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The Swiss appointment falls through at the last minute. William nevertheless announces his intention to go to Europe on holiday, hosting a farewell party where he expresses his unhappiness with his friends. It is left ambiguous as to whether he will return to resume his place at the center of his New
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Shortly before his departure for Geneva, in conversation with Jimmie, William confesses that he was not the victim of an injustice at the university: the student's accusation was true. She was the daughter of a trustee who could secure
William a position as president of the college. William proposed
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kept a diary of the original production. He reported that, during rehearsals, the cast and creative team engaged in long discussions about the homosexuality theme. He commented that attempts to "prejudge audience or critical reaction" could lead to a "safe but regretful" production. Cronyn praised
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wrote, "There is a softness at the core of the play because there is a disquieting elusiveness about the central character. If you can believe in him, and Jason
Robards Jr. makes a brilliant effort to turn him into a credible human being, you may find the essential story deeply moving. But if you
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His middle-aged circle of friends, who all have emotional demands on him, are: Edith, a married woman with whom he sometimes sleeps; Jimmie, a schoolmaster with cultural aspirations and a crush on
William; Basil, a retired publisher and lonely cat-lover; Hilda, a minor executive who aspires to be
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William has worked in a minor position in a publishing firm for more than two decades. Before that he was a rising academic, the youngest full professor at a prestigious university. He was forced out of the post after a scandal: a young female student broke into his room and committed suicide,
78:, who now works in a minor post at a publishing company. The play explores his relationships with his parasitic group of friends and treats issues of homosexuality, guilt and friendship. The work was Wheeler's first play, and afterwards he turned to playwriting full-time.
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William's friends bicker with one another and sometimes with him, but the group is generally stable until the arrival of Ronnie, an ambitious young author. He has been asked to find someone to fill an unexpected senior vacancy in a publishing company in
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awards, for Best
Director and Best Featured Actor, and was nominated for two more. A London production the following year was a failure, closing within two weeks. The piece has rarely been revived, but it was adapted for television in 1971.
174:
racy; and Viola, a former lover of
William's, who is not seen but rings him frequently, usually when drunk. William is kind and sweet to his friends, but it is not clear how much he depends emotionally on being a big fish in a small pond.
182:, and he successfully seeks to interest William in the post. Most of William's friends resist, then accept with sadness, the prospect of his departure for Europe, but Basil is devastated and suffers a fatal heart attack from the shock.
223:... has written them. And yet these characters are, in a sense, set adrift by their intense devotion to the less interesting character played by Mr. Robards and by their old isolation from the rest of the world." In
229:, John Gassner shared his view that the central role was not the strong point of the play, but he praised both Wheeler and Cronyn for their sensitive and honest treatment of Jimmie's hidden homosexuality.
213:… Mr. Wheeler has not always steered a straight, clear course. But he writes of strange relationships with an integrity that is occasionally beguiling." The New York correspondent of
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praised the virtuosity of the cast and director, and said of the play, "Still, good parts require to be written, and Mr. Wheeler, hitherto known only as a writer of detective novels
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awards for the
Broadway production, Gabel as Featured Actor, and Gielgud as Director, and was nominated for two more, Cronyn as Best Actor, and Grizzard as Featured Actor.
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marriage and then left the girl in the lurch, causing her to kill herself. William has been working in a lowly position ever since as a form of penance and expiation.
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Gielgud's process and his abilities as a "director-analyst". He also praised the talent, creativity and generosity of
Wheeler and of the other actors in the cast.
93:. It ran for 101 performances, closing on July 10, 1961. The production did not make money at the box office, but despite only mixed to warm reviews, it won two
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was one of the first
Broadway plays to explore frankly the issue of homosexuality, and Gielgud ignored advice to tone down the "implicit queerness".
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After an out-of-town tryout in
Philadelphia beginning on February 27, 1961, the piece premiered on March 15 at
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leaving a note claiming that
William seduced and then abandoned her. William's denials were not believed.
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The setting is William Baker's New York apartment in the East 30s. The time is the present (1961).
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as Hilda. The production closed less than two weeks later, on 29 September 1962.
