First Monday in October
First Monday in October is a play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. The title refers to the day on which the United States Supreme Court traditionally convenes following its summer recess.
After seventeen previews (the first of which was staged at the Cleveland Play House in 1975 and starred Jean Arthur and Melvyn Douglas in the lead roles[1]), the Broadway production, directed by Edwin Sherin, opened on October 3, 1978 at the Majestic Theatre. The following month it transferred to the ANTA Playhouse, where it closed on December 9, for a total of 79 performances. Jane Alexander and Henry Fonda headed the cast. Alexander was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play.
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[edit] Roles
| Role | Cast, 28 December 1977 Washington, DC, Kennedy Center |
|---|---|
| Custodians | John Stewart, P.J. Sidney |
| Chief Justice James Jefferson Crawford | Larry Gates |
| Associate Justice Josiah Clewes | Earl Sydnor |
| Associate Justice Waldo Thompson | Maurice Copeland |
| Associate Justice Daniel Snow | Henry Fonda |
| Associate Justice Harold Webb | John Wardwell |
| Marshal | John Newton |
| Judge Ruth Loomis | Jane Alexander |
| Mason Woods | Tom Stechschulte |
| Associate Justice Ambrose Quincy | Alexander Reed |
| Associate Justice Richard Carey | Eugene Stuckmann |
| Associate Justice Christopher Halloran | Patrick McCullough |
| Photographer | John Stewart |
| Blake | Ron Faber |
[edit] Synopsis
The play begins after the death of Stanley Moorehead, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The remaining justices speculate about whom the President of the United States will appoint to fill the vacancy, with jokes among the justices that the appointee may be a black man, or a woman. Whilst playing tennis, Ruth Loomis, a staunch conservative judge from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in California, learns that she is to be the nominee. Associate Justice Daniel Snow is appalled to learn this, as her conservative views are strongly in conflict with his own liberal thinking.
Loomis testifies before the United States Senate, and is questioned about the business ties of her late husband. The Senate confirms her, and she is the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court. On the court, Loomis and Snow immediately clash on their opposing legal and philosophical viewpoints, on such matters as freedom of speech and individual rights vs. the rights of society as a whole. One case concerns a fictional pornographic film, The Naked Nymphomaniac.
Although Snow and Loomis never concur on any of the issues before the Court, they learn to develop a respect and affection for one another with the passing of time.
[edit] Awards and recognition
- 1979 Selection, The Burns Mantle Theater Yearbook, The Best Plays of 1978-1979[2]
[edit] References
- ^ "The Theater: Not Legal Tender". Time. 1975-11-03. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- ^ Guernsey Jr. (Ed.), Otis L. (1979). The Best Plays of 1978-1979. New York & Toronto: Dodd, Mead & Company. pp. 149–167. ISBN 0-396-07723-4.
[edit] External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Laura Hitchcock, Curtain Up review, 14 April 2006.; added external link
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