Martin Sherman
Encyclopedia
Martin Sherman is an American dramatist and screenwriter, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-nominated play Bent
(1979), which explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust. Sherman is an openly gay
Jew and has lived and worked in London
since 1980.
to Russian immigrants Joseph T. Sherman, an attorney, Julia Sherman (née Shapiro). Growing up in Camden, New Jersey
, he was first introduced to the theater came at age six when he saw pre-Broadway version of Guys and Dolls
(1950) starring Alfred Lunt
and Lynn Fontanne
. Sheridan's parents emcouraged his passion. In an interview with London Times
writer Sheridan Morley
in 1983, Sherman recalled, "At 12 I joined the Mae Desmond Children's Players and went all around Pennsylvania being a tall dwarf in Snow White
." As a young teen, Sherman despised school, but consoled himself by often taking the bus into Philadelphia to see plays. He also traveled to New York City once a year to visit an aunt who shared his love of theater. "I was the only kid in junior high school to have seen Camino Real
," he told interviewer Matt Wolf.
In 1956 Sherman enrolled at Boston University College of Fine Arts
, where he earned both a B.A. and an M.F.A. in dramatic arts. Upon graduating in 1960, he moved to New York City where he joined the Actors Studio
to study under the legendary director Harold Clurman
. Though he would soon abandon his acting career to pursue writing full time, Sherman credits this experience with shaping his technique as a playwright, explaining "all my plays are written for actors rather than the directors or critics that my contemporaries seem to write for." After spending several years in New York, Sherman was appointed playwright in residence at Mills College
in Oakland, California
, where his rock musical, A Solitary Thing, premiered in 1963.
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Sherman returned to New York City in the mid-1960s where he premiered Fat Tuesday (1966), Next Year in Jerusalem (1968), and The Night Before Paris (1969). Things Went Badly in Westphalia,which takes its name from a line in Candide
by Voltaire
was next, and became Sherman's first published play when the dramatic rock musical was included in The Best Short Plays of 1970. In the 1970s, Sherman traveled to London where he worked with the founding members of the infamous Gay Sweatshop.
After more than a decade of writing plays, Sherman found widespread fame in 1979 with his first blockbuster hit, Bent
. First produced in London's West End
starring Ian McKellen
, the chilling plays tells the story of Max, a gay man in Berlin during the Weimar Republic
. After Max and his boyfriend are forced to flee the city following the Night of the Long Knives
, the two live in hiding for two years before being captured by the gestapo
and sent to a concentration camp. The play was considered extremely controversial, both for its violence and its assertion that homosexuals received worse treatment than Jews during the Holocaust
. Despite the uproar, Bent transferred to Broadway
, where it became an instant hit and was nominated for a Tony Award
and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
. Following the success of this production, Sherman claimed to have gotten everything he wanted from New York City and promptly moved to London, where he has lived since 1980.
Despite his status as an expatriot, Sherman continued to write successfully for both the British and the American stage. His most recent success came from his re-write of the book for the musical The Boy from Oz
, based on Peter Allen
's life and career, earning him a second Tony nomination. He has also written two collections of plays dealing with gay themes, and found success in the genre of one-woman plays with Rose, which was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play when it premiered in London in 2000. Later that year, the show transferred to Broadway where it starred Olympia Dukakis
.
Sherman also found success as a screenwriter in the 1990s. His most successful film was adapted from his own play, Alive and Kicking
, known in the UK as Indian Summer. He also adapted Bent
for the big screen in 1997. The movie was directed by Sean Mathias
and starred Clive Owen
in the role of Max.
Bent (play)
Bent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
(1979), which explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust. Sherman is an openly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Jew and has lived and worked in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
since 1980.
Life and career
Sherman was an only child, born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
to Russian immigrants Joseph T. Sherman, an attorney, Julia Sherman (née Shapiro). Growing up in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
, he was first introduced to the theater came at age six when he saw pre-Broadway version of Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls
Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure", two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, most notably...
