View source for The Gin Game

{{Short description|1976 play by American playwright Donald L. Coburn}}
{{Infobox play
| name       = The Gin Game
| caption    = 
| writer     = [[Donald L. Coburn]]
| characters = Weller Martin<br>Fonsia Dorsey
| setting    = 
| premiere   = September 24, 1976
| place      = American Theater Arts<br>[[Hollywood, California]]
| orig_lang  = [[English language|English]]
| subject    = 
| genre      = Tragicomedy
| web        = http://thegingame.com/
}}

'''''The Gin Game''''' is a two-person, two-act play by [[Donald L. Coburn]] that premiered at American Theater Arts in Hollywood in September 1976, directed by [[Kip Niven]]. It was Coburn's first play, and the theater's first production. The play won the 1978 [[Pulitzer Prize for Drama]].

==Plot==
Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey, two elderly residents at a nursing home for senior citizens, strike up an acquaintance. Neither seems to have any other friends, and they start to enjoy each other's company. Weller offers to teach Fonsia how to play [[gin rummy]], and they begin playing a series of games that Fonsia always wins. Weller's inability to win a single hand becomes increasingly frustrating to him, while Fonsia becomes increasingly confident.

While playing their games of gin, they engage in lengthy conversations about their families and their lives in the outside world. Gradually, each conversation becomes a battle, much like the ongoing gin games, as each player tries to expose the other's weaknesses, to belittle the other's life, and to humiliate the other thoroughly.

==Production history==
The play premiered in a production by American Theatre Arts in Los Angeles, California in September 1976, directed by [[Kip Niven]] and with actors, [[Carol Locatell]] and John Terry Bell creating the roles of Fonsia and Weller. The play went on to be presented at the [[Actors Theatre of Louisville]] festival of new plays, the [[Long Wharf Theatre]] (New Haven) in July 1977, and the [[Wilbur Theatre]], Boston.<ref>Coburn, D. L. [http://www.thegingame.com/gg_history.htm "History"] thegingame.com, September 1998, accessed November 19, 2015</ref><ref>Coburn, D. L., "Introduction", ''The Gin Game: A Tragi-comedy in Two Acts'', Samuel French, Inc., 1977, {{ISBN|0573609764}}, p. 1</ref>

''The Gin Game'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on October 6, 1977 at the [[John Golden Theatre]] and closed on December 31, 1978 after 517 performances. The play was directed by [[Mike Nichols]] and starred the married couple [[Hume Cronyn]] and [[Jessica Tandy]].<ref>[http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/8410/The-Gin-Game "'The Gin Game' 1977"] playbillvault.com, accessed November 19, 2015</ref> The play has come to be closely associated with them. Cronyn and Tandy were succeeded in the original Broadway run by [[E. G. Marshall]] and [[Maureen Stapleton]].

Cronyn and Tandy revived their roles in London at the [[Lyric Theatre (London)|Lyric Theatre]] in 1979. It was revived in London in 1999 with [[Joss Ackland]] and [[Dorothy Tutin]] at the [[Savoy Theatre]], directed by [[Frith Banbury]].

Romanian director [[Liviu Ciulei]] directed the Romanian premiere at the [[Bulandra Theatre]] in 1980.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yorick.ro/clody-bertola-si-petre-gheorghiu-in-gin-rummy-pe-tvr-2/|title=Clody Bertola și Petre Gheorghiu în "Gin Rummy", pe TVR 2|date=25 June 2016 }}</ref>

It was revived on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] at the [[Lyceum Theatre (Broadway)|Lyceum Theatre]] from April 20, 1997 to August 31, 1997, for 145 performances. [[Charles Durning]] and [[Julie Harris (American actress)|Julie Harris]] co-starred, directed by [[Charles Nelson Reilly]]. It received several [[Tony Award]] nominations, including for [[Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play|Best Revival of a Play]].<ref>[http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/7099/The-Gin-Game "'The Gin Game' 1997"] playbillvault.com, accessed November 19, 2015</ref> This production had a seven-month tour, starting in Durham, North Carolina in October 1998.<ref>Klein, Alvin. [https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/14/nyregion/theater-a-pair-of-players-who-can-play-abandonment-with-abandon.html?pagewanted=all&pagewanted= "Theater. A Pair of Players Who Can Play Abandonment With Abandon"] ''New York Times'',  February 14, 1999</ref> The tour played an engement at the Wilshire Theater, Los Angeles, California, in December 1998. The ''Variety'' reviewer wrote: "Some of the actors' movements in the early going could be smoother and less artificial, and the climactic moments of the final scene are more baffling than illuminating, but overall, Charles Nelson Reilly's direction reflects a keen sensitivity to the play's finer, unspoken points. Durning and Harris are delightful as the sparring duo. Their masterful work makes this "Gin Game" a sure bet."<ref>Linden, Sheri. [https://variety.com/1998/legit/reviews/the-gin-game-2-1200456334/ "Review: ‘The Gin Game’"] ''Variety'', December 3, 1998</ref>

