Luv | |
---|---|
Written by | Murray Schisgal |
Date premiered | November 11, 1964 |
Place premiered | United States |
Original language | English |
Genre | Comedy |
Setting | New York City |
Luv is a play by Murray Schisgal. The production originated on Broadway in 1964. The production was directed by Mike Nichols and featured performances from Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson.
It received five Tony Award nominations including for Best Play. It won three Tonys for Best Producer of a Play, Best Direction of a Play and Best Scenic Design.
A mix of absurdist humor and traditional Broadway comedy in the Neil Simon vein, Luv concerns two college friends—misfit Harry and materialistic Milt—who are reunited when the latter stops the former from jumping off a bridge, the play's setting. [1] Each discovers the other is equally miserable as they share hard-luck stories. Milt sees in Harry an answer to his primary problem—his wife Ellen, whom he tries to foist on his old pal so he can run off with his mistress.
After twenty-eight previews, the Broadway production, directed by Mike Nichols, opened on November 11, 1964, at the Booth Theatre. [2] It transferred to the Broadhurst and then the now-demolished Helen Hayes before completing its run of 901 performances. It won the Tony Award for Best Director, Best Producer (Claire Nichtern) and Best Scenic Design (Oliver Smith).
Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson comprised the original cast. [2] Barbara Bel Geddes, Larry Blyden, Gene Wilder, and Gabriel Dell were among the replacement performers later in the run. [3] [4]
The three original cast members appeared as the "Mystery Guest" on the TV Panel Show "What's My Line" on March 14, 1965. [5]
The 1967 film version, directed by Clive Donner and starring Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, and Elaine May, added various locations and extraneous characters. Reviews criticized Donner's heavy-handed approach to the material and the miscasting of the three leads, and it proved to be a commercial failure. Harrison Ford has an uncredited role as a hippie. Frank Sutton, best remembered for his role as Sergeant Carter on the Gomer Pyle TV series, was starring in a 1974 dinner theatre version of the play when he died backstage of a heart attack.
Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
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1965 | Tony Awards | Best Play | Luv | Nominated | [6] |
Best Producer of a Play | Claire Nichtern | Won | |||
Best Author of a Play | Murray Schisgal | Nominated | |||
Best Direction of a Play | Mike Nichols | Won | |||
Best Scenic Design of a Play | Oliver Smith | Won | |||
1965 | New York Drama Critics' Circle | Best Play | Luv | Nominated | |
Eli Herschel Wallach was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a BAFTA Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He also was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1988 and received the Academy Honorary Award in 2010.
Mike Nichols was an American director. He worked across a range of genres and had an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of their experience. He is one of 18 people to have won all four of the major American entertainment awards: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT). His other honors included three BAFTA Awards, the Lincoln Center Gala Tribute in 1999, the National Medal of Arts in 2001, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2003 and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2010. His films received a total of 42 Academy Award nominations, and seven wins.
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Anne Jackson was an American actress of stage, screen, and television. She was the wife of actor Eli Wallach, with whom she often co-starred. In 1956, she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance in Paddy Chayefsky's Middle of the Night. In 1963, she won an Obie Award for Best Actress for her performance in two Off-Broadway plays, The Typists and The Tiger.
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Luv is a 1967 slapstick romantic comedy film starring Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, Elaine May and Nina Wayne. It is based on the original Broadway production of the same name by Murray Schisgal, which opened at the Booth Theater in New York City on 11 November 1964. The play ran for 901 performances and was nominated for the 1965 Tony Award for Best Play.
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