Our 34th Season
THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES by Frank D. Gilroy premieres on 25 February, 2010
About the Author and the Play:
Frank D. Gilroy, the son of a coffee broker, was born in New York City in 1925. After serving in the military in World War II he attended Dartmouth College, graduating magna cum laude, and completed his education at the Yale School of Drama. In the 1950s he worked as a writer for television shows such as Playhouse 90 and Kraft Theatre. Gilroy turned to writing for the stage in the 60s, winning the Obie Award for his off-Broadway play WHO’LL SAVE THE PLOWBOY in 1962. But it was his second play, THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES, which won the unanimous praise of both the public and critics. After having been turned down for two years by practically every producer in the business, the play finally reached the Broadway stage in 1964 and ran for two years with a total of 832 performances. In 1965, ROSES walked away with the most prestigious awards the American theatre can bestow on a play: the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Tony and New York Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play. It also launched the career of an unknown young actor, Martin Sheen, who starred in the original production as well as in the author’s adaptation of the play for the screen in 1968. Since the phenomenal success of ROSES, Frank D. Gilroy has continued to write for film and the theatre. His latest best known work for the stage was the Broadway play ANY GIVEN DAY (1993) in which he revisits the family he dealt with in THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES.
Summary of the Play:
It is the Bronx, New York, 1946. Twenty-one-year-old Timmy has just returned home safe after serving in the army during World War II. His Irish-Catholic parents, John and Nettie, celebrate their son’s homecoming with a party, but Timmy soon realizes that the family tensions he left behind three years ago have gotten worse. Over the years John has broken Nettie’s heart with constant drinking and affairs with other women. Her rejection of her husband and her concentration on their son have made John jealous, irritable and bitter. Now trapped in a troubled marriage, they compete for Timmy’s affections, and are shocked by the changes in him. Nettie quickly sees that he is no longer the mama’s boy she could count on to side with her against her husband. She is distraught when he insists on going to a baseball game with his dad rather than visiting a handicapped relative with her. John is enraged when Timmy refuses to attend Mass with him, and is crushed by the realization that his son will no longer accept his values without question. With the new maturity he gained in the army, Timmy tries to cope with the hostility between his parents. He buys roses for his mother and innocently persuades his father to take credit for the purchase. Things seem to improve for a while, but, when Nettie learns of the deception, old resentments rise again to the surface and threaten to break up the family completely. Timmy first blames his father, then his mother for the situation. He feels his father never loved him and that his mother has been too controlling and possessive of him at the expense of his dad. Finally, as he prepares to leave home, he shows how much he has matured by accepting and loving his parents as they are. They, in turn, are forced to recognize the man their child has become. “Impressive… an honest and touching work…with simplicity, humor and integrity.” –The New York Times
About the Author and the Play:
Frank D. Gilroy, the son of a coffee broker, was born in New York City in 1925. After serving in the military in World War II he attended Dartmouth College, graduating magna cum laude, and completed his education at the Yale School of Drama. In the 1950s he worked as a writer for television shows such as Playhouse 90 and Kraft Theatre. Gilroy turned to writing for the stage in the 60s, winning the Obie Award for his off-Broadway play WHO’LL SAVE THE PLOWBOY in 1962. But it was his second play, THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES, which won the unanimous praise of both the public and critics. After having been turned down for two years by practically every producer in the business, the play finally reached the Broadway stage in 1964 and ran for two years with a total of 832 performances. In 1965, ROSES walked away with the most prestigious awards the American theatre can bestow on a play: the Pulitzer Prize for Drama as well as the Tony and New York Critics’ Circle Awards for Best Play. It also launched the career of an unknown young actor, Martin Sheen, who starred in the original production as well as in the author’s adaptation of the play for the screen in 1968. Since the phenomenal success of ROSES, Frank D. Gilroy has continued to write for film and the theatre. His latest best known work for the stage was the Broadway play ANY GIVEN DAY (1993) in which he revisits the family he dealt with in THE SUBJECT WAS ROSES.
Summary of the Play:
It is the Bronx, New York, 1946. Twenty-one-year-old Timmy has just returned home safe after serving in the army during World War II. His Irish-Catholic parents, John and Nettie, celebrate their son’s homecoming with a party, but Timmy soon realizes that the family tensions he left behind three years ago have gotten worse. Over the years John has broken Nettie’s heart with constant drinking and affairs with other women. Her rejection of her husband and her concentration on their son have made John jealous, irritable and bitter. Now trapped in a troubled marriage, they compete for Timmy’s affections, and are shocked by the changes in him. Nettie quickly sees that he is no longer the mama’s boy she could count on to side with her against her husband. She is distraught when he insists on going to a baseball game with his dad rather than visiting a handicapped relative with her. John is enraged when Timmy refuses to attend Mass with him, and is crushed by the realization that his son will no longer accept his values without question. With the new maturity he gained in the army, Timmy tries to cope with the hostility between his parents. He buys roses for his mother and innocently persuades his father to take credit for the purchase. Things seem to improve for a while, but, when Nettie learns of the deception, old resentments rise again to the surface and threaten to break up the family completely. Timmy first blames his father, then his mother for the situation. He feels his father never loved him and that his mother has been too controlling and possessive of him at the expense of his dad. Finally, as he prepares to leave home, he shows how much he has matured by accepting and loving his parents as they are. They, in turn, are forced to recognize the man their child has become. “Impressive… an honest and touching work…with simplicity, humor and integrity.” –The New York Times