The play was revived on Broadway in a limited run, at the [[John Golden Theatre]], on September 23, 2015 in previews, officially on October 14, 2015. It closed on January 10, 2016. It starred [[James Earl Jones]] and [[Cicely Tyson]], with direction by Leonard Foglia.<ref>[http://www.playbillvault.com/Show/Detail/14119/The-Gin-Game "'The Gin Game' 2015"] playbillvault.com, accessed November 19, 2015</ref>

==Adaptations==
Adaptations for television versions were made in 1981 produced by [[Archer King]] with Cronyn and Tandy for [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]].<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = O'Connor| first = John J.| title = TV View; CABLE OPERATORS INCREASINGLY LOOK TO THEATER| work = The New York Times| access-date = 2019-04-05| date = 1981-03-29| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/29/theater/tv-view-cable-operators-increasingly-look-to-theater.html}}</ref> [[Dick Van Dyke]] and [[Mary Tyler Moore]] appeared in a televised film on [[PBS]] in May 2003.<ref>Hart, Hugh. [http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Rob-and-Laura-shuffle-the-deck-Van-Dyke-Moore-2651033.php "Rob and Laura shuffle the deck / Van Dyke, Moore in 'The Gin Game'"] sfgate.com, May 3, 2003</ref>

== Casts of major productions ==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100; text-align:center;"
|-
! Characters 
! LA Production <br><small>(1976)</small>
! Broadway <br><small>(1977)</small>
! Broadway Replacements <br> <small>(1977)</small>
! Broadway Revival <br> <small>(1997)</small>
! Television Production <br> <small>(2003)</small>
! Second Broadway Revival <br> <small>(2015)</small>
<!-- Please do not add productions to the table until they open -->
|-
|'''Weller Martin'''
|John Terry Bell
|[[Hume Cronyn]]
|[[E.G. Marshall]]
|[[Charles Durning]]
|[[Dick Van Dyke]]
|[[James Earl Jones]]
|-
|'''Fonsia Dorsey''' 
| Carol Locatell
| [[Jessica Tandy]]
| [[Maureen Stapleton]] 
| [[Julie Harris]]
| [[Mary Tyler Moore]]
| [[Cicely Tyson]]
|-
|}

== Awards and nominations ==
''The Gin Game'' won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for 1978. The Pulitzer jury, in awarding the prize, said: "The one new play...of sufficient originality, invention and staying power was 'The Gin Game'".<ref>Fischer, Heinz-D. (ed.), "History of the Award", ''Chronicle of the Pulitzer Prizes for Drama: Discussions, Decisions and Documents'', Walter de Gruyter, 2008, {{ISBN|3598441207}}, p. 22</ref>

;Awards
* 1978 Pulitzer Prize for Drama<ref>[http://www.pulitzer.org/bycat/Drama "Pulitzer Prize for Drama"] pulitzer.org, accessed November 19, 2015</ref>
* 1978 [[Tony Award]], Best Actress in a Play (Jessica Tandy)

;Nominations
* 1978 Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play
* 1978 Tony Award for Best Play
* 1978 Tony Award, Actor in a Play (Hume Cronyn)
* 1978 [[Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play]]
* 1997 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Revival of a Play
* 1997 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play
* 1997 Tony Award, Actress in a Play (Julie Harris)
* 1997 Tony Award, Direction of a Play

== In popular culture ==
* In [[List of The King of Queens episodes|the second episode of the eighth season]] (2005) of the CBS sitcom ''[[The King of Queens]]'', Arthur (Jerry Stiller) is directing ''The Gin Game'' at the local senior center and has trouble casting Fonsia.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official|thegingame.com}}
* {{IBDB show|3863}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q123289072|description = (1981)}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q123616198|description = (2002)}}
* [http://stageagent.com/Shows/View/4681 The Gin Game plot summary & character descriptions] from [http://www.stageagent.com StageAgent.com]
* {{cite web | title=The Gin Game: About the Show, Synopsis & Performance History | url=https://www.pbs.org/hollywoodpresents/gingame | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415143754/http://www.pbs.org/hollywoodpresents/gingame | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 15, 2013 | publisher=Public Broadcasting System | date=2008 | access-date=2008-08-02}}

{{Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1976-2000}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gin Game, The}}
[[Category:1970s debut plays]]
[[Category:1976 plays]]
[[Category:American plays adapted into films]]
[[Category:Broadway plays]]
[[Category:Pulitzer Prize for Drama–winning works]]
[[Category:Tony Award–winning plays]]
[[Category:Two-handers]]