Announcing...
The Lucky One by A.A. Milne
directed by Jesse Marchese April 14 - June 24
Tues - Sat 7:30pm ; Sat & Sun 2:00pm
*Wed. matinees 5/17 & 5/31. No performance 5/30
“A play of quite extraordinary delicacy and soundness of feeling.” John Corbin, New York Times, 1922 A serious comedy about sibling rivalry, A.A. Milne’s The Lucky One tells the story of Gerald and Bob Farringdon. Gerald, the youngest brother, has had all the luck—he’s charming, clever, excels at sports, and is a rising star in the foreign office. He’s also at the center of everyone’s attention and affection, including that of the woman Bob loves. When the illegal actions of a dishonest business partner land Bob in serious trouble, the brothers must confront their disproportionate circumstances—and the uncomfortable truth at the core of their relationship. The Lucky One was written by Milne as “the recreation of a (temporary) professional soldier,” sometime during the First World War. It was published in 1919 in First Plays—a compendium of the playwright’s five earliest works for the theater. In an introduction to the collection, Milne remarked that “The Lucky One was doomed from the start with a name like that… I see no hope of its being produced. But if any critic wishes to endear himself to me (though I don’t see why he should) he will agree with me that it is the best play of the five.”
ENRICHMint Event
Despite Milne’s prediction, The Lucky One was produced on Broadway by the Theatre Guild in 1922. “Few plays have ever been more directly and deeply searching of the springs JEANNE SAFER, AUTHOR OF CAIN’S LEGACY: of conduct, more subtle in depicting essential character,” hailed John Corbin of The New York Times. “If the revelation LIBERATING SIBLINGS FROM A LIFETIME OF RAGE, of motives strikes painfully near to human weaknesses SHAME, SECRECY AND REGRET it is unerringly true—as amazingly subtle as it is simple and unforced.” In 1928, the play was produced by the Arts Theatre Club in London as Let’s All Talk About Gerald—most Sunday, April 23rd after the matinee likely due to Milne’s concerns about the original title. Despite a successful career as novelist, essayist, and playwright, A.A. Milne was remembered primarily as the creator of Winnie the Pooh until the Mint’s acclaimed repertory productions of Mr. Pim Passes By and The Truth About Blayds in 2004. “Seeing Mr. Pim and Blayds in repertory reveals Milne as an able craftsman with a droll sense of humor whose work maintains a valid theatrical vitality,” wrote Wilborn Hampton in the New York Times. This spring, we are delighted to remind New York theatergoers of Milne’s remarkable skill as a dramatist with our production of The Lucky One.
Tickets on sale now exclusively to First Priority Club Members! FPC Hotline: (212) 315-0231
Jeanne Safer, PhD is a psychotherapist who has been in private practice for over forty years, and the author of six acclaimed and thought-provoking books on neglected psychological issues. She has appeared on television (“The Today Show,” “Good Morning America,” and “CBS World News Tonight”) and contributed articles to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and other publications. Dr. Safer’s discussion will focus on the play’s depiction of a sibling rivalry.
Additional ENRICHMint Events TBA.