132:, the play focuses on the Berniers sisters, two middle-aged spinsters who have sacrificed their own ambitions to look after their ne'er-do-well younger brother Julian, whose grandiose dreams repeatedly lead to financial disasters. When he unexpectedly returns home accompanied by his emotionally unstable, childlike young bride Lily, her aloof, aristocratic mother Albertine, and an unexplained large sum of money, Carrie and Anna suddenly find that the position of power they have always held has become unbalanced, leaving their lives in chaos.
542:
526:
172:, who later recalled the rehearsal period was difficult. "Actors were fearful of Lillian. She was very judgmental." The playwright would sit in the darkened theater, coughing whenever she disapproved of something. Penn finally told her, "Go home and fire us all if you don’t like it. But don’t sit there coughing. It scares the hell out of them." Not helping the situation was the fact "both
26:
362:
344:
148:, most of which eventually was abandoned. Julian is based on Hellman's father Max, who was adored by his two sisters and became a successful salesman after his first business failed. Carrie has an
330:
300:
thought although it was "not the greatest play in the world, it is head and shoulders above the level of the season, and it provides opportunities for some extraordinary acting."
290:
said the play "binds us to it with a cold, serpentine grace that is born of a clear head, a level eye, and a fierce respect for the unchanging color of the precisely used word."
152:
infatuation with her brother, similar to the strong sexual attraction
Hellman felt for an uncle when she was an adolescent, and one of her aunts had an affair with an
416:
said the play "has no patience for nostalgia and nothing but judgments for the obsessive attachments of family. It yearns, remarkably, for room and reason."
582:
191:
on
February 25, 1960 and closed on April 8, 1961 after 456 performances. The production included "French Lessons in Songs" and "Bernier Day" by
577:
567:
441:
370:
309:
537:
385:
572:
326:
521:
321:
316:
562:
409:
282:
483:
366:
497:
25:
557:
339:
184:
437:
216:
177:
153:
401:
165:
145:
129:
389:
291:
256:
246:
192:
113:
43:
541:
525:
458:
334:
296:
188:
61:
472:
551:
348:
206:
173:
141:
65:
405:
358:
287:
236:
226:
169:
125:
99:
381:
515:
531:
149:
404:
directed a revival of the play for a limited run mounted by the
343:. Both Maureen Stapleton and Irene Worth were nominated for the
363:
Tony Award for Best
Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
345:
Tony Award for Best
Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
331:
Tony Award for Best
Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
144:
play, which evolved from a plot suggested by her lover
95:
87:
79:
71:
57:
49:
39:
18:
310:New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
140:It took Hellman three years to complete the semi-
8:
371:Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Play
540:
524:
156:chauffeur, as does Albertine in the play.
24:
15:
454:
452:
450:
436:. University Press of Mississippi 1986.
432:Hellman, Lillian and Bryer, Jackson R.,
202:
425:
329:. Jason Robards was nominated for the
7:
434:Conversations with Lillian Hellman
14:
583:American plays adapted into films
533:Toys in the Attic
517:Toys in the Attic
538:Internet Off-Broadway Database
1:
408:Pearl Theater Company in the
180:were drinking considerably."
