’s favorite place.
Jean Elizabeth Smart is an American actress. After beginning her career in regional theater in the Pacific Northwest, she appeared on Broadway in 1981 as Marlene Dietrich in the biographical play Piaf. Smart was later cast in a leading role as Charlene Frazier Stillfield on the CBS sitcom Designing Women, in which she starred from 1986 to 1991.
Rita Mae Brown is an American feminist writer, best known for her coming-of-age autobiographical novel, Rubyfruit Jungle. Brown was active in a number of civil rights campaigns and criticized the marginalization of lesbians within feminist groups. Brown received the Pioneer Award for lifetime achievement at the Lambda Literary Awards in 2015.
Carolyn Gage is an American playwright, actor, theatrical director and author. She has written nine books on lesbian theater and sixty-five plays, musicals, and one-woman shows. A lesbian feminist, her work emphasizes non-traditional roles for women and lesbian characters.
Eva Le Gallienne was a British-born American stage actress, producer, director, translator, and author. A Broadway star by age 21, Le Gallienne gave up her Broadway appearances to devote herself to founding the Civic Repertory Theatre, in which she was director, producer, and lead actress. Noted for her boldness and idealism, she became a pioneering figure in the American repertory movement, which enabled today's off-Broadway. A versatile and eloquent actress herself, Le Gallienne also became a respected stage director, coach, producer and manager.
Sue Ane Langdon is an American actress. She has appeared in dozens of television series and had featured roles in films such as A Guide for the Married Man and The Cheyenne Social Club, both directed by Gene Kelly, as well as The Rounders opposite Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford and two Elvis Presley movies, Roustabout and Frankie and Johnny.
Fina Torres is a Venezuelan film director and screenwriter. She became internationally recognized by winning the la Caméra d'Or award at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival with her directorial debut film, Oriana.
Lutèce was a French restaurant in Manhattan that operated for more than 40 years before closing in early 2004. It once had a satellite restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip.
Founded in 1976 by John Glines, Barry Laine and Jerry Tobin, The Glines is an American not-for-profit organization based in New York City, New York, devoted to creating and presenting gay art to develop positive self-images and dispel negative stereotyping.
John Glines was an American playwright and theater producer. He won a Tony Award and multiple Drama Desk Awards during his producing career.
Doric Wilson was an American playwright, director, producer, critic and gay rights activist.
The HB Studio is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization offering professional training in the performing arts through classes, workshops, free lectures, theater productions, theater rentals, a theater artist residency program, as well as full-time study through their International Student Program and Uta Hagen Institute.
WP Theater is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater based in New York City. It is the nation’s oldest and largest theater company dedicated to developing, producing and promoting the work of Women+ theater artists of all kinds at every stage in their careers. Currently, Lisa McNulty serves as the Producing Artistic Director and Michael Sag serves as the Managing Director.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+(LGBTQ+)music is music that focuses on the experiences of gender and sexual minorities as a product of the broad gay liberation movement.
Jane Chambers was an American playwright. She was a "pioneer in writing theatrical works with openly lesbian characters".
The Triangle Theater Company was founded in 1980 by David M. Hough in Boston, Massachusetts. Triangle Theater was created to establish a place for theater by and about gays and lesbians. The company was a member of the Gay Theatre Alliance, created in 1978 to help develop and promote gay and lesbian theater across the country.
Liz in September is a 2014 Venezuelan romance drama film directed by Fina Torres. The screenplay is an adaptation of the American play Last Summer at Bluefish Cove by Jane Chambers. A work-in-progress project of Liz en Septiembre screened at the 2013 Miami International Film Festival, followed by the theatrical premiere in Caracas, Venezuela on October 3, 2014.
Chisa Hutchinson is an American playwright. Her plays have won multiple awards including the 2010 GLAAD Award, a Lilly Award in 2010, as well as a Lanford Wilson Award in 2015. She was a Lark Fellow as well as a Dramatist Guild Fellow in 2010–11. She was also a cast member of the Neo-Futurists in New York. Hutchinson was a staff writer for the Blue Man Group. She has been a member of New Dramatists for four years. Currently she is a Humanitas Fellow and the Tow Foundation Fellow at Second Stage. Hutchinson teaches creative writing at the University of Delaware. Most recently her play Somebody's Daughter was included on the 2017 Kilroys List which includes un-produced plays by female and trans playwrights.
Why We Have a Body is the first play by Claire Chafee. It premiered in 1993 at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, California, and was labeled a "lesbian play". It was then produced for Off-Broadway theatre and was staged in Canada and Australia. In 2011 it was revived at the Magic Theatre. Chafee received the George Oppenheimer Award for Best Emerging Playwright from Newsday.
Jean Smart is an American actress.
N. Leigh Dunlap is an American graphic designer, actor, illustrator, cartoonist and copywriter. She is best known for her cartoonist contributions named Morgan Calabrese. Throughout her career, Dunlap has published much material surrounding LGBTQ+ activism and was a winner of the 2nd Lambda Literary Award under the humor category.