The Motherfucker With the Hat
Encyclopedia
The Motherfucker With the Hat (sometimes censored
as The Motherf**ker With the Hat and The Mother With the Hat) is a 2011 play
by Stephen Adly Guirgis
. The show is described as "a high-octane verbal cage match about love, fidelity and misplaced haberdashery
."
workforce. His girlfriend, Veronica, however, still uses cocaine
and other drugs. One night, Jackie finds a hat in Veronica's apartment. Realizing it is not his, he accuses her of cheating, going to his drug and parole counselor, Ralph D., for help. Meanwhile, Ralph's wife, Victoria, has "had it up to here with his helium".
Jackie obtains a gun. Ralph insists that he not keep it, so he gives to his cousin Julio for safekeeping. Jackie reveals that he had slept with his previous AA counselor, which may be part of the reason Veronica mistrusts him. Later, Veronica is entertaining a lover, which is revealed to be Ralph. They had slept together a handful of times while Jackie was in prison.
Meanwhile, Jackie gets the gun back and returns the hat to its owner, then throws it on the floor and shoots it. He talks about this with Victoria, who is tired of Ralph's cheating and begs Jackie to sleep with her. She reveals to him that Veronica and Ralph have slept together.
Jackie shows up a Veronica's apartment drunk, accusing her of cheating, hurt because they had been in love since high school. When he gets loud, she hits him with a bat.
Julio takes Jackie in. He reveals that he is grateful because, years ago, Jackie did an unexpected kindness for him. Jackie wants to confront Ralph and Julio is willing to cover his back, claiming to be a "Van Damme."
Jackie goes to Ralph's. The two men try to fight it out, but end up futilely wresting on the floor. Ralph admits he slept with Veronica, but he's through with that and would like to be friends with Jackie. Jackie refuses to accept his friendship and returns to the apartment to pick up his things. He has broken parole by shooting the gun and is heading off to prison for a short stint. He tries to tell Veronica he loves her, but she runs out of the room, unwilling to listen. He leaves. A few moments later, Veronica comes out of hiding and calls his name.
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
on April 11, 2011, following previews from March 15. The cast starred Chris Rock
in his Broadway debut as Ralph D., with Bobby Cannavale
(Jackie), Annabella Sciorra
(Victoria), Elizabeth Rodriguez
(Veronica) and Yul Vázquez
(Cousin Julio). It was directed by Anna D. Shapiro, with music by Terence Blanchard
, set design by Todd Rosenthal
and lighting by Donald Holder
. The production closed on July 17, 2011.
The first regional production of the show was at Theaterworks
in Hartford, Connecticut
, premiering on October 14, 2011. The cast starred Royce Johnson as Ralph D., with Ben Cole (Jackie), Vanessa Wasche (Victoria), Clea Alsip (Veronica) and Varin Ayala (Cousin Julio). It was directed by Tazewell Thompson
. On November 30, 2011, play author Stephen Adly Guirguis aired his complaints with the casting of this production, saying that director Thompson had cast white actors in three parts intended to be portrayed as Puerto Rican. Thompson also added a scene of full-frontal male nudity not in the original Broadway production or original script.
The Wall Street Journals review wrote, "What makes "Hat" more than just a foul-mouthed, fast-moving farce is that Mr. Guirgis's real subject turns out to be moral relativism. The impeccably sober Ralph D., who has swapped booze for fluorescent-colored nutritional beverages, preaches the gospel of AA with a convert's fervor, yet it doesn't stop him from doing whatever he wants to whomever he wants. Jackie, by contrast, has yet to master his self-destructive impulses, but at least he knows that the point of getting sober is not to become more efficient at taking advantage of other people: "Your—whaddyacallit—your world view? It ain't mine. And the day it is, that's the day I shoot myself in the head. I didn't get clean to live like that."... Don't let the stupid title put you off. If you do, you'll miss one of the best new plays to come to Broadway in ages."
