The Best Man (play)
Encyclopedia
The Best Man is a 1960 play by American playwright Gore Vidal
. The play premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre
on March 31, 1960, and ran for 520 performances before closing on July 8, 1961.
Vidal adapted it into a film with the same title
in 1964.
Ronald Reagan
auditioned without success for the lead in the play's original run. Vidal did not think he could play a credible president.
James Earl Jones
and Angela Lansbury
are attached to the spring 2012 revival.
Awards
Nominations
Gore Vidal
Gore Vidal is an American author, playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and political activist. His third novel, The City and the Pillar , outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American novels to feature unambiguous homosexuality...
. The play premiered on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre
Morosco Theatre
The Morosco Theatre was a legitimate theatre located at 217 West 45th Street in the heart of the theater district in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States....
on March 31, 1960, and ran for 520 performances before closing on July 8, 1961.
Vidal adapted it into a film with the same title
The Best Man (1964 film)
The Best Man is a 1964 film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner with a screenplay by Gore Vidal based on his play of the same title. Starring Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, and Lee Tracy, the film details the seamy political maneuverings behind the nomination of a presidential candidate...
in 1964.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
auditioned without success for the lead in the play's original run. Vidal did not think he could play a credible president.
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
and Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
are attached to the spring 2012 revival.
Awards and nominations
Awards
- 2001 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a PlayDrama Desk Award for Outstanding RevivalThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival is presented by the Drama Desk, a committee of New York City theatre critics, writers, and editors. It honors the Broadway, off-Broadway, off-off-Broadway, or legitimate not-for-profit theater revival of a production previously staged in New York City.It...
Nominations
- 1960 Tony Award for Best PlayTony Award for Best PlayThe Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
- 2001 Tony Award for Best Revival of a PlayTony Award for Best Revival of a PlayThe Tony Award for Best Revival has only been awarded since 1994. Prior to that, plays and musicals were considered together for the Tony Award for Best Revival...