Nuts (play)
Encyclopedia
Nuts is a 1979 play by Tom Topor. It is a suspense, psychological, and courtroom drama that explores sexual abuse
issues, family and social power dynamics, and aspects of the criminal court system. It was staged off-off-Broadway
in 1979 and transferred to Broadway
the following year. A 1987 film adaptation
stars Barbra Streisand
and Richard Dreyfuss
.
. After killing a client in self defense, strong-willed, high-class call girl
Claudia Draper is indicted for manslaughter
in the first degree. Her mother Rose and stepfather Arthur are anxious to avoid the family scandal that would result from the public revelation of their daughter's chosen career, so they attempt to have her declared mentally incompetent
by Dr. Herbert Rosenthal. Realizing she will be remanded to a psychiatric facility for an indefinite period of time if her parents succeed, Claudia is determined to prove she is sane enough to stand trial.
Public defender
Aaron Levinsky is assigned to her case, but Claudia is angry and distrustful of everybody. She not only resists his help but disrupts the court hearings, over which Judge Murdoch is presiding, as well. As testimony is heard, new insights into Claudia's entire life experience, including sexual abuse by her stepfather, begin to surface.
purchased the film rights and financed the play's move to Broadway
. Following eight previews, it opened at the Biltmore Theatre
on April 28, 1980, where it ran for 96 performances before closing on July 20. Directed by Stephen Zuckerman, who had directed the original production, it starred Anne Twomey
as Claudia, Richard Zobel
as Aaron Levinsky, Hansford Rowe
as Arthur Kirk, Lenka Peterson
as Rose Kirk, Paul Stolarsky as Dr. Rosenthal, and Ed Van Nuys as Judge Murdoch.
Anne Twomey won the Theatre World Award
and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
, and Hansford Rowe was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
.
, and Alvin Sargent
adapted the play for the 1987 film of the same title
, directed by Martin Ritt
and starring Barbra Streisand
and Richard Dreyfuss
.
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
issues, family and social power dynamics, and aspects of the criminal court system. It was staged off-off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
in 1979 and transferred to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
the following year. A 1987 film adaptation
Nuts (film)
Nuts is a 1987 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Barbra Streisand and Richard Dreyfuss. The screenplay by Tom Topor, Darryl Ponicsan, and Alvin Sargent is based on Topor's 1979 play of the same title...
stars Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
.
Plot
The play is set in a courtroom in the psychiatric wing of Bellevue Hospital in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After killing a client in self defense, strong-willed, high-class call girl
Call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
Claudia Draper is indicted for manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
in the first degree. Her mother Rose and stepfather Arthur are anxious to avoid the family scandal that would result from the public revelation of their daughter's chosen career, so they attempt to have her declared mentally incompetent
Competence (law)
In American law, competence concerns the mental capacity of an individual to participate in legal proceedings. Defendants that do not possess sufficient "competence" are usually excluded from criminal prosecution, while witnesses found not to possess requisite competence cannot testify...
by Dr. Herbert Rosenthal. Realizing she will be remanded to a psychiatric facility for an indefinite period of time if her parents succeed, Claudia is determined to prove she is sane enough to stand trial.
Public defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
Aaron Levinsky is assigned to her case, but Claudia is angry and distrustful of everybody. She not only resists his help but disrupts the court hearings, over which Judge Murdoch is presiding, as well. As testimony is heard, new insights into Claudia's entire life experience, including sexual abuse by her stepfather, begin to surface.
Background
Tom Topor used his years of experience as a journalist covering New York City police stations, courtrooms, hospitals, and psychiatric wards in crafting the play. He derived the mental illness plot from a true-life incident he had reported in the early 1970s, and he also questioned his wife about her incestuous childhood, which provided the lead character's motivation to become a prostitute.Production
Nuts was produced in an early draft form at the off-off Broadway WPA Theater in 1979. Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
purchased the film rights and financed the play's move to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Following eight previews, it opened at the Biltmore Theatre
Biltmore Theatre
The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 261 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:...
on April 28, 1980, where it ran for 96 performances before closing on July 20. Directed by Stephen Zuckerman, who had directed the original production, it starred Anne Twomey
Anne Twomey
Anne Twomey is an American theatre, film, and television actress.-Career:Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Twomey earned critical acclaim for her performance in the 1980 play Nuts, for which she won the Theatre World Award and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress...
as Claudia, Richard Zobel
Richard Zobel
Richard J. Zobel was an American actor.Zobel was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and moved to New York City for his acting career. He starred in All's Well That Ends Well in the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park in 1978, and on Broadway as Levinsky in Nuts in 1980...
as Aaron Levinsky, Hansford Rowe
Hansford Rowe
Hansford Rowe is an American character actor who has starred in films and on television. He has been known to play ministers in some of his roles....
as Arthur Kirk, Lenka Peterson
Lenka Peterson
Lenka Peterson is an actress of stage, film and television.On Broadway, Peterson's roles included Ella in Sundown Beach , Maude in The Grass Harp , Kitty in The Time of Your Life , Sally and Mary in All the Way Home , Rose in Nuts , and Sarah in Quilters ,...
as Rose Kirk, Paul Stolarsky as Dr. Rosenthal, and Ed Van Nuys as Judge Murdoch.
Anne Twomey won the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
This is a list of the winners and nominations of Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. The award has been presented since 1947, and is for performance in new productions or revivals.-1940s:...
, and Hansford Rowe was nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors...
.
Film adaptation
Tom Topor, Darryl PonicsanDarryl Ponicsan
Darryl Ponicsan is an American writer. He is best known as the author of the 1971 novel The Last Detail, which was adapted into a 1973 movie starring Jack Nicholson; and for the 1973 novel and screenplay Cinderella Liberty, starring James Caan...
, and Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent
Alvin Sargent is an American screenwriter. He has won two Academy Awards for his screenplays and has been involved in the writing of all movies to date in the Spider-Man film series.-Life and career:...
adapted the play for the 1987 film of the same title
Nuts (film)
Nuts is a 1987 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt and starring Barbra Streisand and Richard Dreyfuss. The screenplay by Tom Topor, Darryl Ponicsan, and Alvin Sargent is based on Topor's 1979 play of the same title...
, directed by Martin Ritt
Martin Ritt
Martin Ritt was an American director, actor, and playwright who worked in both film and theater. He was born in New York City.-Early career and influences:...
and starring Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
.
External links
- Nuts: A Play in Three Acts on GoogleBooks