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PublicPerspective is the Pittsburgh Public Theater's newsletter for subscribers andfriends.
Novemter-Oecemller 19B9
Broadway Legend Colleen Dewhurst To Receive Kaufman Award At PPT Gala
Uproarious George Washington Slept Here Brings Down The House!
Colleen Dewhurst will be honored at November 6 Benefit featuring Michael Feinstein In Concert. I
Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Ian Wolfe in the film Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, one of many comedies inspired by George Washington Slept Here. Ultra-rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania is a far cry from West 97th Street in New York City, where Annabelle Fuller prefers to hang her hat. But when her husband Newton spends their life savings on a Bucks County home that dates back to the Revolution, the war is on in George Washington Slept Here, a rollicking romp by the most successful comedy-writing team in Broadway history - George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. Inspired by the tribulations Kaufman and Hart experienced while refurbishing their own country estates in Bucks County, George Washington Slept Here, at the Public November 2 through December 16, is a must-see for anyone who has ever donned overalls to make that muchneeded home repair. Every homeowner's nightmare, from leaky roofs, bad plumbing, and cantankerous neighbors to meddlesome visiting relatives, pending foreclosure and natural disaster, is richly represented in this uproarious comedy. First produced on Broadway in 1940, George Washington Slept Here was named one of the 10 best plays of 1941 by the noted Burns Mantle Best Play Series and went on to inspire a slew of stage, film and television comedies about bornand-bred urban couples braving a relocation to the country. Included among these are the 1941 film version of the play starring _ J ack Benny and Ann Sheridan; the 1948 film classic Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy; the hit television series Green Acres starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor; and the more recent The Money Pit, starring Tom Hanks and Shelley Long. Seldom seen on stage, due to its intricate set and technical requirements, the
comedy marked Kaufman and Hart's last collaborative effort and is a rare gem that hits very close to home for both authors. For example, the preposterous rich uncle, who the Fullers hope will rescue them from foreclosure, is a conglomeration of Kaufman's own rich uncles, including Sol Kaufman, who became a millionaire investing in tin-plate; Sidney Kaufman, who amassed a fortune as one of the early developers of the typewriter, and Gustave Kaufman, co-founder and co-owner of the Ferris and Kaufman engineering firm that invented the Ferris Wheel on Pittsburgh's North Side in 1893. The mischievous nephew Raymond, though disguised by name, is actually a portrait of Moss Hart himself at the age of 14. Continued on page 2
The George S. Kaufman Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theater was created by the Pittsburgh Public Theater to honor Pittsburgh native George S. Kaufman, who, with over 40 plays produced on Broadway, secures a preeminent place as one of the greatest American comic playwrights. Legendary star Helen Hayes was the first recipient of this award in 1987. The following year, the Public honored this country's foremost ambassador for the arts, Kitty Carl isle Hart. Continuing this proud tradition, the Pittsburgh Public Theater will present the third annual George S. Kaufman Award to one of the world's finest actresses, Colleen Dewhurst.
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Helen Hayes, here with PPT Producing Director Bill Gardner, received the first annual Kaufman Award in 1987.
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Pittsburgh native George S. Kaufman
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America's classic popular song stylist Michael Feinstein, whosetalentthe Los Angeles Times describes as the "stuff of legend." Also featured at the ceremony will be a video salute to Pittsburgh's proudest son, George S. Kaufman, on the centennial of his birth. Certain to be included in the evening's video selection will be Ms. Dewhurst's wonderful performance in the Broadway revival of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart's You Can't Take It With You which was televised on PBS Great Performances in 1984. Ms. Dewhurst's work on stage and television has earned her eight Tony and eight Emmy Award nominations. Ms. Dewhurst won the Tony twice, once for All The Way Home and again for A Moon For The Misbegotten, a production originally.presented by the Public's.Bill Gardner in 1973 in Lake Forest, Illinois. Earlier this year, Ms. Dewhurst was a double Emmy Award winner for her performance on CBS's Murphy Brown and the NBC Movie of the Week, Those She Left Behind.
Kitty Carlisle Hart (right), honored last year, with the playwright's daughter, Anne Kaufman Schneider.
To celebrate this award and Ms. Dewhurst's achievements, the Public will host a gala at the Benedum Center on Monday, November 6. Performing will be
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Helen Hayes has also received Tony and Emmy recognition - as well as two Academy Awards - during her illustrious career. Early in her career, George S. Kaufman, along with Marc Connelly, wrote To The Ladies especially for Ms. Hayes. In 1971, she gave her farewell performance as Mary Tyrone in Eugene O'Neill's l.Dng Day's Journey Into Night, a role reprised by Colleen Dewhurst in the 1988 Broadway revival. It was a pursuit in humanist endeavors that earned a Kaufman Award for Kitty Carlisle Hart in 1988. Best known for her 22-year tenure on To Tell The Truth, Ms. Hart has been an ambassador for the arts since the 1960's, serving as chairman of the New York Council on the Arts since 1976. As an actress prior to her Continued on page 2