Sweet Bird of Youth

1st edition cover
(New Directions)

Sweet Bird of Youth is a 1959 play by Tennessee Williams which tells the story of a gigolo and drifter, Chance Wayne, who returns to his home town as the accompaniment of a faded movie star, Princess Kosmonopolis (also known as Alexandra Del Lago), whom he hopes to use to help him break into the movies. The main reason he returns to his home town is to get back what he had in his youth: primarily, his old girlfriend, whose father had run him out of town years before.

Production history

Sweet Bird of Youth (film)
original movie poster
Directed by	Richard Brooks
Produced by	Pandro S. Berman
Written by	Richard Brooks
Starring	Paul Newman Geraldine Page Ed Begley Rip Torn
Music by	Bronislau Kaper
Cinematography	Milton R. Krasner
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	March 21, 1962
Running time	120 minutes

Broadway

The original production was produced on March 10, 1959 by Cheryl Crawford at the Martin Beck Theatre in New York City. Directed by Elia Kazan, it starred Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Sidney Blackmer, Madeleine Sherwood, Diana Hyland, Logan Ramsey, John Napier, and Rip Torn. Bruce Dern also played a small role. The production was nominated for 4 Tony Awards, including Best Actress for Geraldine Page. The play ran for 375 performances.

A revival opened on December 29, 1975 at the Harkness Theatre, in a production directed by Edwin Sherin, starring Christopher Walken as Chance Wayne and Irene Worth as Princess Kosmonopolis. Irene Worth won the 1976 Tony Award for Best Actress.

A production is currently being planned to open in 2011 with David Cromer directing and Scott Rudin serving as producer. It has been announced that Nicole Kidman will portray the role of Alexandra Del Lago. James Franco was in talks to co-star however recently dropped out for unknown reasons.

London

It took 26 years for Sweet Bird of Youth to reach London's West End. It opened on July 8, 1985 at the Haymarket Theatre in a production directed by Harold Pinter and presented by impresario Douglas Urbanski it starred Lauren Bacall and Michael Beck with James Grout and David Cunningham. This production later transferred to Los Angeles under the direction of Michael Blakemore.

Film and television adaptations

In 1962, the play was made into a film starring Paul Newman, Geraldine Page, Shirley Knight, Madeleine Sherwood, Ed Begley, Rip Torn and Mildred Dunnock. The movie was adapted and directed by Richard Brooks.

It won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Ed Begley), and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Geraldine Page) and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Shirley Knight).

Sweet Bird of Youth was made for television in 1989, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Mark Harmon, Valerie Perrine, Ronnie Claire Edwards and Rip Torn. It was adapted by Gavin Lambert and directed by Nicolas Roeg.

1962 Cast

• Paul Newman as Chance Wayne
• Geraldine Page as Alexandra Del Lago
• Shirley Knight as Heavenly Finley
• Ed Begley as Tom Boss Finley
• Rip Torn as Thomas Tom J. Finley, Jr.
• Mildred Dunnock as Aunt Nonnie
• Madeline Sherwood as Miss Lucy
• Philip Abbott as Dr. George Scudder
• Corey Allen as Scotty
• Barry Cahill as Bud
• Dub Taylor as Dan Hatcher
• James Douglas as Leroy
• Barry Atwater as Ben Jackson
• Charles Arnt as Mayor Henricks
• Dorothy Konrad as Mrs Maribelle Norris

• James Chandler as Professor Brutus Haven Smith
• Mike Steen as Deputy
• Kelly Thordsen as Sheriff Clark
• Edith Atwater as Undetermined Minor Role
• Robert Burton as Director
• William Forrest as Bennie Taubman
• Roy Glenn as Charles
• Sydney Guilaroff as Hairdresser
• Regis Parton as Man in Car
• Davis Roberts as Fly
• Eddy Samuels as Jackie
• Jeffrey Sayre as Man at Political Rally
• Les Tremayne as Trailer Narrator (voice)
• Dale Van Sickel as Dissenter in Car

Cultural references

• "Youth of a Thousand Summers" by Van Morrison is based on this play.
• In the Robert Zemeckis film Death Becomes Her (1992), lead character Madeline Ashton is depicted as the star of a Broadway musical adaptation of Sweet Bird of Youth called "Songbird!"
• The song "Sweet Bird of Truth" by the rock group The The is a reference to the Tennessee Williams play.

External links

• Sweet Bird of Youth at the Internet Broadway Database
• Sweet Bird of Youth (film) at the Internet Movie Database