Friday, July 26, 2013

GRAYSON HALL in HAPPY END, 1977


It's been too long since we talked about GRAYSON HALL. So here's a little bit of info about her appearance in the 1977 Broadway play, HAPPY END.

A three-act musical comedy written by Kurt Weill, Elisabeth Hauptmann, and Bertolt Brecht, HAPPY END debuted in Berlin at the Theater in Schiffbauerdamm in 1929. It closed after seven performances, but the 1977 revival fared quite a bit better, closing in July after 75 performances.

Directed by Robert Kalfin and Patricia Birch, the cast starred CHRISTOPHER LLOYD, MERYL STREEP and GRAYSON HALL, in a role referred to as both "The Fly" and "The Gray Lady." According to R.J. JAMESON's biography of Hall, A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW, the production was fraught with injuries. Lloyd was forced to perform on crutches after taking a fall from the stage, while a mishap during rehearsals left Hall wearing an arm cast early in the production.

The playbill for the 1977 production detailed Hall's career, outlining her recent theater work, the Academy award nomination and a mention of her role opposite one Canadian vampire: "She was featured on the daytime TV series 'Dark Shadows' and has done more films, TV and stage work than there is room in this program to mention."

You can see a video clip of a performance by the cast of HAPPY END from the 1977 Tony Awards HERE.




No comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...