View source for Machinal

{{short description|Play}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox play
| name       = Machinal
| image      = Machinal-Johann-Gable-1928-crop.jpg
| image_size =
| caption    = [[Zita Johann]] and [[Clark Gable]] in the original Broadway production of ''Machinal'' (1928)
| writer     = [[Sophie Treadwell]]
| genre      = [[Expressionism (theatre)|Expressionism]]
| setting    = An office; a flat; a hotel; a hospital; a speakeasy; a furnished room; a drawing room; a court room; a prison; in the dark
| subject    = 
| premiere   = September 7, 1928
| place      = [[Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre|Plymouth Theatre]]
| orig_lang  = English
}}
'''''Machinal''''' is a 1928  play by American playwright and journalist [[Sophie Treadwell]], inspired by the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer [[Ruth Snyder]]. Its Broadway premiere, directed by [[Arthur Hopkins]], is considered one of the highpoints of [[Expressionism (theatre)|Expressionist theatre]] in history of the American stage.

''Machinal'' has appeared on a variety of lists of the greatest plays.<ref name=Top40>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Paul |last2=Williams |first2=Holly |title=The 40 best plays of all time, from Our Country's Good to A Streetcar Named Desire |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/40-greatest-best-plays-ever-written-theatre-drama-scripts-shakespeare-a8778031.html |accessdate=18 October 2020 |work=The Independent |date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref name=EW50>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=50 Greatest Plays of the Past 100 Years |url=https://ew.com/gallery/50-greatest-plays-past-100-years/?slide=406539#406539 |accessdate=15 October 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=12 July 2013}}</ref><ref name=101Michael>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=From Oedipus to The History Boys: Michael Billington's 101 greatest plays |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/sep/02/michael-billington-101-greatest-plays |accessdate=15 October 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=2 September 2015}}</ref>

==Synopsis==
A young woman works as a low-level [[stenographer]] and lives with her mother. She follows the rituals that society expects of a woman, however resistant she may feel about them. She subsequently marries her boss, whom she finds repulsive. After having a baby with him, she has an affair with a younger man who fuels her lust for life. Driven to murder her husband, she is convicted of the crime and is executed in the [[electric chair]].

==Production==
{{multiple image
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| image1    = Machinal-1928-Setting-Court.jpg
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| caption1  = Set design by [[Robert Edmond Jones]] for the court room in ''Machinal''
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| image2    =Machinal-1928-Setting-Cell.jpg
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| caption2  = Set design by Robert Edmond Jones for the condemned woman's cell in ''Machinal''
}}
Produced and directed by [[Arthur Hopkins]], ''Machinal'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre|Plymouth Theatre]] on September 7, 1928, and closed on November 24, 1928, after 91 performances. The scenic design was by [[Robert Edmond Jones]],<ref name="IBDb">{{cite web|url=https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/machinal-10670 |title=Machinal |publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] |accessdate=2016-11-07}}</ref> who used an open stage with a permanent background and made scene changes primarily with lighting.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Littell |first=Robert |date=October 1928 |title=Front and Inside Pages  |magazine=[[Theatre Arts Magazine|Theatre Arts Monthly]]   }}</ref> The play is presented in two parts, with ten scenes in the first and four in the second.<ref name="Theatre"/> The production is notable for featuring [[Clark Gable]] in his Broadway debut.

===Cast===
* [[Zita Johann]] as A Young Woman<ref name="Theatre">{{cite magazine |last=Maxwell |first=Perriton |date=November 1928 |title=The Editor Goes to the Play |magazine=Theatre Magazine |location=New York |publisher=Theatre Magazine Company |page=46  }}</ref>
* [[Millicent Green]] as A Telephone Girl<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Grace Atwell]] as A Stenographer<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Leopold Badia]] as A Filing Clerk<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Conway Washburn]] as An Adding Clerk and A Reporter<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Jean Adair]] as A Mother<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[George Stillwell]] as A Husband<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Otto Frederick]] as A Bellboy and A Court Reporter<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Nancy Allan (actress)|Nancy Allan]] as A Nurse<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Monroe Childs]] as A Doctor<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Hal K. Dawson]] as A Young Man and Third Reporter<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Zenaide Ziegfeld]] as A Girl<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Jess Sidney]] as A Man<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Clyde Stork]] as A Boy<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Clark Gable]] as A Man<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Hugh M. Hite]] as Another Man and Second Reporter<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[John Hanley (actor)|John Hanley]] as A Waiter, A Bailiff and A Jailer<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Tom Waters]] as A Judge<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[John Connery]] as A Lawyer for Defense<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[James MacDonald (Canadian actor)|James Macdonald]] as A Lawyer for Prosecution<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Mrs. Charles Willard]] as A Matron<ref name="Theatre"/>
* [[Charles Kennedy (actor)|Charles Kennedy]] as A Priest<ref name="Theatre"/>