Ben Brantley
of The New York Times
said, "The play that dare not speak its name turns out to have a lot to say. Stephen Adly Guirgis’s vibrant and surprisingly serious new comedy opened on Monday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater under a title that cannot be printed in most daily newspapers or mentioned on network television. This is vexing for those of us who would like to extol the virtues of "The ___________ With the Hat", at least in public. (The title also seems to have created problems for the people trying to publicize the play.) This is by far the most accomplished and affecting work from the gifted Mr. Guirgis, a prolific and erratic chronicler of marginal lives."
The New York Post
gave mixed reactions: "In his Broadway debut, Chris Rock plays Ralph D., the AA sponsor of Bobby Cannavale's Jackie. They share some heavy scenes -- red-blooded, profanity-laden bouts -- but Rock is a lightweight: The more experienced, more assured Cannavale knocks him out without even trying. This is a big problem because Stephen Adly Guirgis' new dark comedy, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat", pivots on the evolving relationship between the two. Rock's tentative performance creates an imbalance that throws the show out of whack."
In reviewing the production, Marilyn Stasio (Variety
) wrote, "... Anna D. Shapiro [is] an entirely worthy helmer, [but] doesn't seem to speak the same theatrical language as the [cast]." Scott Brown in New York
gave a negative review, saying, "But the play really doesn’t have the heft to earn the death of hope, nor does it have the stones or the seriousness to declare hope officially dead. Motherf**ker mainly concerns itself with a lot of big, mordant laughs ... yet overall, the play feels jumpy and scant."
According to Variety
, the box-office takings of the show during its first week of preview performances were $239,221. In The Motherfucker With the Hats opening week, it grossed $270,309, playing to 82.9% capacity.
To advertise the show, Rock has made appearances on CBS News
and Late Show with David Letterman
. In addition, he was interviewed by The New York Times
and ABC News
, among others.
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
as The Motherf**ker With the Hat and The Mother With the Hat) is a 2011 play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by Stephen Adly Guirgis
Stephen Adly Guirgis
Stephen Adly Guirgis is an American playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor. He is a member and co-artistic director of New York City's LAByrinth Theater Company. His plays have been produced on five continents and throughout the United States....
. The show is described as "a high-octane verbal cage match about love, fidelity and misplaced haberdashery
Haberdasher
A haberdasher is a person who sells small articles for sewing, such as buttons, ribbons, zips, and other notions. In American English, haberdasher is another term for a men's outfitter. A haberdasher's shop or the items sold therein are called haberdashery.-Origin and use:The word appears in...
."
Synopsis
Jackie is a former drug dealer who has just been released from prison to join the AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
workforce. His girlfriend, Veronica, however, still uses cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
and other drugs. One night, Jackie finds a hat in Veronica's apartment. Realizing it is not his, he accuses her of cheating, going to his drug and parole counselor, Ralph D., for help. Meanwhile, Ralph's wife, Victoria, has "had it up to here with his helium".
Jackie obtains a gun. Ralph insists that he not keep it, so he gives to his cousin Julio for safekeeping. Jackie reveals that he had slept with his previous AA counselor, which may be part of the reason Veronica mistrusts him. Later, Veronica is entertaining a lover, which is revealed to be Ralph. They had slept together a handful of times while Jackie was in prison.
Meanwhile, Jackie gets the gun back and returns the hat to its owner, then throws it on the floor and shoots it. He talks about this with Victoria, who is tired of Ralph's cheating and begs Jackie to sleep with her. She reveals to him that Veronica and Ralph have slept together.
Jackie shows up a Veronica's apartment drunk, accusing her of cheating, hurt because they had been in love since high school. When he gets loud, she hits him with a bat.
Julio takes Jackie in. He reveals that he is grateful because, years ago, Jackie did an unexpected kindness for him. Jackie wants to confront Ralph and Julio is willing to cover his back, claiming to be a "Van Damme."
