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Misery (play)

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Misery
Promotional poster for the 1992 play
BookSimon Moore
BasisMisery
by Stephen King
PremiereDecember 17, 1992: West End Theatre[1]
Productions
Awards2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play – Nominated

Misery is a play written by Simon Moore. It is based on the 1987 novel of the same name by Stephen King, which was adapted into a 1990 film, the script for which was written by William Goldman, who wrote some of the productions.

Characters and casts

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Character West End Theatre
(1992–93) 		West End Theatre
(2005) 		King's Head Theatre
(2005) 		Bucks County Playhouse
(2012) 		Broadhurst Theatre
(2015–16) 		Kwadrat Theatre
(2017) 		Kuopio City Theatre
(2019) 		Tampere Theatre
(2019) 		Pori Theatre
(2022) 		Seinäjoki City Theatre
(2025)
Annie Wilkes Sharon Gless Lisa Morgan Susan Penhaligon Johanna Day Laurie Metcalf Ewa Wencel Henna Haverinen Mari Turunen Mirva Tolppanen Satu Silvo
Paul Sheldon Bill Paterson Stephen G. Anthony Michael Praed Daniel Gerroll Bruce Willis Piotr Polk Seppo Pääkkönen Esa Latva-Äijö [fi] Vesa Haltsonen Reidar Palmgren [fi]
Sheriff Buster — — — James DeMarse Leon Addison Brown Marcin Pietowski Ari-Kyösti Seppo Jukka Leisti Hannu Müller Jukka Puronlahti

Productions

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Except for Simon Moore's productions, all seven versions of the play were written by William Goldman (who also wrote the 1990 film's screenplay), while Will Frears directed the U.S. versions and Robert Gliński directed the 2017 Polish adaptation.[2][3][4]

West End Theatre (1992–93, 2005)

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In 1992, Simon Moore directed and wrote a play based on the novel of the same name, which premiered in London's West End Theatre on December 17, 1992, running for six months, before it was revived in 2005.[5] The 1992 production starred Sharon Gless as Annie Wilkes and Bill Paterson as Paul Sheldon,[1] while the 2005 production starred Lisa Morgan as Wilkes and Stephen G. Anthony as Sheldon.[5]

King's Head Theatre (2005)

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In 2005, Moore's script was used in a production directed by Alan Cohen, which premiered at King's Head Theatre.[6] The play starred Susan Penhaligon as Wilkes and Michael Praed as Sheldon.[6][7]

Bucks County Playhouse (2012)

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The play, in association with Castle Rock Entertainment,[8] made its U.S. premiere at the Bucks County Playhouse on November 24, 2012, for 11 performances, and closed on December 8, 2012.[9] The play starred Daniel Gerroll as Sheldon, Johanna Day as Wilkes, and James DeMarse as Sheriff Buster.[10]

Broadhurst Theatre (2015–16)

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A new version of the production officially opened at the Broadhurst Theatre on October 22, 2015 and closed on February 16, 2016.[11] This version starred Bruce Willis as Sheldon, Laurie Metcalf as Wilkes, and Leon Addison Brown as Buster.[12] The show ran for 102 performances, grossing $12,518,415 in ticket sales.[13][14][15]

Kwadrat Theatre (2017)

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The play was re-adapted in the Polish language, starring Ewa Wencel as Wilkes, Piotr Polk as Sheldon, and Marcin Pietowski as Buster, and premiered at the Kwadrat Theatre in Warsaw on January 9, 2017.[4]

Piina (2019–2025)

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Misery was adapted under the name Piina for four Finnish productions.[16][17][18][19]

Kuopio City Theatre (2019)

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The first adaptation was performed in September 2019 by Kuopio City Theatre in Kuopio.[20][21] It starred Seppo Pääkkönen as Sheldon, Henna Haverinen as Wilkes, and Ari-Kyösti Seppo as Buster, and was directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen.[17]

Tampere Theatre (2019)

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The second adaptation was performed in October 2019 by Tampere Theatre in Tampere.[22][23] The play starred Mari Turunen as Wilkes, Esa Latva-Äijö [fi] as Sheldon, and Jukka Leisti as Buster, and was directed by Antti Mikkola.[16]

Pori Theatre (2022)

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The third adaptation was performed in November 2022 by Pori Theatre in Pori.[24] It starred Vesa Haltsonen as Sheldon, Mirva Tolppanen as Wilkes, and Hannu Müller as Buster, and was directed by Tuomo Aitta [fi].[18]

Seinäjoki City Theatre (2025)