(1950) starring Alfred Lunt
Alfred Lunt
Alfred Lunt was an American stage director and actor, often identified for a long-time professional partnership with his wife, actress Lynn Fontanne...
and Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne
Lynn Fontanne was a British actress and major stage star in the United States for over 40 years. She teamed with her husband Alfred Lunt.She lived in the United States for more than 60 years but never relinquished her British citizenship. Lunt and Fontanne shared a special Tony Award in 1970...
. Sheridan's parents emcouraged his passion. In an interview with London Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
writer Sheridan Morley
Sheridan Morley
Sheridan Morley was an English author, biographer, critic, director, actor and broadcaster. He was the eldest son of actor Robert Morley and grandson of actress Dame Gladys Cooper, and wrote biographies of both...
in 1983, Sherman recalled, "At 12 I joined the Mae Desmond Children's Players and went all around Pennsylvania being a tall dwarf in Snow White
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (musical)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a musical with music by Frank Churchill and Jay Blackton, lyrics by Larry Morey and Joe Cook, book by Joe Cook, based on the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs....
." As a young teen, Sherman despised school, but consoled himself by often taking the bus into Philadelphia to see plays. He also traveled to New York City once a year to visit an aunt who shared his love of theater. "I was the only kid in junior high school to have seen Camino Real
Camino Real (play)
Camino Real is a 1953 play by Tennessee Williams. In the introduction to the Penguin edition of the play, Williams directs the reader to use the Anglicized pronunciation "Cá-mino Réal." The play takes its title from its setting, alluded to El Camino Real, a dead-end place in a Spanish-speaking town...
," he told interviewer Matt Wolf.
In 1956 Sherman enrolled at Boston University College of Fine Arts
Boston University College of Fine Arts
The Boston University College of Fine Arts is unit of Boston University. The College consists of the School of Music, the School of Theatre, and the School of Visual Arts. Each of the individual schools offer degrees in the performing and visual arts at the undergraduate and graduate level...
, where he earned both a B.A. and an M.F.A. in dramatic arts. Upon graduating in 1960, he moved to New York City where he joined the Actors Studio
Actors Studio
The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
to study under the legendary director Harold Clurman
Harold Clurman
Harold Edgar Clurman was a visionary American theatre director and drama critic, "one of the most influential in the United States". He was most notable as one of the three founders of the New York City's Group Theatre...
. Though he would soon abandon his acting career to pursue writing full time, Sherman credits this experience with shaping his technique as a playwright, explaining "all my plays are written for actors rather than the directors or critics that my contemporaries seem to write for." After spending several years in New York, Sherman was appointed playwright in residence at Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
in Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, where his rock musical, A Solitary Thing, premiered in 1963.
Candide
Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or, All for the Best ; Candide: or, The Optimist ; and Candide: or, Optimism...
by Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
was next, and became Sherman's first published play when the dramatic rock musical was included in The Best Short Plays of 1970. In the 1970s, Sherman traveled to London where he worked with the founding members of the infamous Gay Sweatshop.
After more than a decade of writing plays, Sherman found widespread fame in 1979 with his first blockbuster hit, Bent
Bent (play)
Bent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
. First produced in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
starring Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
, the chilling plays tells the story of Max, a gay man in Berlin during the Weimar Republic
Weimar Republic
The Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
. After Max and his boyfriend are forced to flee the city following the Night of the Long Knives
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
, the two live in hiding for two years before being captured by the gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
and sent to a concentration camp. The play was considered extremely controversial, both for its violence and its assertion that homosexuals received worse treatment than Jews during the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. Despite the uproar, Bent transferred to 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...
, where it became an instant hit and 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...
and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
. Following the success of this production, Sherman claimed to have gotten everything he wanted from New York City and promptly moved to London, where he has lived since 1980.
Despite his status as an expatriot, Sherman continued to write successfully for both the British and the American stage. His most recent success came from his re-write of the book for the musical The Boy from Oz
The Boy from Oz
The Boy from Oz is a jukebox musical based on the life of singer/songwriter Peter Allen and featuring songs written by him. The book is by Nick Enright. The production had its world premiere, directed by Gale Edwards, at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, on 5 March 1998 and toured Brisbane,...
, based on Peter Allen
Peter Allen
Peter Allen was an Australian songwriter and entertainer. His songs were made popular by many recording artists, including Elkie Brooks, Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, with one, Arthur's Theme, winning an Academy Award in 1981...