Jackie goes to Ralph's. The two men try to fight it out, but end up futilely wresting on the floor. Ralph admits he slept with Veronica, but he's through with that and would like to be friends with Jackie. Jackie refuses to accept his friendship and returns to the apartment to pick up his things. He has broken parole by shooting the gun and is heading off to prison for a short stint. He tries to tell Veronica he loves her, but she runs out of the room, unwilling to listen. He leaves. A few moments later, Veronica comes out of hiding and calls his name.
Productions
The show premiered at Broadway'sBroadway 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...
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
The Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 236 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan named for Gerald Schoenfeld....
on April 11, 2011, following previews from March 15. The cast starred Chris Rock
Chris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
in his Broadway debut as Ralph D., with Bobby Cannavale
Bobby Cannavale
Robert M. "Bobby" Cannavale is an American actor known for his leading role as Bobby Caffey in the first two seasons of the television series Third Watch. He also had a recurring role as Officer Vince D'Angelo on the comedy series Will & Grace.-Early life:Cannavale grew up in Union City, New...
(Jackie), Annabella Sciorra
Annabella Sciorra
Annabella Sciorra is an American film, television, and stage actress. Sciorra received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for the 1989 film True Love, and came to widespread attention in her co-lead role in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever...
(Victoria), Elizabeth Rodriguez
Elizabeth Rodriguez
Elizabeth Rodriguez is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Carmen Morales on All My Children .-Filmography:-External links:...
(Veronica) and Yul Vázquez
Yul Vazquez
Yul Vázquez was born in Cuba. He is an actor and he is married to Linda Larkin.He has appeared as “Bob” in the Seinfeld episodes “The Soup Nazi”, “The Sponge” and “The Puerto Rican Day”....
(Cousin Julio). It was directed by Anna D. Shapiro, with music by Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard
Terence Oliver Blanchard is an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, arranger, and film score composer. Since he emerged on the scene in 1980 with the Lionel Hampton Orchestra and then shortly thereafter with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Blanchard has been a leading artist in jazz...
, set design by Todd Rosenthal
Todd Rosenthal
Todd Rosenthal is an American scenic designer. He won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design and the 2008 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Set Design for Steppenwolf Theatre Company's August: Osage County....
and lighting by Donald Holder
Donald Holder
Donald Holder is an American lighting designer in theatre, opera, and dance based in New York. He has been nominated for eight Tony Awards, winning the 1998 Tony Award for Best Lighting Design as well as the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lighting Design for The Lion King. He won a second Tony in...
. The production closed on July 17, 2011.
The first regional production of the show was at Theaterworks
TheaterWorks (Hartford)
TheaterWorks is a non-profit, professional theater company situated on Pearl Street in Hartford, Connecticut. The company was founded in 1985 by Steve Campo who continues as Artistic and Executive Director.-Building:...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, premiering on October 14, 2011. The cast starred Royce Johnson as Ralph D., with Ben Cole (Jackie), Vanessa Wasche (Victoria), Clea Alsip (Veronica) and Varin Ayala (Cousin Julio). It was directed by Tazewell Thompson
Tazewell Thompson
Tazewell Thompson , is a playwright, a director, and former Artistic Director of the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Connecticut.He was born in New York City....
. On November 30, 2011, play author Stephen Adly Guirguis aired his complaints with the casting of this production, saying that director Thompson had cast white actors in three parts intended to be portrayed as Puerto Rican. Thompson also added a scene of full-frontal male nudity not in the original Broadway production or original script.
Critical reception
On its opening night performance, The Motherfucker With the Hat received mixed reviews from New York critics (the median grade on StageGrade was a "B-", based on 25 major reviews).The Wall Street Journals review wrote, "What makes "Hat" more than just a foul-mouthed, fast-moving farce is that Mr. Guirgis's real subject turns out to be moral relativism. The impeccably sober Ralph D., who has swapped booze for fluorescent-colored nutritional beverages, preaches the gospel of AA with a convert's fervor, yet it doesn't stop him from doing whatever he wants to whomever he wants. Jackie, by contrast, has yet to master his self-destructive impulses, but at least he knows that the point of getting sober is not to become more efficient at taking advantage of other people: "Your—whaddyacallit—your world view? It ain't mine. And the day it is, that's the day I shoot myself in the head. I didn't get clean to live like that."... Don't let the stupid title put you off. If you do, you'll miss one of the best new plays to come to Broadway in ages."
