| The Grass Harp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Truman Capote |
| Based on | The Grass Harp by Truman Capote |
| Date premiered | March 27, 1952 |
| Place premiered | Martin Beck Theatre |
| Original language | English |
The Grass Harp is a play written by Truman Capote based on his novel of the same name. Producer Saint Subber staged it on Broadway in 1952. It was Capote's first play.
Capote's novel The Grass Harp was favorably reviewed when it was published, and it attracted the interest of the Broadway producer Saint Subber, who traveled to Taormina to urge Capote to write a stage adaption of the work. His offer opened up new possibilities for income at a time when Capote was still struggling financially. Working with intense concentration, Capote managed to complete a draft of the play in a year's time. He was personally involved in the selection of a production team. The adaptation, produced by Subber and directed by Robert Lewis, opened on March 27, 1952, at Broadway's Martin Beck Theatre, where it ran for 36 performances.
The cast included Mildred Natwick as Dolly Talbo, Ruth Nelson as Verena Talbo, Jonathan Harris as Dr. Morris Ritz, Sterling Holloway as The Barber, Gertrude Flynn as The Baker's Wife, Val Dufour as The Sheriff, Jane Lawrence as The Choir Mistress, Lenka Peterson as Maude Riordan, and Alice Pearce as Miss Baby Love Dallas. [1] Music was by Virgil Thomson and scenery and costumes were by Cecil Beaton. [2]
Brooks Atkinson of The New York Times praised the play, calling it "beautiful", with "lightness and grace". [3] In The New Republic , Eric Bentley said it was trite and ridiculous, although he praised Natwick's performance. [4]
Designer Cecil Beaton won the 1951-52 Donaldson Award in the category of "Setting (play)".
Truman Garcia Capote was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and the true crime novel In Cold Blood (1966), which he labeled a "non-fiction novel". His works have been adapted into more than 20 films and television dramas.
Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the theatre.
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Capote is a 2005 biographical film about American novelist Truman Capote directed by Bennett Miller, and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman in the titular role. The film primarily follows the events during the writing of Capote's 1965 nonfiction book In Cold Blood. The film was based on Gerald Clarke's 1988 biography Capote. It was released September 30, 2005, coinciding with Capote's birthday. The film received acclaim from critics for Hoffman's lead performance and won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the title character.
Mildred Natwick was an American actress. She won a Primetime Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award and two Tony Awards.
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The Grass Harp is a 1951 novel by Truman Capote.
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