Harriet (play)

Harriet
Written by	Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements
Based on	the life of Harriet Beecher Stowe
Directed by	Elia Kazan
Date premiered	March 3, 1943 (1943-03-03)
Place premiered	Henry Millers Theatre New York
Original language	English

Harriet is a 1943 American play by Florence Ryerson and Colin Clements.

Background

The original production was directed by Elia Kazan and starred Helen Hayes. It ran for 377 performances.

Hayes had enjoyed several successes playing historical figures and heard about a play on Harriet Beecher Stowe. She and her producing partner Gilbert Miller watched it being performed in an experimental production at Syracuse University and optioned it. Miller was originally going to direct the play but Elia Kazan was brought in to direct it.[1] [2] The play was very popular, though little remembered now; Kazan received a great deal of acclaim although he put the play's success mostly down to Hayes.[3]

Adaptations

The play was adapted for Australian radio in 1946 starring Muriel Steinbeck and Peter Finch.[4]

References

1. Pauly, Thomas H (1983). An American odyssey : Elia Kazan and American culture. Temple University Press. p. 61-62. ISBN 978-0-87722-296-5.
2. Hayes, Helen (1965). A Gift of Joy. p. 132-133.
3. Kazan, Elia (1988). A Life. Knopf. p. 222-225. ISBN 978-0-394-55953-7.
4. Australian Broadcasting Commission. (29 June 1946), "LISTENING POST", ABC Weekly, Sydney: ABC, nla.obj-1334118708, retrieved 26 March 2024 – via Trove

External links

• Harriet at IMDB
• Harriet at Playbill
• Complete play at Internet Archive