In Britain, the play was first performed under the title ''[[The Life Machine]]'' in 1931.{{sfnp|Treadwell|1993|p=viii}}

==Reception==
"It was unfortunate that word was sent broadcast before the first performance of ''Machinal'' that its theme and characters grew out of the notorious Snyder-Gray murder case," wrote [[Perriton Maxwell]], editor of ''Theatre Magazine''. "The play bears no likeness to the sordid facts of that cheap tragedy...''Machinal'' transcends the drab drama of the police court; it has a quality one finds it difficult to define, a beauty that cannot be conveyed in words, an aliveness and reality tinctured with poetic pathos which lift it to the realm of great art, greatly conceived and greatly presented." Calling ''Machinal'' "the most enthralling play of the year," Maxwell attributed the play's success to "three remarkable persons: Sophie Treadwell, Arthur Hopkins and Zita Johann."<ref name="Theatre"/>

"From the sordid mess of a brutal murder the author, actors and producer of ''Machinal'' … have with great skill managed to retrieve a frail and sombre beauty of character," wrote theatre critic [[Brooks Atkinson]] of ''The New York Times''. "Subdued, monotonous, episodic, occasionally eccentric in its style, ''Machinal'' is fraught with a beauty unfamiliar to the stage." Atkinson describes the play as "the tragedy of one who lacks strength; she is not adaptable; she submits...Being the exposition of a character, stark and austere in style, ''Machinal'' makes no excuses for the tragedy it unfolds."<ref name="NYT Review">{{cite news |last=Atkinson |first=J. Brooks |authorlink=Brooks Atkinson |date=September 8, 1928 |title=The Play |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1928/09/08/archives/the-play.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2016-11-08 }}</ref>

==Adaptations and later productions==
The play has been revived many times since its original run.

Adapted for television by [[Irving Gaynor Neiman]], ''Machinal'' was presented January 18, 1954, on [[NBC]]-TV's ''[[Robert Montgomery Presents]]''. Reviewing the starring performance of [[Joan Lorring]], [[Jack Gould]] of ''The New York Times'' wrote that "her interpretation of the mentally tortured young woman in ''Machinal'', Sophie Treadwell's expressionistic and bitter poem for the theatre, must rank among the video season's finest accomplishments." The cast also included [[Malcolm Lee Beggs]] as the husband.<ref name="NYT Gould">{{cite news |last=Gould |first=Jack |authorlink=Jack Gould |date=January 24, 1954 |title=Television Reviews; Joan Lorring in 'Machinal' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/01/24/archives/television-reviews-joan-lorring-in-machinal-the-rise-of-carthage.html |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2016-11-08 }}</ref>

An adaptation of ''Machinal'' aired August 14, 1960,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ctva.biz/UK/ABC/ABC_ArmchairTheatre_04_(1959-60).htm |title=ABC Armchair Mystery Theatre |publisher=Classic TV Archive |access-date=2016-11-08}}</ref> on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] the United Kingdom in the [[Armchair Theatre|ABC Armchair Theatre]] series. [[Joanna Dunham]] starred, with [[Donald Pleasence]] portraying the husband.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ee15333 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109090727/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ee15333 |archive-date=November 9, 2016 |title=Machinal |website=[[BFI Film & TV Database]] |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=2016-11-08}}</ref>

[[File:MachinalProgrammeLoRes.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Program cover for the 1993 [[Royal National Theatre]] production]]
''Machinal'' was produced [[Off-Broadway]] at the Gate Theatre, opening in April 1960, with direction by [[Gene Frankel]], and featuring [[Delores Sutton]], [[Vincent Gardenia]], and [[Gerald S. O'Loughlin|Gerald O'Loughlin]].<ref>Kabatchnik, Amnon. [https://books.google.com/books?id=J0GbcGlgnksC&q=Machinal "Machinal"] ''Blood on the Stage, 1925-1950: Milestone Plays of Crime, Mystery, and Detection'', Scarecrow Press, 2010, {{ISBN|0810869632}}, p. 217</ref> In his review in ''The New York Times'', Brooks Atkinson wrote "Gene Frankel has added modernistic details that visualize the inhumanity of the background... Ballou's cold settings, [[Lee Watson]]'s macabre lighting complete the design of one of Off-Broadway's most vibrant performances."<ref>Atkinson, Brooks. "Theatre. 'Machinal' Revived at Gate", ''The New York Times'', p. 27, April 8, 1960</ref>

