View source for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (play)

{{Short description|Play by Dale Wasserman}}
{{Infobox play
| name       = One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 
| image      = Kirk Douglas - 1963.jpg
| image_size = 
| image_alt  = 
| caption    = [[Kirk Douglas]] and [[Joan Tetzel]] starring in the 1963 Broadway production
| writer     = [[Dale Wasserman]]
| chorus     = 
| characters = 
| mute       = 
| setting    = 
| premiere   = {{Start date|1963|11|13}} 
| place      = [[Cort Theatre]]<br>[[New York City]]
| orig_lang  = English
| series     = 
| subject  = [[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]<br>by<br>[[Ken Kesey]]
| genre      = 
| web        = 
}}

'''''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''''' (1963) is a [[Play (theatre)|play]] based on [[Ken Kesey]]'s [[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)|1962 novel]].<ref name="autogenerated1">[http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3043 IBDB entry]</ref> The play had its [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] debut in 1963 with an adaptation by [[Dale Wasserman]] starring [[Kirk Douglas]] as [[Randle McMurphy]], a mental patient and [[Joan Tetzel]] as [[Nurse Ratched]]. The play had a Broadway revival in 2002 earning the [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play]] as well as a nomination for the [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play]] starring [[Gary Sinise]]. 

== Background == 
The play is based on the [[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)|1962 novel]] by [[Ken Kesey]]. It was adapted by [[Dale Wasserman]].

== Summary ==
The plot revolves around mental hospital patient [[Randle McMurphy]] who leads a revolt against cold [[Nurse Ratched]].

== Cast and characters ==
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Character
!Broadway debut 
!Broadway revival
!West End revival
|-
!<small>1963</small>
!<small>2001</small>
!<small>2003</small>
|-
![[Randle McMurphy]] 
|align="center" , | [[Kirk Douglas]] ||align="center"|[[Gary Sinise]] || align="center"|[[Christian Slater]] 
|-
![[Nurse Ratched]]
|align="center" , | [[Joan Tetzel]] ||align="center"|[[Amy Morton]] || align="center"|[[Frances Barber]] 
|-
! "Chief" Bromden 
|align="center" , | [[Ed Ames]] ||align="center"|Tim Sampson || align="center"| Brendan Dempsey
|-
! Dale Harding
|align="center" , | [[William Daniels]] ||align="center"| Ross Lehman || align="center"| [[Owen O'Neill]]
|-
! Billy Bibbit
|align="center" , | [[Gene Wilder]] ||align="center"|Eric Johner || align="center"| [[Mackenzie Crook]]
|-
! Charlie Cheswick
|align="center" , | [[Gerald S. O'Loughlin]] ||align="center"|[[Rick Snyder]] || align="center"| [[Phil Nichol]] 
|- 
! Martini 
|align="center" , | Al Nesor || align="center"|[[Danton Stone]] || align="center"| Ian Coppinger
|-
! Dr. John Spivey
|align="center" , | [[Rex Robbins]] ||align="center"|[[K. Todd Freeman]] || align="center"| Tim Ahern
|-
|}

== Origin ==
[[Dale Wasserman]]'s stage adaptation, with music by [[Teiji Ito]], made its [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] preview on November 12, 1963, its premiere on November 13, and ran until January 25, 1964, for a total of one preview and 82 performances.<ref name="autogenerated1"/> The 1963–64 Broadway production starred Douglas as [[Randle McMurphy|Randle Patrick McMurphy]], [[Gene Wilder]] as Billy Bibbit, [[William Daniels]] as Harding, [[Ed Ames]] as "Chief" Bromden, Al Nesor as Martini, and [[Joan Tetzel]] as [[Nurse Ratched]]. Douglas retained the rights to make a film version of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' for a decade, but was unable to find a studio willing to make it with him. Eventually, he gave the rights to his son [[Michael Douglas|Michael]], who succeeded in getting the film produced. At that time, Kirk Douglas was deemed too old for the role of McMurphy, and the role was given to [[Jack Nicholson]].

== Productions == 
Since then, the play has had two revivals: first [[off-Broadway]] in 1971, directed by Lee Sankowich with [[Danny DeVito]] as Martini and [[William Devane]] as McMurphy,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52c7vu7jfR8|access-date=June 6, 2023|title=60. Danny DeVito, Everybody: The Always Sunny Podcast|website=[[YouTube]].com|date=19 December 2022 }}</ref> then as a Broadway production in 2001 with [[Gary Sinise]] as McMurphy. The film version ''[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]'' was released in 1975, whose movie rights were secured through [[Kirk Douglas]]'s rights to the play.<ref>Kirk Douglas retained the movie rights due to an innovative loophole of basing the rights on the play rather than the novel, despite Kesey's objections. See Kirk Douglas entry and https://deadline.com/2020/02/kirk-douglas-one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest-movie-michael-douglas-spat-1202852836/</ref> DeVito reprised his stage role in the [[One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|1975 film of the same name]] directed by [[Milos Forman]] starring [[Jack Nicholson]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/one_flew_over_the_cuckoos_nest|title= One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest|website= [[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate= June 18, 2024}}</ref>

