The Patriots (play)
Encyclopedia
The Patriots is an award-winning play written in a prologue and three acts by Sidney Kingsley
in 1943. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle
award for Best Play, and ran for 173 performances.
has just returned from France
, hoping to relax with his daughters at Monticello
. George Washington
however, has a favor to ask of him. Hit by tough political opposition, specifically afraid of rising monarch strength, he urges Jefferson to become his Secretary of State
. Jefferson accepts, albeit grudgingly. Not long after, he is battling his archrival, Alexander Hamilton
, a Federalist
just before his election in 1800. The Playwrights' Company produced the solidly written chronicle play when World War II
gave Jefferson's fight for democratic ideals added meaning. Kingsley was a sergeant in the army at the time of the production.
and was directed by Shepard Traube, produced by Playwrights' Company and Rowland Stebbins, music by Stanley Bate
, scenic design by Howard Bay (designer)
, costume design by Rose Bogdanoff and Toni Ward, and lighting design by Moe Hack.
The cast on opening night was:
as Thomas Jefferson, John Fraser
as Alexander Hamilton, and Howard St. John
as George Washington) and in 1976 by PBS (starring Robert Murch as Thomas Jefferson, Philip LeStrange as Alexander Hamilton, and Ralph Clanton
as George Washington), but it has never been made into a theatrical film.
Ironically, the first telecast, in 1963, took place on November 15, one week before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352706/releaseinfo The 1976 telecast is available on DVD.
Sidney Kingsley
Sidney Kingsley was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Men in White in 1934.- Biography :...
in 1943. It won the New York Drama Critics' Circle
New York Drama Critics' Circle
The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
award for Best Play, and ran for 173 performances.
Synopsis
Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
has just returned from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, hoping to relax with his daughters at Monticello
Monticello
Monticello is a National Historic Landmark just outside Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was the estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence, third President of the United States, and founder of the University of Virginia; it is...
. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
however, has a favor to ask of him. Hit by tough political opposition, specifically afraid of rising monarch strength, he urges Jefferson to become his Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
. Jefferson accepts, albeit grudgingly. Not long after, he is battling his archrival, Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton was a Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, one of America's first constitutional lawyers and the first United States Secretary of the Treasury...
, a Federalist
Federalist
The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world. Also, it may refer to the concept of federalism or the type of government called a federation...
just before his election in 1800. The Playwrights' Company produced the solidly written chronicle play when World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
gave Jefferson's fight for democratic ideals added meaning. Kingsley was a sergeant in the army at the time of the production.
Show Details
The show played at the National TheatreNederlander Theatre
David T. Nederlander Theatre is a 1,232-seat Broadway theatre located at 208 West 41st Street, in New York City . One of the Nederlander Organization's nine Broadway theatres, the legacy of the theatre began with David Tobias Nederlander, for whom the theatre is named.Built by Walter C...
and was directed by Shepard Traube, produced by Playwrights' Company and Rowland Stebbins, music by Stanley Bate
Stanley Bate
-Life:Bate received early training in music and had composed two operas by age twenty. He studied under Ralph Vaughan Williams, R.O. Morris, Gordon Jacob, and Arthur Benjamin, and then in Paris with Nadia Boulanger and in Berlin with Paul Hindemith. He wrote incidental music for performances at...
, scenic design by Howard Bay (designer)
Howard Bay (designer)
Howard Bay was an American scenic, lighting and costume designer for stage, opera and film. He won the Tony Award for Best Scenic Design twice.-Career:...
, costume design by Rose Bogdanoff and Toni Ward, and lighting design by Moe Hack.