's life and career, earning him a second Tony nomination. He has also written two collections of plays dealing with gay themes, and found success in the genre of one-woman plays with Rose, which was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play when it premiered in London in 2000. Later that year, the show transferred to Broadway where it starred Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis
Olympia Dukakis is an American actress. In 1987, she won an Academy Award, BAFTA, and a Golden Globe for her performance in Moonstruck...
.
Sherman also found success as a screenwriter in the 1990s. His most successful film was adapted from his own play, Alive and Kicking
Indian Summer (1996 film)
Indian Summer, also known as Alive & Kicking, is a 1996 British drama film directed by Nancy Meckler, written by Martin Sherman and starring Jason Flemyng, Antony Sher and Bill Nighy. A young dancer becomes seriously ill, and finds comfort with an older man. The title comes from Indian...
, known in the UK as Indian Summer. He also adapted Bent
Bent (film)
Bent is a 1997 British/Japanese drama film directed by Sean Mathias, based on the 1979 play of the same name by Martin Sherman, who also wrote the screenplay. It revolves around the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany after the murder of Sturmabteilung leader Ernst Röhm on the Night of the...
for the big screen in 1997. The movie was directed by Sean Mathias
Sean Mathias
Sean Gerard Mathias is a British theatre director, film director, writer and actor.Mathias was born in Swansea, south Wales. He is known for directing the film, Bent, and for directing highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney...
and starred Clive Owen
Clive Owen
Clive Owen is an English actor, who has worked on television, stage and film. He first gained recognition in the United Kingdom for portraying the lead in the ITV series Chancer from 1990 to 1991...
in the role of Max.
Theatre Productions
- A Solitary Thing, with music by Stanley Silverman, Oakland, California, Mills College, 9 September 1963.
- Fat Tuesday, New York, Herbert Berghof Playwrights Foundation, 1966.
- Next Year in Jerusalem, New York, Herbert Berghof Playwrights Foundation, 8 June 1968.
- Change, (libretto), New York, BMI Music Theatre Workshop, 1969.
- The Night Before Paris, New York, Actors StudioActors StudioThe Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 West 44th Street in the Clinton neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded October 5, 1947, by Elia Kazan, Cheryl Crawford, Robert Lewis and Anna Sokolow who provided...
, 1969; Edinburgh, Traverse Theatre, 1970. - Things Went Badly in Westphalia, Storrs, University of Connecticut, 1971.
- Passing By, New York, Playwrights HorizonsPlaywrights HorizonsPlaywrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
, 5 March 1974; London, Almost Free Theatre, 9 June 1975. - New York! New York!, contributor, New York, Playwrights HorizonsPlaywrights HorizonsPlaywrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
, 26 April 1975. - Cracks, Waterford, CT, National Playwrights Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theate CenterEugene O'Neill Theater CenterThe Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut is a 501 not-for-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. The O'Neill is the recipient of the . The O'Neill is home to the National Theater Institute , and several major theater conferences including the...
, 31 July 1975; Oldham, Coliseum Theatre, 10 October 1981. - Rio Grande, New York, Playwrights HorizonsPlaywrights HorizonsPlaywrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work....
, 11 November 1976. - Blackout, New York, Ensemble Studio TheatreEnsemble Studio TheatreThe Ensemble Studio Theatre is a membership-based, developmental theatre located in New York City. It has a dual mission of nurturing individual theatre artists and developing new American plays.-Overview:...
, 1978. - BentBent (play)Bent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
Waterford, CT, National Playwrights Conference, Eugene O'Neill Theater CenterEugene O'Neill Theater CenterThe Eugene O'Neill Memorial Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut is a 501 not-for-profit theater company founded in 1964 by George C. White. The O'Neill is the recipient of the . The O'Neill is home to the National Theater Institute , and several major theater conferences including the...
, 4 August 1978; London, Royal Court TheatreRoyal Court TheatreThe Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, 3 May 1979; New York, New Amsterdam Theatre, 2 December 1979. - Messiah, London, Hampstead TheatreHampstead TheatreHampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
, 9 December 1982; New York, Manhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
, 11 December 1984. - When She Danced, Guildford, UK, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, 27 November 1985; New York, Playwrights Horizon, 19 February 1990.
