Description: This is a rare autographed October 1974 playbill from the Original Broadway production of the HERB GARDNER comedy "THIEVES" at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York City. (The production opened April 7th, 1974 at the Broadhurst Theatre, moved to the Longacre Theatre on November 11th, 1974 and ran for 313 performances.) ..... The play starred MARLO THOMAS and RICHARD MULLIGAN and featured LOUISE LASSER, NICHOLAS PRYOR, PIERRE EPSTEIN, ALICE DRUMMOND, WILLIAM HICKEY, HAYWOOD NELSON, DAVID LITTLE, GEORGE CURLEY, BILL LAZARUS and IRWIN COREY ..... Note: The front cover was signed by cast members IRWIN COREY, PIERRE EPSTEIN and HAYWOOD NELSON and the cast list by MARLO THOMAS and RICHARD MULLIGAN. The front cover was also signed by ROB REINER and the cast list by BERNADETTE PETERS, who were apparently in the audience that night ..... Side note: The birth of this play was so traumatic, that when it did survive it came to be regarded as the miracle of Broadway. When the show premiered in New Haven, the reviews were less than enthusiastic and after arriving in Boston, director MICHAEL BENNETT quit and leading lady VALERIE HARPER, in solidarity with her friend, also bailed. The producers, EUGENE V. WOLSK and EMANUEL AZENBERG got nervous, pulled their funding and the production was shut down in Boston. News of the disaster spread quickly, theatre parties were canceled, "obit" notices were written in the New York papers and an apologetic sign hung at the entrance to the Broadhurst Theatre stating, "Sorry, 'Theives' closed out of town." Then CHARLES GRODIN came to the rescue, replacing Bennett as director and joining co-producer RICHARD SCANGA to finance the project. Playwright Herb Gardner convinced his girlfriend MARLO THOMAS to make her Broadway debut in the play and word-of-mouth about Marlo and a bright, sophisticated script helped to make "Thieves" an unqualified hit in the 1974-75 Broadway season. Both VALERIE HARPER and MICHAEL BENNETT turned low points in their careers into successful ventures. Within weeks, Harper had signed to star in the TV sitcom "Rhoda" and would win the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series" the first season and Michael Bennett would start work on a new show which would eventually be titled "A Chorus Line". The musical began performances at New York's Public Theatre in April 1975 before transferring to the Alvin Theatre where it would win nine Tony Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and run for 6,137 performances, becoming the longest-running production in Broadway history (up to that time) ..... CREDITS: Book by HERB GARDNER; Sets designed by PETER LARKIN; Costumes designed by JOSEPH G. AULISI; Directed by CHARLES GRODIN; Produced by RICHARD SCANGA and CHARLES GRODIN ..... DETAILS: The 32 page playbill measures 5 5/8" X 9" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes and bios of each of the actors and members of the creative team, but no cast photos ..... CONDITION: With the exception of a couple small ink marks at the top of the cover and light edge wear, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
Price: 99.99 USD
Location: Cannon Beach, Oregon
End Time: 2024-12-29T21:41:26.000Z
Shipping Cost: 4.95 USD
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Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