The cast on opening night was:
- Roland AlexanderRoland AlexanderRoland Alexander was an American post-bop jazz musician from Boston, Massachusetts.Alexander played tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, and piano. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Boston Conservatory and then moved to New York City in 1958...
as Mr. Fenno - Leslie Bingham as Mrs. Conrad
- Francis ComptonFrancis ComptonFrancis Compton D.C.L was an English lawyer and Conservative Party politician.Compton was the son of Henry Combe Compton M.P. of Minstead Manor House, Lyndhurst, Hants and his wife Charlotte Mills. He was educated at Merton College, Oxford and became a Fellow of All Souls. He was called to the...
as Colonel Humphrey - Thomas DillonThomas DillonThomas Lee Dillon was a serial killer who shot and killed five men in southeastern Ohio, beginning April 1, 1989 and continuing until April 1992....
as Jacob - Madge EvansMadge EvansMadge Evans was an American stage and film actress. She began her career as a child performer and model.-Child model and stage actress:...
as Patsy - Doe Doe Green as Jupiter
- Cecil HumphreysCecil Humphreys-Selected filmography:* The Elusive Pimpernel * The Tavern Knight * Greatheart * The Four Just Men * Dick Turpin's Ride to York * The Glorious Adventure * Irish Luck...
as George Washington - House Jameson as Alexander Hamilton
- Raymond Edward JohnsonRaymond Edward JohnsonRaymond Edward Johnson was an American radio and stage actor best remembered for his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries....
as Thomas Jefferson - Peg La Centra as Mrs. Hamilton
- Judson Laire as James Monroe
- Robert Lance as Butler
- Hope LangeHope LangeHope Elise Ross Lange was an American stage, film, and television actress.- Early life :Lange was born into a theatrical family in Redding, Connecticut...
as Anne Randolph - Jack Lloyd as George Washington Lafayette
- Ross Matthew as Doctor
- George Mitchell (actor)George Mitchell (actor)George Mitchell was an American actor working from 1935 through 1971 in film and television, and on Broadway.-Early life:George Mitchell was born February 21, 1905, in Larchmont, New York...
as Ned - Henry MowbrayHenry MowbrayHenry "Harry" Mowbray is a Scottish former professional footballer. He played as a defender....
as Henry Knox - Billy Nevard as Thomas Jefferson Randolph
- Frances ReidFrances ReidFrances Reid was an American dramatic actress. Although she starred in many productions, she is best known for her portrayal of Alice Horton on the NBC daytime soap opera Days of our Lives from its debut in November 1965 until her death on February 3, 2010.-Biography:Born in Wichita Falls, Texas,...
as Martha - Byron Russell as Captain
- John SoutherJohn SoutherJohn Souther was the founder of Globe Locomotive Works, an American steam locomotive manufacturing company. In his obituary published in the Newton, Massachusetts, Town Crier, he is credited with the invention of the steam shovel and steam dredger as well as designing the pattern for the fence...
as James Madison - Victor Southwick as Sergeant
- John StephenJohn StephenJohn Stephen , dubbed by the media "The £1m Mod" and "The King Of Carnaby Street, was one of the most important fashion figures of the 1960s....
as Frontiersman - Philip White as Mat
Television Adaptations
The play has been presented on television twice, by NBC in 1963 (starring Charlton HestonCharlton Heston
Charlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television. Heston is known for heroic roles in films such as The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor, El Cid, and Planet of the Apes...
as Thomas Jefferson, John Fraser
John Fraser (actor)
-External links:* http://www.johnfraser.org/...
as Alexander Hamilton, and Howard St. John
Howard St. John
Howard St. John was a Chicago-born character actor who specialized in unsympathetic roles. His work spanned Broadway, film and television...
as George Washington) and in 1976 by PBS (starring Robert Murch as Thomas Jefferson, Philip LeStrange as Alexander Hamilton, and Ralph Clanton
Ralph Clanton
Ralph Clanton was an American character actor. Although his name is not familiar to audiences, he did play a significant supporting role in a classic film which is revived regularly...
as George Washington), but it has never been made into a theatrical film.
Ironically, the first telecast, in 1963, took place on November 15, one week before the assassination of President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352706/releaseinfo The 1976 telecast is available on DVD.