Winterset (play)
Encyclopedia
Winterset is a play by Maxwell Anderson
.
A verse drama written largely in poetic form
, the tragedy
deals indirectly with the famous Sacco-Vanzetti
case, in which two Italian
immigrants with radical political beliefs were executed. Its plot follows Mio Romagna’s quest to prove his father’s innocence in the years after Bartolomeo Romagna was executed for a robbery and murder he did not commit. Mio's quest is complicated by his love for Miriamne Esdras and the difficult ethical decisions that result from his connection with her family.
A highly political play, with meditations
on faith
, truth
, justice
, love
, and duty
, it frequently alludes to Shakespearean
and Judaic
philosophies.
The Broadway
production, produced and directed by Guthrie McClintic
, opened on September 25, 1935 at the Martin Beck Theatre, where it ran for 195 performances. The cast included Burgess Meredith
, Margo, and Eduardo Ciannelli
.
It won the first ever New York Drama Critics' Circle
Award for Best Play.
Meredith, Margo, and Ciannelli were joined by John Carradine
, Stanley Ridges
, and Mischa Auer
in the 1936 film adaptation
, directed by Alfred Santell
.
Anderson initially offered the play to The Group Theater with the stipulation that Meredith, a non-member, play the lead. Meredith wanted to join the group but when asked during his interview by the three directors "do you love the Group Theater above yourself" he said no. He was eventually rejected, causing the playwright to withdraw his offer. This incident became a source of contention with the group's actors. Members would often cite it as an example of "ill advised dogma"; of destructive, egotistical behavior.
Maxwell Anderson
James Maxwell Anderson was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist and lyricist.-Early years:Anderson was born in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to William Lincoln "Link" Anderson, a Baptist minister, and Charlotte Perrimela Stephenson, both of Scots and Irish descent...
.
A verse drama written largely in poetic form
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, the tragedy
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
deals indirectly with the famous Sacco-Vanzetti
Sacco and Vanzetti
Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were anarchists who were convicted of murdering two men during a 1920 armed robbery in South Braintree, Massachusetts, United States...
case, in which two Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
immigrants with radical political beliefs were executed. Its plot follows Mio Romagna’s quest to prove his father’s innocence in the years after Bartolomeo Romagna was executed for a robbery and murder he did not commit. Mio's quest is complicated by his love for Miriamne Esdras and the difficult ethical decisions that result from his connection with her family.
A highly political play, with meditations
Meditations
Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy....
on faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
, truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
, justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, and duty
Duty
Duty is a term that conveys a sense of moral commitment to someone or something. The moral commitment is the sort that results in action and it is not a matter of passive feeling or mere recognition...
, it frequently alludes to Shakespearean
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Judaic
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
philosophies.
The 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...
production, produced and directed by Guthrie McClintic
Guthrie McClintic
Guthrie McClintic was a successful theatre director, film director and producer based in New York. -Life and career:...
, opened on September 25, 1935 at the Martin Beck Theatre, where it ran for 195 performances. The cast included Burgess Meredith
Burgess Meredith
Oliver Burgess Meredith , known professionally as Burgess Meredith, was an American actor in theatre, film, and television, who also worked as a director...
, Margo, and Eduardo Ciannelli
Eduardo Ciannelli
Eduardo Ciannelli, sometimes credited as Edward Ciannelli, , was an Italian baritone and character actor with a long career in American films, mostly playing gangsters and criminals.-Early life:...
.
It won the first ever 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.
Meredith, Margo, and Ciannelli were joined by John Carradine
John Carradine
John Carradine was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater. A member of Cecil B DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history...
, Stanley Ridges
Stanley Ridges
Stanley Ridges was a British-born actor who made his mark in films by playing a wide assortment of character parts...
, and Mischa Auer
Mischa Auer
Mischa Auer was a Russian-born American actor.-Early life:Auer was born Mikhail Semyonovich Unskovsky in St. Petersburg, Russia...
in the 1936 film adaptation
Winterset (film)
Winterset is a 1936 crime film directed by Alfred Santell, based on the play by Maxwell Anderson.The film greatly changes the ending of the play, in which the lovers Mio and Miriamne are shot to death by gangsters...
, directed by Alfred Santell
Alfred Santell
Alfred Santell was an American film director born September 14, 1895 in San Francisco, California. He directed over 60 films, including The Patent Leather Kid , Body and Soul , and Beyond the Blue Horizon...
.
Anderson initially offered the play to The Group Theater with the stipulation that Meredith, a non-member, play the lead. Meredith wanted to join the group but when asked during his interview by the three directors "do you love the Group Theater above yourself" he said no. He was eventually rejected, causing the playwright to withdraw his offer. This incident became a source of contention with the group's actors. Members would often cite it as an example of "ill advised dogma"; of destructive, egotistical behavior.