A Delicate Balance

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

A Delicate Balance

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 2m

Edward Albee

Winner! 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Winner! 1996 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Revival of a Play
Winner! 1996 Tony® Award, Best Revival of a Play

Image: 2013 McCarter Theatre Center Production (Richard Termine)

A Delicate Balance

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
Accolades
Accolades

  • Winner! 1967 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
    Nominee: Five 1967 Tony Awards, including Best Play
    Winner! Three 1996 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Play
    Winner! Three 1996 Drama Desk Awards, including Best Play Revival

Details

Summary

Wealthy, middle-aged couple Agnes and Tobias have their complacency shattered when Harry and Edna, longtime friends, appear at their doorstep. Claiming an encroaching, nameless “fear” has forced them from their own home, these neighbors bring a firestorm of doubt, recrimination and ultimately solace, upsetting the “delicate balance” of Agnes and Tobias’ household.

History
A Delicate Balance opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on September 22, 1966, starring Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Rosemary Murphy, Henderson Forsythe and Marian Seldes, under the direction of Alan Schneider. The play was revived on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on April 21, 1996, directed by Gerard Gutierrez and starring John Carter, George Grizzard, Rosemary Harris, Mary Beth Hurt, Elaine Stritch and Elizabeth Wilson. A third Broadway production opened on Nov 20, 2014 at the John Golden Theatre, starring Bob Balaban, Glenn Close, Lindsay Duncan, Clare Higgins, John Lithgow and Martha Plimpton, under the direction of Pam MacKinnon.
Keywords
Performing Groups
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting

    A large and well-appointed suburban house. Now.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“A beautiful play filled with humor and compassion, and touched with poetry.” – New York Daily News

“An evening of theatrical fireworks.” – The New York Times

“A brilliant play.” – New York Post

“Powerful... A beautiful play filled with humor and compassion, and touched with poetry... [with] the stature and eloquence of a classic.” – New York Daily News

Photos

  • A Delicate Balance

    Image: 2013 McCarter Theatre Center Production (Richard Termine)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Edward Albee

Edward Albee

Edward Albee (1928-2016) was born on March 12, 1928, and began writing plays 30 years later. His plays include The Zoo Story (1958), The American Dream (1960), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1961-62, Tony Award), Tiny Alice (1964), A Delicate Balance (1966, Pulitzer Prize a ...

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