Ben Brantley
Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. "Ben" Brantley is an American journalist and the chief theater critic of The New York Times.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said, "The play that dare not speak its name turns out to have a lot to say. Stephen Adly Guirgis’s vibrant and surprisingly serious new comedy opened on Monday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater under a title that cannot be printed in most daily newspapers or mentioned on network television. This is vexing for those of us who would like to extol the virtues of "The ___________ With the Hat", at least in public. (The title also seems to have created problems for the people trying to publicize the play.) This is by far the most accomplished and affecting work from the gifted Mr. Guirgis, a prolific and erratic chronicler of marginal lives."
The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
gave mixed reactions: "In his Broadway debut, Chris Rock plays Ralph D., the AA sponsor of Bobby Cannavale's Jackie. They share some heavy scenes -- red-blooded, profanity-laden bouts -- but Rock is a lightweight: The more experienced, more assured Cannavale knocks him out without even trying. This is a big problem because Stephen Adly Guirgis' new dark comedy, "The Motherf**ker with the Hat", pivots on the evolving relationship between the two. Rock's tentative performance creates an imbalance that throws the show out of whack."
In reviewing the production, Marilyn Stasio (Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
) wrote, "... Anna D. Shapiro [is] an entirely worthy helmer, [but] doesn't seem to speak the same theatrical language as the [cast]." Scott Brown in New York
New York (magazine)
New York is a weekly magazine principally concerned with the life, culture, politics, and style of New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to The New Yorker, it was brasher and less polite than that magazine, and established itself as a cradle of New...
gave a negative review, saying, "But the play really doesn’t have the heft to earn the death of hope, nor does it have the stones or the seriousness to declare hope officially dead. Motherf**ker mainly concerns itself with a lot of big, mordant laughs ... yet overall, the play feels jumpy and scant."
Box office sales and advertising
Michael Reidel in The New York Post reported that in early April 2011, the show only grossed $239,000, though its gross potential was $867,000: "For whatever reason, nobody wants to see this show". The production is expected to cost $3 million. He noted that the title of the show has been "debilitating" for advertising. Wrote Riedel, "[They] simply can't get the name of the play out there, [because] Chris can talk about it, but he can't say the title, so nobody knows what it is."According to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, the box-office takings of the show during its first week of preview performances were $239,221. In The Motherfucker With the Hats opening week, it grossed $270,309, playing to 82.9% capacity.
To advertise the show, Rock has made appearances on CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
and Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
. In addition, he was interviewed by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, among others.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Outcome | |
| 2011 Drama League Award Drama League Award The Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing... s |
||
| Distinguished Production of a Play | ||
| Distinguished Performance: Chris Rock | ||
| Distinguished Performance: Bobby Cannavale | ||
| 2011 Outer Critics Circle Awards | ||
| Outstanding New Broadway Play | ||
| Outstanding Director of a Play: Anna D. Shapiro | ||
| Outstanding Set Design: Todd Rosenthal | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Play: Bobby Cannavale | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Yul Vázquez | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play: Elizabeth Rodriguez | ||
| 2011 Drama Desk Awards | ||
| Outstanding Play | ||
| Outstanding Actor in a Play: Bobby Cannavale | ||
| Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play: Yul Vázquez | ||
| 2011 Tony Awards | ||
| Best Play | ||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play: Bobby Cannavale | ||
| Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play: Yul Vázquez | ||
| Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play: Elizabeth Rodriguez | ||
| Best Direction of a Play: Anna D. Shapiro | ||
| Best Scenic Design of a Play: Todd Rosenthal | ||
| 2011 Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards | ||
| Favorite Play | ||
| Favorite Actor a Play: Bobby Cannavale | ||
| 2011 Theatre World Award Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:... s |
||
| Lunt-Fontanne Award for Ensemble Excellence | ||