[[Image:Cuckoo's nest.jpg|300px|right|thumb|A scene from a [[Bashkir Academic Drama Theater Mazhit Gafuri|Bashkir Academic Drama Theater]] production of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'']]
In 1982 [[Greg Hersov]] directed a production at the [[Royal Exchange, Manchester]] with Jonathan Hackett as Randle McMurphy, [[Linda Marlowe]] as Nurse Ratched and [[Tim McInnerny]] as Billy Bibbitt.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://theatricalia.com/play/6eg/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest/production/zhb|title= Production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest|website= Theatricalia|accessdate= June 18, 2024}}</ref> In April 1988, the Playhouse Theatre was the site for the first London production of ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''. The play was brought to the London stage by Cuckoo Productions, formed by Diane Hilton, Karin Parnaby, and Judy Kershaw. They raised £100,000 in 24 hours to bring the play to the London theatre. In 2001, the [[Steppenwolf Theatre Company]] produced a Broadway revival, winning the [[Tony Award]] for Best Play Revival. This production was directed by [[Terry Kinney]] and starred [[Gary Sinise]], [[Amy Morton]], Tim Sampson (playing Chief, his father [[Will Sampson]]'s role in the film version), Eric Johner, and Ross Lehman.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/05/theater/unwound-and-ready-for-some-cuckoo-time.html|title= Unwound and Ready for Some Cuckoo Time|work= The New York Times|date= 5 April 2001|accessdate= June 18, 2024|last1= Pogrebin|first1= Robin}}</ref>

In 2004, [[Guy Masterson]] and [[Nica Burns]] mounted a production at the [[Edinburgh Fringe Festival]] with [[Christian Slater]], [[Mackenzie Crook]] and [[Frances Barber]] and a cast of comedians including Owen O'Neill.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://playbill.com/article/christian-slater-opens-in-london-cuckoos-nest-sept-15-com-121931|title= Christian Slater Opens in London Cuckoo's Nest Sept. 15|website= Playbill|accessdate= June 18, 2024}}</ref> Masterson famously resigned as director & co-producer just prior to opening citing "ill health" and the production was finally delivered by [[Terry Johnson (dramatist)|Terry Johnson]] and Tamara Harvey. The show was a huge box office hit and transferred to London's [[Gielgud Theatre]] where it ran for over 20 weeks. This production was itself revived in 2006 with [[Alex Kingston]] taking over the role of Nurse Ratched. It then toured the UK in 2007 with [[Shane Richie]] playing McMurphy and [[Sophie Ward]] as Nurse Ratched.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2007/05/23/230507_ofotcn_feature.shtml|title= One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest|website= BBC|accessdate= June 18, 2024}}</ref> 

A production of the play was staged by London's [[Tower Theatre Company]] from 23 to 27 October 2012 at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate, London.<ref name="cucko2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.towertheatre.co/archive/2012/cuckoo.htm|access-date=April 17, 2015|title=Tower Theatre Company : ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest''}}</ref> In 2018, After Hours Theatre Company in Los Angeles created an [[Immersive theater|immersive]] version of the work. The Oregon State Hospital was recreated in a 7,000 sq. ft. warehouse in Burbank. Each audience member was provided a costume and a patient wristband. During the immersive pre-show, audience members were tasked with finding clues as to why they have been admitted to the hospital that eventually led them to join the patient revolution. This production was nominated for six [[Ovation Awards]], including a win for Best Lighting Design, Intimate Theatre.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.abouttheartists.com/award_groups/35-ovation-awards/year/2018|title= LA Stage Alliance Ovation Awards: 2018|website= abouttheartists|accessdate= June 18, 2024}}</ref> In 2022, an Australian adaptation of Dale Wasserman's play, directed by Chris McRae was created by Luke Miller, McRae and Samuel Yombich Pilot-Kickett, and performed by [[Darlington Theatre Players]] in Perth, Western Australia. The adaptation recontextualised the play to 1960s Australia, with the reimagining of the "Chief" Bromden character as a local Aboriginal man, as well as some adjustment of language to fit the [[Australian idiom]]. The production included musical composition by Kieran Ridgway, with the inclusion of didgeridoo and didgeribone as part of the underscoring to reflect the new setting.<ref name="cuckoAUS2022">{{cite web|url=https://www.gordontheoptom.com/uncategorised-2/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest/|access-date=July 17, 2022|title=WA Theatre Reviews & Database : ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest:An Australian Adaptation''}}</ref>

==Awards and nominations==

===2001 Broadway revival===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%;"
|-
! style="width:5%;"| Year
! style="width:20%;"| Award
! style="width:45%;"| Category
! style="width:20%;"| Nominee
! style="width:10%;"| Result
|-
| rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;" | 2001
| rowspan="2"| [[Tony Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play|Best Revival of a Play]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play|Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play]]
| [[Gary Sinise]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Drama Desk Award]]
| colspan="2"| [[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play|Outstanding Revival of a Play]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Outer Critics Circle Award]]
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Revival of a Play
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Drama League Award]]
| colspan="2"| Distinguished Production of a Revival
| {{won}}
|}

== See also ==
*[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)|''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (novel)]]
*[[One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (film)|''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' (film)]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IBDB show}}
* {{IOBDB title}}
* [http://thattheatresite.com/library/showpages/show_1174.html ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' at ThatTheatreSite] Provides character descriptions and updated audition listings.
* [http://www.theatredb.com/QShow.php?sid=s1892  Original Production's ITDb]
* [http://www.theatredb.com/QShow.php?sid=s2246  1971 revival's ITDb]
* [http://www.theatredb.com/QShow.php?sid=s2614  2001 revival's ITDb]

{{One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest}}{{Bryna Productions}}{{TonyAward PlayRevival 2001–2025}}

[[Category:1963 plays]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Plays based on novels]]
[[Category:Works set in psychiatric hospitals]]
[[Category:Psychiatry in the United States in fiction]]
[[Category:One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest]]