The Mineola Twins

Last updated

The Mineola Twins is a play by Paula Vogel with music by David Van Tieghem, which premiered Off-Broadway in 1999.

Contents

Overview

The story satirically examines women's experience and the women's movement over more than three decades in post-World War II America, as seen through the life of identical twins, Myra and Myrna, from Mineola, New York, who are played by one actress. The twins' contrasting personalities are presented in often extreme and comic ways. For example, one is a rebellious radical, while the other is an uptight conservative. [1] [2]

The play takes place during the Eisenhower Administration; then at the start of the Nixon Administration; and finally during the Bush Administration. In an author's note, Vogel suggests that female singers of the time, such as Teresa Brewer and Vicki Carr be used. [3]

Characters

Productions

The play was first produced by the Perseverance Theatre in Juneau, Alaska, in November 1996. [4] It was then produced at the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island in February to March 1997, again directed by Molly Smith (former artistic director of Perseverance) and starring Anne Scurria. [5] [6]

The Mineola Twins opened Off-Broadway on February 18, 1999, after a month of previews and closed on May 30, 1999, at the Laura Pels Theatre in a Roundabout Theatre production. Directed by Joe Mantello with musical staging by Ken Roberson, the cast included Swoosie Kurtz as the twins, Mo Gaffney as Myrna's boyfriend Jim and later Myra's lesbian lover Sarah, Mandy Siegfried as the twins' sons, Kenny and Ben. Additional cast included Jimmy Holder and Daniel Stewart Sherman. [1] The New York Times critic Vincent Canby wrote, "Working lightly, surely and always in sync ... Vogel ... Mantello [and] Kurtz and a dream supporting cast are cheering up a mostly dreary season with The Mineola Twins, the exhilarating Roundabout Theater Company entertainment." [2]

Subsequent productions have included a 2004 run at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Florida, [7] and a 2012 production at The Arts Square Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. [8] [9]

Awards and nominations

Source: Lortel.org [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Margulies</span> American playwright

Donald Margulies is an American playwright and academic. In 2000, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Dinner with Friends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Vogel</span> American playwright

Paula Vogel is an American playwright who received the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play How I Learned to Drive. A longtime teacher, Vogel spent the bulk of her academic career – from 1984 to 2008 – at Brown University, where she served as Adele Kellenberg Seaver Professor in Creative Writing, oversaw its playwriting program, and helped found the Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium. From 2008 to 2012, Vogel was Eugene O'Neill Professor of Playwriting and department chair at the Yale School of Drama, as well as playwright in residence at the Yale Repertory Theatre.

The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by The Village Voice newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the American Theatre Wing. As the Tony Awards cover Broadway productions, the Obie Awards cover off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions. It has often been considered off-Broadway's highest honor.

Scott Pask is an American scenic and costume designer. He has worked primarily on stage productions in the United States, on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre, as well as in the United Kingdom. He has won Tony Awards for his work on The Pillowman, The Coast of Utopia and The Book of Mormon.

The Roundabout Theatre Company is a non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.

<i>Lips Together, Teeth Apart</i>

Lips Together, Teeth Apart is a play by American playwright Terrence McNally. The play, which premiered Off-Broadway in 1991, concerns two straight couples who spend a weekend in a gay community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MCC Theater</span> American theater company

MCC Theater is an off-Broadway theater company located in New York City. The theater was founded in 1986 by artistic directors Robert LuPone, Bernard Telsey and William Cantler. Blake West joined the company in 2006 as executive director. MCC opened the doors to its new home in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, as The Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, on January 9, 2019.

Laila Robins is an American stage, film and television actress. She has appeared in films including Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), An Innocent Man (1989), Live Nude Girls (1995), True Crime (1999), She's Lost Control (2014), Eye in the Sky (2015), and A Call to Spy (2019). Her television credits include regular roles on Gabriel's Fire, Homeland, and Murder in the First. In 2022, she portrays Pamela Milton in the final season of The Walking Dead.

