The Good Doctor
Encyclopedia
The Good Doctor is a comedy with music written by Neil Simon
.
The Good Doctor is set in Russia
during the 19th century and written in the style of Chekhovian comedy. It is composed of a series of scenes in which the only connecting thread is the character of the Writer originally played by Christopher Plummer
, who is obviously Anton Chekhov
. Simon uses several direct references to Chekhov in the play: The writer's opening monologue quotes Trigorn, the writer in The Seagull
, directly and one of the scenes, "The Audition" centers around an untried actress auditioning for The Writer by playing all of Three Sisters
.
The Good Doctor opened on Broadway
at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
on November 27, 1973 and closed on May 25, 1974 after 208 performances and 8 previews
. Produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by A.J. Antoon, it starred René Auberjonois, Barnard Hughes
, Marsha Mason
, Christopher Plummer
, and Frances Sternhagen
. Frances Sternhagen won the Tony Award
, Best Featured Actress in a Play, and it received 4 additional Tony Award nominations: Best Original Score Peter Link
, Best Featured Actor in a Play (René Auberjonois), and Best Lighting remiDesign.
A revival was produced by The Melting Pot Theater, at the Theater of the Riverside Church, New York City
, from February 1998 through March 1, 1998, with Andre De Shields, Jane Connell, and Gordon Connell.
A television movie was made based on the play, with Edward Asner, Richard Chamberlain
, and Marsha Mason. It premiered on U.S. Public Television on November 8, 1978.
Simon met his second wife, Marsha Mason during auditions for this play.
The Good Doctor (Dobry wujek in Polish) also had its official premiere in Poland
on June 28, 2008 at Wybrzeżak Theatre in Gdańsk
, Poland
, with a preview of the play on June 27 at the University of Gdańsk. The production used the first and only polish translation of the play by Dariusz Burkowski.The show was directed by Richard Glockner, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa
in Cedar Falls who was assisted by Crystal G. Schneider (the dramaturg) and Christina Carr (lights, stage design, costumes). The production had not included three scenes from the original script (The drowned man A quiet war and The arrangement) and featured:
Ewa Czernowicz ("The sneeze": General's wife; "Too late for happiness": The lady)
Ewa Dziedzic ("A defenceless creatuhere": Woman)
Malgorzata Kubicka ("The audition": Girl)
Malgorzata Rozalska ("The governess": Mistress)
Agnieszka Sprawka ("The governess": Julia)
Karolina Wrobel ("The sneeze": Madame Cherdiakov; "The seduction": Wife)
Mariusz Babicki ("Surgery": Sexton; "A defenceless creature": Pochatkin)
Dariusz Burkowski (The writer, narrator)
Lukasz Lawniczak ("The sneeze": General; "Surgery": Kuriatin)
Kacper Rucinski ("The sneeze": Cherdiakov; "A defenceless creature": Kistunov)
and Wojciech Tremiszewski ("The seduction": Peter; "The audition": Voice).
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
.
The Good Doctor is set in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
during the 19th century and written in the style of Chekhovian comedy. It is composed of a series of scenes in which the only connecting thread is the character of the Writer originally played by Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
, who is obviously Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. Simon uses several direct references to Chekhov in the play: The writer's opening monologue quotes Trigorn, the writer in The Seagull
The Seagull
The Seagull is the first of what are generally considered to be the four major plays by the Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov. The Seagull was written in 1895 and first produced in 1896...
, directly and one of the scenes, "The Audition" centers around an untried actress auditioning for The Writer by playing all of Three Sisters
Three Sisters (play)
Three Sisters is a play by Russian author and playwright Anton Chekhov, perhaps partially inspired by the situation of the three Brontë sisters, but most probably by the three Zimmermann sisters in Perm...
.