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An upcoming fourth adaptation will be performed in February 2025 by Seinäjoki City Theatre in Seinäjoki, and it will be directed by Olli-Matti Oinonen (who previously directed the play at the Kuopio Theatre) and starring Satu Silvo as Annie Wilkes and Reidar Palmgren as Paul Sheldon.[25][19]

Reception

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For Metcalf's performance as Wilkes, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play,[26] at the 70th Tony Awards in 2016.[27] Willis's performance as Sheldon was generally panned by critics, who called it "vacant" and "inert".[28][29][30] One critic faulted Willis for using an ear piece on the play.[31]

References

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  1. ^ a b Gritten, David (December 29, 1992). "Sharon Gless Out on a Limb". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  2. ^ Cerasaro, Pat (November 26, 2012). "Exclusive InDepth InterView: William Goldman & Will Frears Discuss MISERY Onstage – Is Broadway Next?". Broadway World. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Syme, Rachel (October 22, 2015). "Stephen King's 'Misery' Heads to the Stage". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Misery – Teatr Kwadrat". December 7, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Thrills Pulsate in 'Misery'". Sun Sentinel. August 9, 2005. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Taggart, Bronagh. "Misery Stephen King, adapted for the stage by Simon Moore Popular Productions King's Head (2005)". British Theater Guide. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Ings, Richard (October 1, 2005). "'Misery' @ King's Head Theatre, London". musicomh.com. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Castle Rock Entertainment & Playhouse Productions to Present World Premiere of "Misery" this Holiday Season". Warner Bros. September 20, 2012. Archived from the original on June 19, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  9. ^ Jones, Kenneth (September 20, 2012). "William Goldman Adapts Stephen King's Misery for the Stage; Bucks County Playhouse Will Premiere Thriller". Playbill. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  10. ^ Otten, Ted (November 23, 2012). "Bucks County Playhouse presents stage version of Stephen King's 'Misery'". NJ.com. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  11. ^ Barton, Steve (March 4, 2015). "Bruce Willis Headed to the Stage for Stephen King's Misery". Dread Central. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  12. ^ Gioia, Michael; Viagas, Robert (March 4, 2015). "Bruce Willis Will Make Broadway Debut in Misery, Based on Stephen King Novel". Playbill. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  13. ^ "Misery". Playbill. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  14. ^ Grosses Broadway NYC
  15. ^ Misery Broadway Production
  16. ^ a b "Piina - Tampereen Teatteri". tampereenteatteri.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Myöhänen, Ulriikka (January 9, 2019). "Kauhua näyttämöllä: Kuopion kaupunginteatterissa nähdään syksyllä Stephen Kingin "Piina"". YLE (in Finnish). Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Salonen, Marita (November 12, 2022). "Porilainen Piina ottaa katsojan mukaan hulluuden partaalle – King-klassikko Porin Teatterissa". kulttuuritoimitus.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Raatikainen, Jesse (September 23, 2024). "Stephen Kingin Piina saa teatteriversion – Satu Silvo ja Reidar Palmgren päärooleissa". Episodi (in Finnish). Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  20. ^ "Kuopion kaupunginteatteri - Piina". kuopionkaupunginteatteri.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  21. ^ Stephen King, PIINA ensi-illassa 7.9.2019 (in Finnish), archived from the original on November 17, 2021, retrieved April 11, 2024
  22. ^ Mörttinen, Valtteri (October 4, 2019). "Antti Mikkola ottaa Stephen Kingin Piinasta Tampereen Teatterissa irti sen mitä saa – ja vähän enemmän". kulttuuritoimitus.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  23. ^ Ala-Korpela, Anu (October 4, 2019). "Tampereen Teatteri teki Piinasta hyytävän trillerin, joka on oikeasti jännittävä – päähenkilön kokema kipu tuntuu katsojassa asti". Aamulehti (in Finnish). Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  24. ^ "PIINA – Porin Teatteri".
  25. ^ "Piina" (in Finnish). Seinäjoki City Theatre. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  26. ^ Viagas, Robert. "'Hamilton' Tops Tony Awards With 11 Wins". Playbill. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  27. ^ "2016 Tony Awards Nominees". American Theatre Wing. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  28. ^ "Bruce Willis in Misery on Broadway – what the critics said". The Guardian. November 16, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2023.
  29. ^ Brantley, Ben (November 15, 2015). "Review: In 'Misery,' With Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf, the Ghost of Productions Past". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  30. ^ Stasio, Marilyn (November 15, 2015). "Broadway Review: 'Misery' With Bruce Willis, Laurie Metcalf". Variety. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  31. ^ Soloski, Alexis (November 11, 2015). "When a star doesn't know the script, send for the earpiece". The Guardian. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
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