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John (play)

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John is a play from Pulitzer Prize winning American playwright Annie Baker. The show premiered off-Broadway at New York's Signature Theatre Company in 2015, and was directed by Sam Gold.[1] Time ranked John as one of its top 10 plays and musicals of 2015, where it took the number four spot.[2] The play also reached number eight on the Hollywood Reporter's list of the "Best New York Theatre of 2015."[3]

The 2016 off-Broadway production was critically acclaimed and was nominated for five Lucille Lortel Awards,[4] six Drama Desk Awards,[5] and two Obie Awards.[6]

Premieres

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World Premiere

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John opened Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre on July 22, 2015 (previews). It was directed by Sam Gold and starred Georgia Engel and Lois Smith. The play ran to September 6.[7] This marked the fifth time that Baker and Gold worked together, starting with Circle Mirror Transformation in 2009.[8] The play is set in a bed and breakfast in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Time ranked it at No. 8 on its list of Top Ten Plays and Musicals for 2015.[9] It is No. 8 in The Hollywood Reporter's "Best New York Theater of 2015".[10] The New York Times wrote that the play is a "...haunting and haunted meditation on topics she has made so singularly her own: the omnipresence of loneliness in human life, and the troubled search for love and lasting connection."[11]

John was nominated for the 2016 Lucille Lortel Awards, Outstanding Play; Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play (Georgia Engel); Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play (Lois Smith); Outstanding Scenic Design (Mimi Lien); and Outstanding Lighting Design (Mark Barton).[12] John received six 2016 Drama Desk Award nominations: Outstanding Play; Outstanding Actress in a Play (Georgia Engel); Outstanding Director of a Play; Outstanding Set Design for a Play (Mimi Lien); Outstanding Lighting Design for a Play (Mike Barton); and Outstanding Sound Design in a Play (Bray Poor).[13] John won the 2016 Obie Awards for Performance for Georgia Engel and a Special Citations: Collaboration, for Annie Baker, Sam Gold and the design team.[14]

Canadian Premiere

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The Company Theatre (TCT) brought the Canadian premiere of John to Canadian Stage's Berkeley Street Theatre in 2017.[15] Directed by Jonathan Goad, a member of TCT's ensemble, John starred TCT's co-Artistic Director Philip Riccio as Elias and Loretta Yu as Jenny. Nancy Beatty played Mertis, the owner of the B&B Elias and Jenny visit, while Nora McLellan took on the role of Genevieve, Mertis' Blind friend.[16] The critically acclaimed production[17] boasted a familiar creative team, with Kevin Lamotte (lighting design: Belleville, 2014; Domesticated, 2015), Michael Laird (sound design: Marion Bridge, 2007; Festen, 2008; Through the Leaves, 2010; Speaking in Tongues, 2012/13), and Michael Sinclair (stage management: Speaking in Tongues, 2012/13; Belleville, 2014; Domesticated, 2015) all returning to the TCT. Shannon Lea Doyle, a TCT newcomer, designed the production's set.[18]

The production was nominated for four 2017 Dora Mavor Moore Awards in the Independent Theatre category: Riccio received a nod for Outstanding Performance Male, both Beatty and McLellan were nominated for Outstanding Performance Female, and Doyle was nominated for Outstanding Set Design.[19] McLellan and Doyle won in their respective categories.[20] John was also picked up three awards at the 2017 Toronto Theatre Critics Awards: Best Supporting Actress (McLellan), Best International Play, and Best Production (John tied with Ex Machina/Canadian Stage's production of Robert LePage's 887 ).[21]

London Premiere

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John opened in the West End at the National Theatre in January 2018. It was directed by James Macdonald, and starred Marylouise Burke (Mertis) and June Watson (Genevieve).[22] Andy Propst of Time Out ranked it the 40th best play ever written,[23] and it made a 2019 list by The Independent.[24]

References

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  1. ^ "John". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  2. ^ "Top 10 Plays & Musicals". Time. December 2015. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  3. ^ Rooney, David (2015-12-17). "David Rooney's Best New York Theater of 2015". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  4. ^ Millward, Tom (2017-10-19). "The 2016 Lucille Lortel Awards - And the Winners are..." New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  5. ^ Rosky, Nicole. "FULL LIST! The Winners of the 2016 Drama Desk Awards!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  6. ^ "2016 Obie Award Winners Announced". Obie Awards. 2016-05-23. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
  7. ^ Clement, Olivia (June 18, 2015). "Annie Baker and Sam Gold Reunite for World Premiere of 'John'". Playbill.
  8. ^ Soloski, Alexis. "Annie Baker and Sam Gold: A Writer and Director Going Steady on the Job" The New York Times, July 15, 2015
  9. ^ Zoglin, Richard. "Top 10 Plays & Musicals" Time, December 1, 2015
  10. ^ Rooney, David (December 17, 2015). "David Rooney's Best New York Theater of 2015". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  11. ^ Isherwood, Charles. "Review: In 'John,' Pondering Life’s Mysteries From Gettysburg" The New York Times, August 11, 2015
  12. ^ "2016 Lucile Lortel Award Nominations Announced", Playbill, March 30, 2016
  13. ^ Viagas, Robert. "'She Loves Me' Leads Drama Desk Nominations", Playbill, April 28, 2016
  14. ^ Gans, Andrew. "Winners Announced for 61st Annual Obie Awards" Playbill, May 23, 2016
  15. ^ Nestruck, J. Kelly (2017-05-25). "Come From Away picks up three Toronto Theatre Critics Awards". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  16. ^ Sumi, Glenn (2017-02-07). "John shows the extraordinary beneath the ordinary". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  17. ^ "Company Theatre's John a fine introduction to Annie Baker's work: review". The Toronto Star. 2017-02-03. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  18. ^ "Company Theatre's production of JOHN by Pulitzer Prize winner Annie Baker". Toronto Guardian. 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  19. ^ "Intermission | Nominations: 38th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards". Intermission. 2017-05-30. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  20. ^ "Intermission | 38th Annual Dora Mavor Moore Award Winners". Intermission. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  21. ^ "Intermission | 2017 Toronto Theatre Critics Award Winners". Intermission. 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2022-06-08.
  22. ^ Clapp, Susannah. "The week in theatre: 'John'; 'Lady Windermere’s Fan' – review" The Guardian, January 28, 2018
  23. ^ "50 Best Plays of All Time: Comedies, Tragedies and Dramas Ranked". Time Out New York. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
  24. ^ "The 40 best plays to read before you die". The Independent. 2019-08-18. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2020-04-16.
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