The Good Doctor opened on 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...
at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre
Eugene O'Neill Theatre
The Eugene O'Neill Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 230 West 49th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, it was built for the Shuberts as part of a theatre-hotel complex named for 19th century tragedian Edwin Forrest...
on November 27, 1973 and closed on May 25, 1974 after 208 performances and 8 previews
Preview (theatre)
Previews are a set of public performances of a theatrical presentation that precede its official opening. The purpose of previews is to allow the director and crew to identify problems and opportunities for improvement that weren't found during rehearsals and to make adjustments before critics are...
. Produced by Emanuel Azenberg and directed by A.J. Antoon, it starred René Auberjonois, Barnard Hughes
Barnard Hughes
Bernard Aloysius Kiernan “Barnard” Hughes was an American actor of theater and film. Hughes became famous for a variety of roles; his most notable roles came after middle age, and he was often cast as a dithering authority figure or grandfatherly elder.-Personal life:Hughes was born in Bedford...
, Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason is an American actress and television director.She received four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for her performances in Cinderella Liberty, The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two, and Only When I Laugh. She is also known for starring in the 1986 film Heartbreak Ridge.-Life:Mason was...
, Christopher Plummer
Christopher Plummer
Arthur Christopher Orne Plummer, CC is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor. He made his film debut in 1957's Stage Struck, and notable early film performances include Night of the Generals, The Return of the Pink Panther and The Man Who Would Be King.In a career that spans over five...
, and Frances Sternhagen
Frances Sternhagen
Frances Hussey Sternhagen is an American actress. Sternhagen has appeared on and off Broadway, in movies, and on TV since the 1950s.-Personal life:...
. Frances Sternhagen won the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
, Best Featured Actress in a Play, and it received 4 additional Tony Award nominations: Best Original Score Peter Link
Peter Link
Peter Link is an American composer, lyricist, music producer, stage director, and presently CEO/Creative Director of Watchfire Music, an on-line Inspirational record company and music store....
, Best Featured Actor in a Play (René Auberjonois), and Best Lighting remiDesign.
A revival was produced by The Melting Pot Theater, at the Theater of the Riverside Church, New York City
New 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...
, from February 1998 through March 1, 1998, with Andre De Shields, Jane Connell, and Gordon Connell.
A television movie was made based on the play, with Edward Asner, Richard Chamberlain
Richard Chamberlain
George Richard Chamberlain is an American actor of stage and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare .-Early life:...
, and Marsha Mason. It premiered on U.S. Public Television on November 8, 1978.
Simon met his second wife, Marsha Mason during auditions for this play.
The Good Doctor (Dobry wujek in Polish) also had its official premiere in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on June 28, 2008 at Wybrzeżak Theatre in Gdańsk
Gdansk
Gdańsk is a Polish city on the Baltic coast, at the centre of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.The city lies on the southern edge of Gdańsk Bay , in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia, spa town of Sopot, and suburban communities, which together form a metropolitan area called the...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, with a preview of the play on June 27 at the University of Gdańsk. The production used the first and only polish translation of the play by Dariusz Burkowski.The show was directed by Richard Glockner, a professor at the University of Northern Iowa
University of Northern Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...
in Cedar Falls who was assisted by Crystal G. Schneider (the dramaturg) and Christina Carr (lights, stage design, costumes). The production had not included three scenes from the original script (The drowned man A quiet war and The arrangement) and featured:
Ewa Czernowicz ("The sneeze": General's wife; "Too late for happiness": The lady)
Ewa Dziedzic ("A defenceless creatuhere": Woman)
Malgorzata Kubicka ("The audition": Girl)
Malgorzata Rozalska ("The governess": Mistress)
Agnieszka Sprawka ("The governess": Julia)
Karolina Wrobel ("The sneeze": Madame Cherdiakov; "The seduction": Wife)
Mariusz Babicki ("Surgery": Sexton; "A defenceless creature": Pochatkin)
Dariusz Burkowski (The writer, narrator)
Lukasz Lawniczak ("The sneeze": General; "Surgery": Kuriatin)
Kacper Rucinski ("The sneeze": Cherdiakov; "A defenceless creature": Kistunov)
and Wojciech Tremiszewski ("The seduction": Peter; "The audition": Voice).