First Monday in October
Encyclopedia
First Monday in October is a play by Jerome Lawrence
and Robert E. Lee
. The title refers to the day on which the United States Supreme Court
traditionally convenes following its summer recess.
After seventeen previews (the first of which was staged in Cleveland in 1975 and starred Jean Arthur
and Melvyn Douglas
in the lead roles), the Broadway
production, directed by Edwin Sherin
, opened on October 3, 1978 at the Majestic Theatre. The following month it transferred to the ANTA Playhouse, where it closed on December 9, for a total of 79 performances. Jane Alexander
and Henry Fonda
headed the cast. Alexander was nominated for a Tony Award
for Best Actress in a Play.
in California, learns that she is to be the nominee. Associate Justice Daniel Snow is appalled to learn this, as her conservative views are strongly in conflict with his own liberal thinking.
Loomis testifies before the United States Senate
, and is questioned about the business ties of her late husband. The Senate confirms her, and she is the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court. On the court, Loomis and Snow immediately clash on their opposing legal and philosophical viewpoints, on such matters as freedom of speech and individual rights vs. the rights of society as a whole. One case concerns a fictional pornographic film, The Naked Nymphomaniac.
Although Snow and Loomis never concur on any of the issues before the Court, they learn to develop a respect and affection for one another with the passing of time.
Jerome Lawrence
Jerome Lawrence was an American playwright and author.-Life and career:Lawrence was born Jerome Lawrence Schwartz in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Sarah , a poet, and Samuel Schwartz, a printer. He worked for several small newspapers as a reporter/editor before moving into radio as a writer for CBS....
and Robert E. Lee
Robert Edwin Lee
Robert Edwin Lee was an American playwright and lyricist. With his writing partner, Jerome Lawrence, Lee worked for Armed Forces Radio during World War II; Lawrence and Lee became the most prolific writing partnership in radio, with such long-running series as Favorite Story among others.-Life and...
. The title refers to the day on which the United States Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
traditionally convenes following its summer recess.
After seventeen previews (the first of which was staged in Cleveland in 1975 and starred Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
and Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Douglas
Melvyn Edouard Hesselberg , better known as Melvyn Douglas, was an American actor.Coming to prominence in the 1930s as a suave leading man , Douglas later transitioned into more mature and fatherly roles as in his Academy Award-winning performances in Hud...
in the lead roles), the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production, directed by Edwin Sherin
Edwin Sherin
Edwin Sherin is an American theatre and television director and producer. He is the husband of actress Jane Alexander. He has directed many episodes of the television drama Law & Order, as well as directing for the stage, mainly on Broadway, including The Great White Hope.-Biography:Born in...
, opened on October 3, 1978 at the Majestic Theatre. The following month it transferred to the ANTA Playhouse, where it closed on December 9, for a total of 79 performances. Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander
Jane Alexander is an American actress, author, and former director of the National Endowment for the Arts. Although perhaps best known for playing the female lead in The Great White Hope on both stage and screen, Alexander has played a wide array of roles in both theater and film and has committed...
and Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda
Henry Jaynes Fonda was an American film and stage actor.Fonda made his mark early as a Broadway actor. He also appeared in 1938 in plays performed in White Plains, New York, with Joan Tompkins...
headed the cast. Alexander was nominated for a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actress in a Play.
Roles
| Role | World Premiere Cast, 28 December 1977Washington, DC, Kennedy Center |
|---|---|
| Custodians | John Stewart, P.J. Sidney |
| Chief Justice James Jefferson Crawford | Larry Gates |
| Associate Justice Josiah Clewes | Earl Sydnor |
| Associate Justice Waldo Thompson | Maurice Copeland |
| Associate Justice Daniel Snow | Henry Fonda |
| Associate Justice Harold Webb | John Wardwell |
| Marshal | John Newton |
| Judge Ruth Loomis | Jane Alexander |
| Mason Woods | Tom Stechschulte |
| Associate Justice Ambrose Quincy | Alexander Reed |
| Associate Justice Richard Carey | Eugene Stuckmann |
| Associate Justice Christopher Halloran | Patrick McCullough |
| Photographer | John Stewart |
| Blake | Ron Faber |
Synopsis
The play begins after the death of Stanley Moorehead, an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The remaining justices speculate about whom the President of the United States will appoint to fill the vacancy, with jokes among the justices that the appointee may be a black man, or a woman. Whilst playing tennis, Ruth Loomis, a staunch conservative judge from the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
in California, learns that she is to be the nominee. Associate Justice Daniel Snow is appalled to learn this, as her conservative views are strongly in conflict with his own liberal thinking.
Loomis testifies before the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, and is questioned about the business ties of her late husband. The Senate confirms her, and she is the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court. On the court, Loomis and Snow immediately clash on their opposing legal and philosophical viewpoints, on such matters as freedom of speech and individual rights vs. the rights of society as a whole. One case concerns a fictional pornographic film, The Naked Nymphomaniac.
Although Snow and Loomis never concur on any of the issues before the Court, they learn to develop a respect and affection for one another with the passing of time.
Awards and recognition
- 1979 Selection, The Burns Mantle Theater Yearbook, The Best Plays of 1978-1979
External links
- Internet Broadway Database listing
- Laura Hitchcock, Curtain Up review, 14 April 2006.; added external link