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York circle. The play ends with him once more soothing Viola over the phone.
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496:"The Theatre: Odd Circle; Robards and Cronyn in Big Fish, Little Fish"
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A television version was broadcast in the US in January 1971, with
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American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1930–1969
371:, Internet Broadway Database, retrieved 14 March 2014
551:, 29 September 1962, p. 2; and 1 October 1962, p. 2
322:Obituary: "Hugh Wheeler, Award Winning Playwright"
89:in New York City. The production was directed by
344:, July 1961, reproduced in Senelick, pp. 74–82
8:
328:, July 28, 1987, retrieved March 14, 2014
656:John Gielgud: Matinee Idol to Movie Star
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780:History of gay men in the United States
618:, Tony Awards, retrieved March 14, 2014
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356:Wheeler, unnumbered introductory page
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694:Big Fish, Little Fish – A New Comedy
535:, Vol. 13, No. 2 (May 1961), p. 106
253:as Jimmie, Thomas Coley as William,
740:Big Fish, Little Fish
721:Big Fish, Little Fish
245:on 18 September 1962, directed by
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514:"Not so dramatic on Broadway",
677:. Routledge theatre classics.
70:. The story concerns a former
1:
340:Cronyn, Hume. "Dear Diary",
66:in three acts by playwright
16:Play written by Hugh Wheeler
673:Senelick, Laurence (2013).
636:. Oxford University Press.
596:, 18 September 1974, p. 32
209:can't, the work goes soggy.
198:Reviewing the premiere for
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775:Plays set in New York City
745:Internet Broadway Database
586:"Mainstream Drama Runs In
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632:Bordman, Gerald (1996).
572:, 6 January 1971, p. 75
292:production ran in 1974.
609:"Big Fish, Little Fish"
598:(subscription required)
574:(subscription required)
537:(subscription required)
504:(subscription required)
502:, 16 March 1961, p. 42
369:"Big Fish, Little Fish"
300:The production won two
237:The play opened at the
692:Wheeler, Hugh (1961).
675:Theatre Arts on Acting
239:Duke of York's Theatre
51:
760:1961 in LGBTQ history
588:Big Fish, Little Fish
564:Big Fish, Little Fish
342:Theatre Arts Magazine
288:leading the cast. An
102:Big Fish, Little Fish
56:Big Fish, Little Fish
38:
529:"Broadway in Review"
735:) at Playbill Vault
658:. A & C Black.
518:, 1 May 1961, p. 16
614:2016-08-31 at the
594:The New York Times
584:Thompson, Howard.
570:The New York Times
500:The New York Times
326:The New York Times
320:Hampton, Wilborn.
201:The New York Times
194:Critical reception
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698:Rupert Hart-Davis
494:Taubman, Howard.
282:Louis Gossett Jr.
233:Later productions
148:Edith Maitland –
136:Ronnie Johnson –
74:, disgraced by a
72:college professor
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124:William Baker –
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40:Martin Gabel
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261:as Ronnie,
251:Hume Cronyn
120:Hume Cronyn
106:Hume Cronyn
76:sex scandal
48:Hume Cronyn
765:1961 plays
754:Categories
696:. London:
626:References
286:Bill Bixby
271:Viola Lyel
263:Carl Jaffé
257:as Basil,
150:Ruth White
25:song, see
549:The Times
516:The Times
380:Bordman,
265:as Paul,
216:The Times
30:§ Singles
727:Playbill
706:11219792
654:(2011).
612:Archived
566:returns"
401:Croall,
243:West End
87:Broadway
50:in Act I
21:For the
743:at the
733:archive
724:at the
249:, with
704:
681:
662:
640:
403:p. 463
382:p. 375
296:Awards
221:
211:
180:Geneva
61:comedy
729:Vault
308:Notes
59:is a
702:OCLC
679:ISBN
660:ISBN
638:ISBN
302:Tony
284:and
162:Plot
113:Cast
95:Tony
64:play
46:and
85:on
756::
700:.
592:,
568:,
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361:^
349:^
333:^
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731:(
708:.
687:.
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646:.
590:"
562:"
32:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