<i>The House of Blue Leaves</i> Play written by John Guare

The House of Blue Leaves is a play by American playwright John Guare which premiered Off-Broadway in 1971, and was revived in 1986, both Off-Broadway and on Broadway, and was again revived on Broadway in 2011. The play won the Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best American Play and the Obie Award for Best American Play in 1971. The play is set in 1965, when Pope Paul VI visited New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. Smith-Cameron</span> American actress (born 1957)

Jean Isabel Smith, credited professionally as J. Smith-Cameron, is an American actress. She spent a majority of her career in theatre but began transitioning to film and television later in life. She is known for her supporting roles as Janet Talbot on the television series Rectify and Gerri Kellman on Succession. For the latter, she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series in 2022.

The 51st Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS from Radio City Music Hall on June 1, 1997. "Launching the Tonys" was telecast on PBS television. The event was hosted by Rosie O'Donnell. The awards ceremony moved away from Broadway for the first time in 30 years. As Radio City Music Hall is much larger than any Broadway theater, this allowed members of the general public to attend the ceremony.

The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres and Producers by special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Foundation, with additional support from the Theatre Development Fund.

The 41st Annual Tony Awards was held on June 7, 1987, at the Mark Hellinger Theatre and broadcast by CBS television. Angela Lansbury was the host for the third time. This broadcast was awarded the 1987 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irish Repertory Theatre</span> Off-Brodway theatre

The Irish Repertory Theatre is an Off Broadway theatre founded in 1988.

Lisa Emery is an American stage, film, and television actress. Emery is best known for playing Darlene Snell on Netflix series Ozark.

The 43rd Annual Tony Awards, which honor achievement in the Broadway theatre was held on June 4, 1989, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre and broadcast by CBS television. The host was Angela Lansbury, making her fifth appearance as host, more than any other individual.

The 36th Annual Tony Awards was broadcast by CBS television on June 6, 1982, from the Imperial Theatre. The host was Tony Randall.

Signature Theatre Company is an American theatre based in Manhattan, New York. It was founded in 1991 by James Houghton and is now led by Artistic Director Paige Evans. Signature is known for their season-long focus on one artist's work. It has been located in the Pershing Square Signature Center since 2012.

Marylouise Burke is an American actress. Her roles have included the 2004 Alexander Payne film Sideways, in which she played Phyliis, the mother of the lead character. On stage, she has appeared off-Broadway in Fuddy Meers in 1999, winning the Drama Desk Award for Featured Actress in a Play, and in Kimberly Akimbo in 2003, receiving a Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actress in a Play nomination. She also played the role of Jack's mother in the 2002 Broadway revival of Into the Woods.

Sam Gold is an American theater director and actor. He has directed both musicals and plays, on Broadway and Off-Broadway. He won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical for Fun Home.

References

  1. 1 2 Sommer, Elyse. The Mineola Twins, CurtainUp.com, 1999, accessed November 28, 2012
  2. 1 2 Canby, Vincent. "A Mad History of Women as Told by Twin Barbies", The New York Times, February 28, 1999, accessed November 28, 2012
  3. ↑ Vogel, Paula. "script" The Mineola Twins, Dramatists Play Service Inc, 1999, ISBN   0822216221, p. 3
  4. ↑ Lefkowitz, David. "Vogel's Twins Premieres at Alaska's Perseverence" playbill.com, November 15, 1996
  5. ↑ Glaser, Blair and Lefkowitz, David. "Vogel's 'Mineola Twins' Moves to R.I. Through March 23" Playbill, February 28, 1997
  6. ↑ Taylor, Markland ."Reviews. The Mineloa Twins" Variety, March 15, 1997
  7. ↑ The Mineola Twins, Jobsite Theater, Inc., June 2004, accessed November 28, 2012
  8. ↑ The Mineola Twins, Flavorpill.com, November 28, 2012
  9. ↑ Schillacci, Kelle. "Review: A familiar divisiveness colors The Mineola Twins", Las Vegas Citylife, November 7, 2012
  10. ↑ "'The Mineola Twins' Listing" lortel.org, accessed September 21, 2015
  11. 1 2 "Awards History, Lucille Lortel Awards and Obie Awards" roundabouttheatre.org, accessed November 29, 2012
  12. ↑ "Hewes Design Awards, 1999" americantheatrewing.org, accessed November 29, 2012
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.