The Immoralist (play)

The Immoralist

Written by| Augustus Goetz
Ruth Goetz
Date premiered| 8 February 1954
Place premiered| Royale Theater, New York
Original language| English
Genre| drama
Setting| Normandy, France. Biskra, North Africa. November 1900 - 1901

The Immoralist is a play written by Augustus and Ruth Goetz based on the novel of the same name by André Gide. The original production starred James Dean, Louis Jourdan, and Geraldine Page.

## Plot

[edit]

A gay archaeologist marries partly in hope of curbing his homosexual instincts. He is unable to consummate the marriage so the pair travel from Normandy to Algeria for a honeymoon, hoping that will kindle some romance. The husband is seduced by their Arab houseboy, but this allows him to sleep with his wife, who falls pregnant.

## Cast

[edit]

Character  | Broadway (1954)  | Off-Broadway (1963)

|
|

Michel | Louis Jourdan | Frank Langella
Marcelline | Geraldine Page | Marcie Hubert
Bocage | Charles Dingle | Albert Ottenheimer
Bachir | James Dean | Richard Manuel
Dolit | Bill Gunn  | Ric Fields
Dr. Robert | John Heldabrand  | Tom Klunis
Dr. Garrin | Paul Huber  | David Metcalf
Sidma | Adelaide Klein  | Marian Carr
Moktir | David J. Stewart  | Cal Bellini

## Background

[edit]

The play was produced by Billy Rose and was adapted by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. The original director was Herman Shumlin.

Jourdan and Page had very different approaches to acting which resulted in a difficult rehearsal process. James Dean's behaviour was erratic as well. At the beginning of try outs, Rose replaced Shumlin with Daniel Mann; he also wanted to fire Dean but Page insisted the actor stay.[1]

"Dean was not very happy playing the young Arab," recalled his friend Hal Hackady later. "He didn't like the plot. I also believe he didn't like playing a homosexual on Broadway. He felt uncomfortable."[2]

The Broadway production was initially slated to open on Monday, February 1, 1954,[3] at the Royale Theatre (now the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre). However, due to last-minute script changes, opening was pushed to Monday, February 8, and previews began on February 1.[4][5]

Elia Kazan saw the show during previews and offered Dean a role in East of Eden. On opening night, Dean announced he was leaving the show.[6] He remained with the production through February 20, 1954. He was replaced by Phillip Pine, who stepped into the role for the matinee on Monday, February 22 (there was a Monday matinee due to President's Day).[7][8] The show closed on May 1, 1954, after 8 previews and 96 performances.[9]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ The Immoralist at louisjourdan.net
2. ^ James Dean in New York, American Legends accessed 25 January 2014
3. ^ "Daily News 24 Jan 1954, page 214". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
4. ^ "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 29 Jan 1954, page Page 10". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
5. ^ "Daily News 31 Jan 1954, page 370". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
6. ^ Paul Alexander, "The Woman who Made James Dean a Star", The Guardian 22 September 2005 accessed 25 Jan 2014
7. ^ "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle 22 Feb 1954, page Page 4". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
8. ^ "Daily News 23 Feb 1954, page 63". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
9. ^ "The Immoralist – Broadway Play – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2024-02-09.

## External links

[edit]

* ​The Immoralist​ at the Internet Broadway Database
* ​The Immoralist​ at the Playbill Vault (archive) at Playbill
* The Immoralist at Monsieur.louisjourdan.net
* Tommy Brent press files on The Immoralist, 1963, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts