Next (play)
Encyclopedia
Next is a one-act play by Terrence McNally
.
At the comedy
's center are Marion Cheever, a middle-aged, overweight, debt-ridden, divorced father of two who mistakenly has been called by the draft
, and Sergeant Thech, a no-nonsense female examining officer. A battle-of-wits is waged between the "sad sack"
determined to avoid military service and the career officer just as determined to sign him up.
Paired with Elaine May
's Adaptation, Next opened on February 10, 1969 at the off-Broadway
Greenwich Mews Theatre, where it ran for 707 performances. James Coco
and Elaine Shore
were directed by May.
Terrence McNally
Terrence McNally is an American playwright who has received four Tony Awards, an Emmy, two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Hull-Warriner Award, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He has been a member of the Council of the...
.
At the comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
's center are Marion Cheever, a middle-aged, overweight, debt-ridden, divorced father of two who mistakenly has been called by the draft
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
, and Sergeant Thech, a no-nonsense female examining officer. A battle-of-wits is waged between the "sad sack"
Sad Sack
The Sad Sack is an American fictional comic strip and comic book character created by Sgt. George Baker during World War II. Set in the United States Army, Sad Sack depicted an otherwise unnamed, lowly private experiencing some of the absurdities and humiliations of military life. The title was a...
determined to avoid military service and the career officer just as determined to sign him up.
Paired with Elaine May
Elaine May
Elaine May is an American film director, screenwriter and actress. She achieved her greatest fame in the 1950s from her improvisational comedy routines in partnership with Mike Nichols...
's Adaptation, Next opened on February 10, 1969 at the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
Greenwich Mews Theatre, where it ran for 707 performances. James Coco
James Coco
James Coco was an American character actor.- Early life and career :Born James Emil Coco in New York City, son of Feliche Coco, a shoemaker and Ida Detestes Coco, James began acting straight out of high school. As an overweight and prematurely balding adult, he found himself relegated to character...
and Elaine Shore
Elaine Shore
Elaine Shore was an American actress. She was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 4, 1929. After studying at the Goodman Theatre and moving to Washington, D.C...
were directed by May.