Children of a Lesser God is a play by Mark Medoff, focusing on the conflicted professional and romantic relationship between Sarah Norman, a deaf student, and her former teacher, James Leeds. It premiered at the Mark Taper Forum in 1979, and was produced on Broadway in 1980 and in the West End in 1981. It won the 1980 Tony Award for Best Play.
Background The play was specially written for the deaf actress Phyllis Frelich, based to some extent on her relationship with her husband Robert Steinberg.Weber, Bruce. "Phyllis Frelich, Tony-Winning Actress and Deaf Activist, Dies at 70" The New York Times, April 14, 2014 It was originally developed from workshops and showcased at New Mexico State University, with Frelich and Steinberg in the lead roles. It was seen by Gordon Davidson, director of the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, who insisted that the male role needed to be played by a more experienced professional actor.
The title comes from Alfred, Lord Tennyson's Idylls of the King: "For why is all around us here / As if some lesser god had made the world".
Historical casting Character 1979 Los Angeles cast 1980 Broadway cast 1981 West End cast 1986 film cast 2018 Broadway revival cast Sarah Norman Phyllis Frelich Elizabeth Quinn Marlee Matlin Lauren Ridloff Mrs. Norman Jo de Winter Scotty Bloch Irene Sutcliffe Piper Laurie Kecia Lewis James Leeds Robert Steinberg John Rubinstein Trevor Eve William Hurt Joshua Jackson
Productions Following a highly successful run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, the Broadway production, directed by Gordon Davidson, opened on March 30, 1980, at the Longacre Theatre, where it ran for 887 performances. The cast included Phyllis Frelich as Sarah and John Rubinstein as James. David Ackroyd later replaced Rubinstein. Deaf actress Elizabeth Quinn later replaced Frelich, and Linda Bove, another deaf actress, known to television audiences for her more-than-30-year-long run on Sesame Street, had a successful turn in the role as well.
In 1981, the West End production ran originally at the Mermaid Theatre, then at the Albery Theatre, garnering three Olivier Awards. The production starred Trevor Eve and Elizabeth Quinn. Deaf actors from the UK were understudies, including Jean St Clair, Sarah Scott and Terry Ruane.
A Broadway revival opened on April 11, 2018, at Studio 54, directed by Kenny Leon and starring Joshua Jackson, Lauren Ridloff, John McGinty and Anthony Edwards.
Reception Reviewing a 1982 Boston production of the play, critic Carolyn Clay wrote, "Don't believe what you hear about Children of a Lesser God. This much touted, Tony Award-winning exercise in affirmative-action theater does not constitute a great play. It is a nice, rather prosaically written love story that happens to focus on a bright and defiant ‘pure deaf’ woman who marries her speech teacher yet refuses to speak. The production is unusual, however, in that it uses a deaf actress in the role of the deaf woman and two hearing-impaired performers as her hearing-impaired cohorts. This is — depending on how you choose to regard it — either the play's gimmick or its very soul. Certainly the fact that half the drama is spoken in American Sign Language — fleet and eloquent and often delightfully snide — is the only extraordinary thing about it."
Film adaptation
In 1986, Medoff adapted the play for film directed by Randa Haines, starring Marlee Matlin and William Hurt.
Awards and nominations Awards 1980 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play- John Rubinstein 1980 Tony Award for Best Play 1980 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Actor- John Rubinstein 1980 Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play 1981 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play
Original Broadway production Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result1980Tony AwardBest PlayBest Actor in a PlayJohn RubinsteinBest Actress in a PlayPhyllis FrelichBest Direction of a PlayGordon DavisonDrama Desk AwardOutstanding New PlayOutstanding Actor in a PlayJohn RubinsteinOutstanding Actress in a PlayPhyllis FrelichOutstanding Director of a PlayGordon DavisonOutstanding Lighting DesignTharon MusserOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding New Broadway PlayOutstanding Debut PerformancePhyllis Frelich
Original West End production Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result1981Laurence Olivier Award"Olivier Awards, 1981" officiallondontheatre.com, retrieved May 6, 2018Play of the YearBest ActorTrevor EveBest ActressElizabeth Quinn
2018 Broadway revival Year Award ceremony Category Nominee Result2018Drama League AwardOutstanding Revival of a Broadway or Off-Broadway PlayDistinguished Performance AwardJoshua JacksonLauren RidloffTony AwardBest Actress in a PlayLauren RidloffOuter Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Actress in a PlayLauren Ridloff
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