Picnic
Original Broadway Production
Music Box Theatre
February 19th, 1953-April 10th, 1954
A small town in Kansas in the backyard shared by Flo Owens and Helen Potts.
The original production of William Inge's Picnic debuted on Broadway in February of 1953. The original Hal was played by actor Ralph Meeker who was joined by Eileen Heckart, Janice Rule, Peggy Conklin, and Paul Newman as Alan in his Broadway debut. Newman originally campaigned heavily for the role of Hal, but director Joshua Logan didn't think he had the 'physical attributes' required to play the lead.
Newman, an unknown at the time, need not have worried, as we all know, his physical attributes were greatly appreciated soon after by millions of movie fans. Newman did understudy the role of Hal, and eventually took over the role at the end of the show's run.
Meeker's film career had just gotten off the ground, and although not a household name, already had a handful of film and television appearances under his belt, before landing the role of Hal. Meeker also had previously appeared on Broadway, including being the understudy for Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. The original New York Times review, (below) seems to back up director Logan's choice of Meeker for the role.
The acting
'The acting is superb. As the cheap braggart, Ralph Meeker acts from the inside out, never forgetting that, the character has a validity of it's own.'
Newman
Original Cast:
No, the last two shots of Meeker are not from Picnic, but given he's just wearing a swimsuit, I had to add them. The shot below is from 1952's Shadow in the Sky co-starring Nancy Regan.
No comments:
Post a Comment