- A Madhouse in Goa, London, Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, 28 April 1989; New York, Second Stage, 18 November 1997—comprises A Tale for a King and Keeps Rainin' All the Time.
- Some Sunny Day, London, Hampstead TheatreHampstead TheatreHampstead Theatre is a theatre in the vicinity of Swiss Cottage and Belsize Park, in the London Borough of Camden. It specialises in commissioning and producing new writing, supporting and developing the work of new writers. In 2009 it celebrates its 50 year anniversary.The original theatre was...
, 11 April 1996. - Rose, London, Royal National TheatreRoyal National TheatreThe Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, 24 June 1999. - A Passage to India (adapted from the novelA Passage to IndiaA Passage to India is a novel by E. M. Forster set against the backdrop of the British Raj and the Indian independence movement in the 1920s. It was selected as one of the 100 great works of English literature by the Modern Library and won the 1924 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction. Time...
by E.M. Forster), Brooklyn Academy of MusicBrooklyn Academy of MusicBrooklyn Academy of Music is a major performing arts venue in Brooklyn, a borough of New York City, United States, known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance....
, New York, NY, 2004. - AristoAristo (play)Aristo is a 2008 play by American born playwright Martin Sherman, based on material in the book Nemesis by Peter Evans about the life of Aristotle Onassis after he met Jackie Kennedy...
(2008) - Onassis (2010)
Film
- Alive and KickingIndian Summer (1996 film)Indian Summer, also known as Alive & Kicking, is a 1996 British drama film directed by Nancy Meckler, written by Martin Sherman and starring Jason Flemyng, Antony Sher and Bill Nighy. A young dancer becomes seriously ill, and finds comfort with an older man. The title comes from Indian...
aka Indian Summer, Channel Four Films, 1997 - Clothes in the Wardrobe, (adapted from the novel by Alice Thomas EllisAnna HaycraftAnna Haycraft was a British writer and essayist who wrote under the nom de plume Alice Thomas Ellis...
), BBC Films, 1992; US Release as The Summer House, 1993 - BentBent (film)Bent is a 1997 British/Japanese drama film directed by Sean Mathias, based on the 1979 play of the same name by Martin Sherman, who also wrote the screenplay. It revolves around the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany after the murder of Sturmabteilung leader Ernst Röhm on the Night of the...
, Channel Four Films, 1997 - Mrs Henderson Presents, 2005
- Callas ForeverCallas ForeverCallas Forever is a 2002 biographical film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, who co-wrote the screenplay with Martin Sherman. It is an homage to Zeffirelli's friend, internationally acclaimed opera diva Maria Callas, whom he directed on stage in Norma, La Traviata, and Tosca.- Plot :The partially...
, (with Franco ZeffirelliFranco ZeffirelliFranco Zeffirelli KBE is an Italian director and producer of films and television. He is also a director and designer of operas and a former senator for the Italian center-right Forza Italia party....
), 2002
Television
- Don't Call Me Mama Anymore, CBS, 1972
- The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (adapted from the novelThe Roman Spring of Mrs. StoneThe Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone is a 1961 British film made by Seven Arts-Warner Bros. It was directed by José Quintero and produced by Louis De Rochemont with Lothar Wolff as associate producer. The screenplay was written by Gavin Lambert and Jan Read and based on the novel by Tennessee Williams...
by Tennessee WilliamsTennessee WilliamsThomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
), Showtime Networks, 2003
Publications
- BentBent (play)Bent is a 1979 play by Martin Sherman. It revolves around the persecution of gays in Nazi Germany, and takes place during and after the Night of the Long Knives....
, S. French, 1979 - Messiah, Amber Lane, 1982
- Cracks, S. French, 1986
- When She Danced, Amber Lane, 1988; S. French, 1988
- A Madhouse in Goa, Amber Lane, 1989; S. French, 1998
- Some Sunny Day, Amber Lane, 1996
- Rose, Methuen, 1999
- "Things Went Badly in Westphalia," in The Best Short Plays of 1970, 1970
- "Passing By," in Gay Plays, Volume 1, 1984