The play was produced Off-Broadway by the New York Shakespeare Festival at the [[Public Theatre]], running from September 25, 1990 to November 25, 1990. Directed by [[Michael Greif]], the cast featured [[Jodie Markell]] (Young Woman), [[John Seitz (actor)|John Seitz]] (Husband), and [[Marge Redmond]] (Mother). The production won three [[Obie Award]]s: for Performance (Jodie Markell), Direction, and Design ([[John Gromada]]).<ref>[http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1263 " 'Machinal' Listing"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224093759/http://www.lortel.org/lla_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1263 |date=2013-12-24 }} lortel.org, accessed December 23, 2013</ref>

''Machinal'' was revived by the [[Royal National Theatre]] in London in a production directed by [[Stephen Daldry]].<ref name=p>From the programme to the production.</ref> It opened on 15 October 1993 with [[Fiona Shaw]] as the Young Woman, [[Ciarán Hinds]] as the Man, and [[John Woodvine]] as the Husband.{{sfnp|Treadwell|1993|p=v}}<ref>[http://www.ciaranhinds.eu/pdf/machinal.pdf " 'Machinal' Listing and Script, Royal National Theatre"] ciaranhinds.eu (pdf), accessed December 23, 2013</ref> The scenic design, which included a large metal grid that moved into different positions for the play's different scenes, was by [[Ian MacNeil (scenic designer)|Ian MacNeil]], costumes were by [[Clare Mitchell]], lighting design was by [[Rick Fisher (lighting designer)|Rick Fisher]], with music by [[Stephen Warbeck]].<ref name=p/>

{{multiple image
<!-- Essential parameters -->
| align     = right
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| width     = 250
<!-- Image 1 -->
| image1    = 20190210 CBU Boardmore Theatre - Machinal 06.jpg
| alt1      =
| caption1  = The court room ''Machinal'' by the Boardmore Theatre, Cape Breton University, 2019
<!-- Image 2 -->
| image2    =20190210 CBU Boardmore Theatre - Machinal 07.jpg
| alt2      =
| caption2  = The condemned woman's cell in ''Machinal''
}}

A revival opened on Broadway in a [[Roundabout Theatre]] production at the [[American Airlines Theatre]] on January 16, 2014,  directed by   Lyndsey Turner, featuring [[Rebecca Hall]], [[Michael Cumpsty]], Suzanne Bertish and [[Morgan Spector]].<ref>Gioia, Michael. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/183519-Suzanne-Bertish-Michael-Cumpsty-Morgan-Spector-Will-Join-Rebecca-Hall-in-Machinal-Complete-Broadway-Cast-Announced "Suzanne Bertish, Michael Cumpsty, Morgan Spector Will Join Rebecca Hall in 'Machinal'; Complete Broadway Cast Announced"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131225015110/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/183519-Suzanne-Bertish-Michael-Cumpsty-Morgan-Spector-Will-Join-Rebecca-Hall-in-Machinal-Complete-Broadway-Cast-Announced |date=2013-12-25 }} playbill.com, October 22, 2013</ref>

A new production opened at the [[Almeida Theatre]] in London on June 4, 2018, directed by [[Natalie Abrahami]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/machinal/4-jun-2018-21-jul-2018|title=Machinal|work=Almeida Theatre|access-date=2018-05-15|language=en}}</ref>

The play has had college and university productions as well, most recently a February 2025 production at [[Rutgers University-Camden]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://vmpa.camden.rutgers.edu/theater-program/production-season/ | title=Current Production Season – Visual, Media, and Performing Arts }}</ref> and a 2019 production at [[Cape Breton University]].

=== 2024 Theatre Royal Bath Revival ===
In 2024, ''Machinal'' underwent a revival by the [[Ustinov Studio]] of the [[Theatre Royal, Bath|Theatre Royal Bath]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Machinal |url=https://www.theatreroyal.org.uk/events/machinal/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=www.theatreroyal.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> It ran periodically throughout the year in both [[London]] and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], its most prestigious venue at the 1,000 seat [[The Old Vic|Old Vic Theatre]] in London, from 11 April-1 June 2024.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Machinal |url=https://www.oldvictheatre.com/stage/event/machinal |access-date=2024-11-24 |website=www.oldvictheatre.com |language=en}}</ref> The production garnered widespread praise, and was considered by some to be one of the best shows of the past several years.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2024-01-15 |title=Machinal to transfer to the Old Vic |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/machinal-to-transfer-to-the-old-vic_1562963/ |access-date=2024-11-24 |language=en-US}}</ref> Critics called the main performance by actress [[Rosie Sheehy]] as Young Woman a highlight of the show<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gregory |first=Elizabeth |date=2024-01-15 |title=Machinal heads to the Old Vic with 'gobsmacking' lead Rosie Sheehy |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/machinal-london-premiere-the-old-vic-rosie-sheehy-b1132330.html |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Evening Standard |language=en}}</ref> and she was nominated for 2025's [[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress]]. The [[Theatre director|direction]] by [[Richard Jones (director)|Richard Jones]], [[Order of the British Empire|CBE]], also attracted much admiration.<ref name=":1"/> The set by Hyemi Shin included harsh yellow backgrounds, and a large speaker which sat suspended above the stage.<ref name=":0"/> The episode ''Intimate'' was well-liked for its beginning in darkness, then a [[Diegetic sound|diegetic]] light growing slowly.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lukowski |first=Andrzej |date=2024-04-19 |title=Machinal |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/machinal-1-review |type=Review |website=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]}}</ref> Costume designs were by Nicky Gillibrand, lighting by Adam Silverman, sound by Benjamin Grant and casting by Ginny Schiller.<ref name=":0"/> The show was created in [[partnership]] with the [[Royal Bank of Canada]], with support from the [[Arts Council England]].<ref name=":0"/>

