| Misery | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster for the 2012 play | |
| Book | William Goldman |
| Basis | Misery by Stephen King |
| Premiere | November 24, 2012: Bucks County Playhouse |
| Productions |
|
Misery is a play written by William Goldman. It is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was adapted into a 1990 film, the script for which was written by Goldman.
| Character | Bucks County Playhouse (2012) | Broadhurst Theatre (2015–16) | Kwadrat Theatre (2017) | Kuopio City Theatre (2019) | Tampere Theatre (2019) | Pori Theatre (2022) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Wilkes | Johanna Day | Laurie Metcalf | Ewa Wencel | Henna Haverinen | Mari Turunen | Mirva Tolppanen |
| Paul Sheldon | Daniel Gerroll | Bruce Willis | Piotr Polk | Seppo Pääkkönen | Esa Latva-Äijö | Vesa Haltsonen |
| Sheriff Buster | James DeMarse | Leon Addison Brown | Marcin Pietowski | Ari-Kyösti Seppo | Jukka Leisti | Hannu Müller |
All six versions of the play were written by William Goldman (who also wrote the 1990 film's screenplay), while Will Frears directed the U.S. versions and Robert Gliński directed the 2017 Polish adaptation. [1] [2] [3]
The play, in association with Castle Rock Entertainment, [4] premiered at the Bucks County Playhouse on November 24, 2012, for 11 performances, and closed on December 8, 2012. [5] The play starred Daniel Gerroll as Paul Sheldon, Johanna Day as Annie Wilkes, and James DeMarse as Sheriff Buster. [6]
A new version of the production officially opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 22, 2015 and closed on February 16, 2016. [7] This version starred Bruce Willis as Sheldon, Laurie Metcalf as Wilkes, and Leon Addison Brown as Buster. [8] The show ran for 102 performances, grossing $12,518,415 in ticket sales. [9] [10] [11]
The play was re-adapted in the Polish language, starring Ewa Wencel as Wilkes, Piotr Polk as Sheldon, and Marcin Pietowski as Buster, and premiered at the Kwadrat Theatre in Warsaw on January 9, 2017. [3]
Misery was adapted under the name Piina for three Finnish productions. [12] [13] [14] The first adaptation was performed in September 2019 by Kuopio City Theatre in Kuopio. [15] [16] It starred Seppo Pääkkönen as Sheldon, Henna Haverinen as Wilkes, and Ari-Kyösti Seppo as Buster, and was directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen. [13]
The second adaptation was performed in October 2019 by Tampere Theatre in Tampere. [17] [18] The play starred Mari Turunen as Wilkes, Esa Latva-Äijö as Sheldon, and Jukka Leisti as Buster, and was directed by Antti Mikkola. [12]
A third adaptation was performed in November 2022 by Pori Theatre in Pori. [19] It starred Vesa Haltsonen as Sheldon, Mirva Tolppanen as Wilkes, and Hannu Müller as Buster, and was directed by Tuomo Aitta . [14]
For Metcalf's performance as Wilkes, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. [20] Willis' performance was generally panned by critics, who called it "vacant" and "inert". [21] [22] Some new sources have criticized Willis for using an ear piece on the play. [23]
Tampere is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Pirkanmaa. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Tampere is approximately 255,000, while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 417,000. It is the 3rd most populous municipality in Finland, and the second most populous urban area in the country after Helsinki.
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Misery is an American psychological horror thriller novel written by Stephen King and first published by Viking Press on June 8, 1987. The novel's narrative is based on the relationship of its two main characters – the romance novelist Paul Sheldon and his deranged self-proclaimed number one fan Annie Wilkes. When Paul is seriously injured following a car accident, former nurse Annie brings him to her home, where Paul receives treatment and doses of pain medication. Paul realizes that he is a prisoner and is forced to indulge his captor's whims.
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Annie Wilkes is a character originating from Stephen King's 1987 novel Misery, in which she acts as one of the two central characters and main antagonist. In 2022, King picked her as his personal favorite character among all those he created in his literary career.
Misery is a 1990 American psychological thriller film directed by Rob Reiner, based on Stephen King's 1987 novel of the same name, starring James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, and Frances Sternhagen. The plot centers around an author who is held captive by an obsessive fan who forces him to rewrite the finale to his novel series.
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