Everything about The Subject Was Roses totally explained
The Subject Was Roses is a
Pulitzer Prize-winning
1964 play written by
Frank D. Gilroy, who also adapted it for the
1968 film of the same title.
The play had its
Broadway premiere on May 25, 1964 at the
Royale Theatre, starring
Jack Albertson,
Irene Dailey and
Martin Sheen, and directed by
Ulu Grosbard. A major critical and commercial success, the play ran 882 performances and was nominated for five
Tony Awards, winning two for Best Play and Best Featured Actor (Albertson). For his work in the play, Gilroy won the year's
Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Columbia Records recorded the complete play in a recording studio with the original cast members and released it as a double-LP set.
In the published script, Gilroy included a day-by-day journal he called "About Those Roses or How
Not To Do a Play and Succeed." According to the journal, "
The Subject Was Roses opened on Broadway with a producer who had never produced a Broadway play; a director who had never directed one; a scenic artist who had never designed one; a general manager who had never managed one; and three actors who were virtually unknown." Additionally, the play opened
after all of the award deadlines, so it wasn't eligible until the following year, triumphing over
Neil Simon's
The Odd Couple,
Murray Schisgal's
Luv and
Edward Albee's
Tiny Alice for the Tony Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize. During the play's two year run,
The Subject Was Roses played five different
Broadway theatres and
Dustin Hoffman became a replacement stage manager and understudied the role of Timmy.
A rare occurrence, the film was a faithful adaptation of the play and used most of the cast and crew for the film. The only notable exception was the replacement of
Irene Dailey with veteran screen actress
Patricia Neal. The film proved a significant comeback for Neal, who was still recovering from a debilitating
stroke and hadn't appeared on screen since
1965's
In Harm's Way. For her performance, Neal was nominated for an
Academy Award for
Best Leading Actress. Albertson took home the Academy Award for
Best Supporting Actor and Sheen was nominated for a
Golden Globe for his role. The film utilized two
Judy Collins recordings: Collins' reading of
Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where the Time Goes", played over the film's opening credits, and Collins' own composition "Albatross".
In 1991, the Roundabout Theatre Company revived the play in New York City with
John Mahoney,
Dana Ivey and
Patrick Dempsey. A 2006 revival of the play was produced by
Jeffrey Finn at the
Kennedy Center starring
Bill Pullman,
Judith Ivey, and Steve Kazee. All three performers were nominated for 2007
Helen Hayes Awards.
Plot
Timmy Cleary (
Martin Sheen) returns home from his service during
World War II. While he seems to vindicate himself in his father's eyes for surviving the war, his drinking and cursing disturb his mother. Though his parents, John and Nettie (
Jack Albertson and
Patricia Neal/
Irene Dailey), seem to be happy, the peace proves to be a facade. Soon old emotional wounds and unresolved marital problems resurface. Caught in the middle, Timmy feels responsible for their squabbling, but can see no way to resolve their problems.
Cast
Awards
Academy Awards
Won:
Pulitzer Prize
Won:
Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Frank D. Gilroy)
Tony Awards
Won:
Best Play (writer, Frank D. Gilroy; producer, Edgar Lansbury)
Best Featured Actor - Play (Jack Albertson)
Nominated:
Best Featured Actor - Play (Martin Sheen)
Best Director - Play (Ulu Grosbard)
Best Author - Play (Frank D. Gilroy)Further Information
Get more info on 'The Subject Was Roses'.
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