A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Bent

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  11m

Martin Sherman

"Powerful and provocative." — The New York Times

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Bent

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    11m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Docudrama/History
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • Competition or Audition Material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades

  • Nominee! 1980 Tony Award, Best Play
    Named among the "10 most influential postwar British plays" by The Guardian

Details

Summary

In 1934 Berlin on the eve of the Nazi incursion, Max, a grifter and his lover Rudy are recovering from a night of debauchery with a SA trooper. Two soldiers burst into the apartment and slit their guest's throat, beginning a nightmare odyssey through Nazi Germany. Ranked lower on the human scale than Jews, the men as awoved homosexuals, flee. Desperate and on the run, Max asks his own "discreetly" homosexual Uncle Freddie for help as the older man offers little more than suggestions on how to live, as he does, practicing homosexuality on the side. Attempting their escape, Rudy is beaten to death as Horst, another homosexual prisoner, warns Max to deny his lover. Taken to a death camp at Dachau, Max and Horst branded with the "pink triangle", hope to survive with each other for comfort and courage but it is not to be. Richard Gere created the role of Max on Broadway.

History
Bent was first presented at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 3 May 1979. It was directed by Robrt Chetwyn. The play subsequently transferred to London's West End at the Criterion Theatre on 4 July 1979. The play premiered on Broadway at the New Apollo Theatre in New York City on 2 December 1979. It was directed by Robert Allan Ackerman.
Keywords
Performing Groups
MAX - 34, homosexual "wheeler dealer" who leads a dissolute life of drink, drugs, and sporadic sex until the horrors of Nazi Germany intervene and effectively put an end to his hedonistic alcoholic life style; a tormented individual, tortured by the memory of his reprehensible actions, but never loses his basic humanity; not at all a coward, but rather a pragmatist
HORST - 20s, relatively muscular physique and a kind nature; a "pink triangle," incarcerated in the death camps of Dacheu because of his homosexuality; a sensitive man, strongly affected by Max's torment
RUDY - 30, bespectacled, homosexual dancer; rather gushy, effusive, homebody type who has a great love for Max and his precious household plants; tends to become a trifle hysterical at times
GRETA - late 30s, a man dressed as a woman in a silver dress, top hat, and cane; presents an appearance that is at once elegant and bizarre; tough, practical proprietor of a gay nightclub who entertains patrons by singing in a smoky seductive voice; Nazis' rise to power sends him back to his wife and kids
UNCLE FREDDIE - early 50s, aristocratic, well-dressed; Max's uncle, a "closet fluff"
5 GERMAN SOLDIERS - late 40s, rough menancing, intense features
  • Time Period 1940s/WWII
  • Setting

    Nazi Berlin

  • Features Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Play with Music
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Intense Adult Themes

Media

REVIEWS

"Powerful and provocative." — The New York Times

"Brilliant [...] an explosive, overpowering experience." — Women's Wear Daily

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A Nightmare Odyssey: Spotlight on Bent
by Eliza Skidgel 
October 11, 2016

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.
    Performance rights for this show are currently heavily restricted in the UK and Ireland. Please submit a licence request to determine availability

Scripts

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Authors

Martin Sherman

Martin Sherman

Martin Sherman is an American screenwriter and playwright. Sherman is an openly gay Jew and has lived in London since 1980. He attended the Boston University College of Fine Arts, and received a BFA in dramatic arts in 1960. Sherman’s most successful film was adapted from the ...

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