A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Visit

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  5w, 25m, 2 any gender (youth)

By Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Translated by Maurice Valency

In this haunting and blistering play, a wealthy woman offers financial help to her struggling hometown – in exchange for the life of a man who wronged her years before.

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The Visit

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 25m, 2 any gender (youth)
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades

  • Nominee: Five 1959 Tony Awards, including Best Play
    Nominee: Two 1992 Tony Awards, including Best Revival
    Winner! New York Drama Critics Circle, Best Foreign Play

Details

Summary

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A wealthy woman returns to her debt-ridden hometown and offers a sum greater than they have ever imagined to help out. But there is a condition: She wants the life of a villager who years ago had caused her to be expelled from town in disgrace. Ringing denial of this absurd demand is followed by the gradual corruption of everyone in town. The man is murdered and money is passed over his body to the town. The lady leaves with a fantastic entourage and with the coffin of her old lover.

History
The Visit premiered on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on 5 May 1958. Directed by Peter Brook, the production featured Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt. The play returned to Broadway in 1973, in a production directed by Harold Prince starring Rachel Roberts and John McMartin. A 1992 Broadway revival, directed by Edwin Sherin, starred Jane Alexander and Harris Yulin.
Keywords
Performing Groups

CLAIRE ZACHANASSIAN
BOBBY
PEDRO
MAX
MIKE
FIRST BLIND MAN
SECOND BLIND MAN
ANTON SCHILL
FRAU SCHILL
THE SON
THE DAUGHTER
THE BURGOMASTER
THE PASTOR
THE TEACHER
THE DOCTOR
THE POLICEMAN
THE PAINTER
THE FIRST MAN
THE SECOND MAN
THE THIRD MAN
THE FOURTH MAN
THE FIRST WOMAN
THE SECOND WOMAN
THE FRAU BURGOMASTER
THE TWO GRANDCHILDREN
THE STATION MASTER
THE CONDUCTOR
THE REPORTER
THE PHOTOGRAPHER
THE RADIO REPORTER
THE TRUCK DRIVER
THE ATHLETE
THE DELIVERY MAN
FIRST TOWNSMAN
SECOND TOWNSMAN

  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting

    The town of Güllen, somewhere in Europe.

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“A devastating drama.” – The New York Times

“Stinging... [with] astonishing power.” – New York Herald Tribune

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £85 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

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Authors

Maurice Valency

Maurice Valency
Maurice Valency (1903-1996) was a playwright, author, critic and popular professor of Comparative Literature at Columbia University. He was best known for his award-winning adaptations of plays by Jean Giraudoux (The Madwoman of Chaillot, Ondine, The Enchanted and The Apollo ...
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Friedrich Dürrenmatt

Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Born on January 5, 1921, in Konolfingen, Switzerland, Friedrich Dürrenmatt had writing in his blood. His grandfather—a well-known satirist and political poet—encouraged the young boy to develop a questioning spirit, which would characterize his later works. In fact, the memor ...
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