168:production was directed by
599:
522:Internet Broadway Database
412:. Ginia Bellafante of the
315:It was nominated for the
187:, the play opened at the
23:
578:Plays set in New Orleans
568:Plays by Lillian Hellman
317:Tony Award for Best Play
384:adapted the play for a
283:New York Herald Tribune
487:at the Lortel Archives
473:Drama Critics archives
304:Awards and nominations
83:A dysfunctional family
280:In his review in the
396:Off-Broadway revival
462:, December 30, 2006
160:Original production
30:Playbill cover for
573:Plays about incest
501:, January 16, 2007
353:The Miracle Worker
322:The Miracle Worker
276:Critical reception
185:Kermit Bloomgarden
112:is a 1960 play by
485:Toys in the Attic
308:The play won the
273:
272:
217:Maureen Stapleton
178:Maureen Stapleton
109:Toys in the Attic
105:
104:
72:Original language
53:February 25, 1960
34:at Hudson Theatre
32:Toys in the Attic
19:Toys in the Attic
590:
544:
528:
503:
495:
489:
481:
475:
470:
464:
456:
445:
430:
402:Austin Pendleton
231:Albertine Prine
221:Carrie Berniers
211:Julian Berniers
203:
154:African-American
146:Dashiell Hammett
142:autobiographical
130:Great Depression
28:
16:
598:
597:
593:
592:
591:
589:
588:
587:
548:
547:
512:
507:
506:
496:
492:
482:
478:
471:
467:
457:
448:
431:
427:
422:
398:
390:George Roy Hill
379:
377:Film adaptation
306:
292:Brooks Atkinson
278:
257:Percy Rodrigues
247:Rochelle Oliver
201:
193:Marc Blitzstein
162:
138:
122:
114:Lillian Hellman
64:
58:Place premiered
44:Lillian Hellman
35:
12:
11:
5:
596:
594:
586:
585:
580:
575:
570:
565:
563:Broadway plays
560:
550:
549:
546:
545:
529:
511:
510:External links
508:
505:
504:
499:New York Times
490:
476:
465:
460:New York Times
446:
424:
423:
421:
418:
414:New York Times
397:
394:
378:
375:
335:Melvyn Douglas
327:William Gibson
305:
302:
297:New York Times
277:
274:
271:
270:
267:
263:
262:
261:Henry Simpson
259:
253:
252:
251:Lily Berniers
249:
243:
242:
241:Anna Berniers
239:
233:
232:
229:
223:
222:
219:
213:
212:
209:
200:
197:
189:Hudson Theatre
161:
158:
137:
134:
128:following the
121:
118:
103:
102:
97:
93:
92:
89:
85:
84:
81:
77:
76:
73:
69:
68:
62:Hudson Theatre
59:
55:
54:
51:
50:Date premiered
47:
46:
41:
37:
36:
29:
21:
20:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
595:
584:
581:
579:
576:
574:
571:
569:
566:
564:
561:
559:
556:
555:
553:
543:
539:
535:
534:
530:
527:
523:
519:
518:
514:
513:
509:
502:
500:
494:
491:
488:
486:
480:
477:
474:
469:
466:
463:
461:
455:
453:
451:
447:
443:
442:0-87805-294-1
439:
435:
429:
426:
419:
417:
415:
411:
407:
403:
395:
393:
391:
387:
383:
376:
374:
372:
368:
364:
360:
356:
354:
350:
349:Anne Bancroft
346:
342:
341:
336:
332:
328:
324:
323:
318:
313:
311:
303:
301:
299:
298:
293:
289:
285:
284:
275:
268:
266:Charles McRae
265:
264:
260:
258:
255:
254:
250:
248:
245:
244:
240:
238:
235:
234:
230:
228:
225:
224:
220:
218:
215:
214:
210:
208:
207:Jason Robards
205:
204:
198:
196:
194:
190:
186:
181:
179:
175:
174:Jason Robards
171:
167:
164:The original
159:
157:
155:
151:
147:
143:
135:
133:
131:
127:
119:
117:
115:
111:
110:
101:
98:
94:
90:
86:
82:
78:
74:
70:
67:
66:New York City
63:
60:
56:
52:
48:
45:
42:
38:
33:
27:
22:
17:
532:
516:
498:
493:
484:
479:
468:
459:
433:
428:
413:
410:East Village
406:off-Broadway
399:
388:directed by
380:
357:
352:
347:but lost to
340:The Best Man
338:
333:but lost to
320:
319:but lost to
314:
307:
295:
281:
279:
183:Produced by
182:
163:
139:
123:
108:
107:
106:
31:
359:Anne Revere
288:Walter Kerr
237:Anne Revere
227:Irene Worth
170:Arthur Penn
126:New Orleans
100:New Orleans
558:1960 plays
552:Categories
420:References
367:Howard Bay
150:incestuous
136:Background
40:Written by
400:In 2007,
386:1963 film
382:James Poe
444:, p. 103
369:won the
361:won the
166:Broadway
536:at the
520:at the
294:of the
124:Set in
96:Setting
80:Subject
75:English
440:
365:, and
91:Drama
88:Genre
438:ISBN
269:Gus
199:Cast
176:and
120:Plot
351:in
337:in
325:by
554::
449:^
392:.
373:.
355:.
312:.
286:,
195:.
116:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.