=== 2025 New York Theater Company Engagement ===
In June 2025, ''Machinal'' was launched as an off-Broadway limited engagement. Launched nearly 100 years after the 1926 case of Ruth Snyder, this reimagined production amplified the mechanical rhythm and expressionism in Sophie Treadwell’s text through a dynamic underscoring of tap dance, practical foley, and heightened movement. <ref>https://www.machinaltheplay.com/</ref>

==Legacy==
''Machinal'' was included in [[Burns Mantle]]'s ''The Best Plays of 1928–29''.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Mantle |editor-first=Burns |editor-link=Burns Mantle |date=1929 |title=The Best Plays of 1928–29 |location=New York |publisher=[[Dodd, Mead and Company|Dodd, Mead]] |oclc=9695298}}</ref>

In 2013, ''Machinal'' was included on ''Entertainment Weekly'''s list of the "50 Greatest Plays of the Past 100 Years".<ref name=EW50/>

In 2015, theatre critic [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]] included the play in his list of the "101 greatest plays" ever written in any western language.<ref name=101Michael/>

In 2019, ''Machinal'' was named as one of the "40 best plays of all time" by ''The Independent''.<ref name=Top40/>

In 2020, ''Machinal'' was included on BroadwayWorld's list of the "101 GREATEST PLAYS of the Past 100 Years".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Nason |first1=Peter |title=BWW Exclusive: The 101 GREATEST PLAYS of the Past 100 Years (1920-2020) |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/tampa/article/BWW-Exclusive-The-101-GREATEST-PLAYS-of-the-Past-100-Years-1920-2020-20200407 |website=Broadwayworld.com |accessdate=23 October 2020 |date=7 April 2020}}</ref>

'''Accolades'''

The Royal National Theatre production won three 1994 [[Laurence Olivier Awards]], for Best Revival of a Play or Comedy, for Fiona Shaw as Best Actress and Stephen Daldry as Best Director of a Play. Ian MacNeil was nominated as Best Set Designer.<ref>[http://www.olivierawards.com/about/previous-winners/view/item98528/olivier-winners-1994/ "Olivier Winners, 1994"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224095916/http://www.olivierawards.com/about/previous-winners/view/item98528/Olivier-Winners-1994/ |date=2013-12-24 }} olivierawards.com, accessed December 23, 2013</ref>

The 2014 Broadway production received four 2014 [[Tony Award]] nominations: Best Scenic Design of a Play ([[Es Devlin]]), Best Costume Design of a Play (Michael Krass), Best in Lighting Design of a Play ([[Jane Cox (lighting designer)|Jane Cox]]) and Best Sound Design of a Play (Matt Tierney).<ref>Gans, Andrew. [http://www.playbill.com/news/article/190529-68th-Annual-Tony-Awards-Nominations-Announced-Gentlemans-Guide-Leads-the-Pack "68th Annual Tony Awards Nominations Announced; 'Gentleman's Guide' Leads the Pack"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140530215447/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/190529-68th-Annual-Tony-Awards-Nominations-Announced-Gentlemans-Guide-Leads-the-Pack |date=2014-05-30 }} playbill.com, April 29, 2014</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book |author-link=Sophie Treadwell |last=Treadwell |first=Sophie |year=1993 |title=Machinal |location=London |publisher=Nick Hern Books and Royal National Theatre |isbn=1-85459-211-4}}

==External links==
* {{IBDB show|5682||(list of productions)}}
* {{IBDB title|10670||(1928 production)}}
* {{IOBDB title|1128||(1990 production)}}

{{OlivierAward PlayRevival 1991–2000}}

[[Category:1928 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Expressionist plays]]
[[Category:Fiction about mariticide]]
[[Category:Off-Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Plays based on actual events]]
[[Category:Plays by Sophie Treadwell]]
[[Category:West End plays]]