The Inheritance (play)

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The Inheritance is a play by Matthew Lopez that is inspired by the 1910 novel Howards End by E. M. Forster. The play premiered in London at the Young Vic in March 2018, before transferring to Broadway in November 2019.

Productions[]

Original London production[]

The play was commissioned by Hartford Stage in Hartford, Connecticut.[1] The play was produced in London at the Young Vic Theatre under the direction of Stephen Daldry in March 2018. The play was staged in two parts of over three hours each, intended to be viewed sequentially. It examines love between gay men in contemporary New York a generation after the AIDS epidemic.[2] It asks what the current generation owes to its forebears.[3]

The production transferred to the Noel Coward Theatre in London's West End on 21 September 2018 and was produced by Tom Kirdahy, Sonia Friedman, and Hunter Arnold.[4]

The Inheritance won Best Play at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018.[5] The Inheritance also won Best New Play, Best Director for Stephen Daldry and Best Actor for Kyle Soller at both the 2019 Critics' Circle Awards and the 2019 Laurence Olivier Awards, also winning an Olivier for Best Lighting for Jon Clark.[6]

Original Broadway production[]

The play premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on 27 September 2019 in previews, with the official opening on 17 November.[7] The production features Lois Smith as Margaret, with Kyle Soller and John Benjamin Hickey, among others, reprising their roles from the London production.[8]

In December 2019, it was announced that Tony Goldwyn would replace Hickey for a four-month stint beginning in January 2020, while Hickey was set to direct a revival of Plaza Suite.[9] However, in February 2020, it was announced that The Inheritance would close on March 15, after 46 previews and 138 regular performances.[10][11] On March 12, the final four performances were cancelled when all Broadway theaters closed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Cast[]

Role Young Vic
March 2018 		Noël Coward Theatre
September 2018 		Ethel Barrymore Theatre
November 2019
Eric Glass Kyle Soller
Toby Darling Andrew Burnap
Adam / Leo Samuel H. Levine
Walter/ Morgan Paul Hilton
Henry Wilcox John Benjamin Hickey
Jasper Hugo Bolton Kyle Harris
Toby's Agent Robert Boulter Jonathan Burke
Young Henry Hubert Burton Carson McCalley
Tristan Syrus Lowe Jordan Barbour
Jason 1 Michael Marcus Darryl Gene Daughtry Jr.
Young Walter Luke Thallon Jack Riddiford Dylan Frederick
Jason 2 Michael Walters Arturo Luís Soria
Margaret Vanessa Redgrave Lois Smith

Critical response[]

The reviewer for The Telegraph called the play “perhaps the most important American play of this century.” [13]

The Variety reviewer wrote the play is a "...vast, imperfect and unwieldy masterpiece that unpicks queer politics and neoliberal economics anew. In addressing the debt gay men owe to their forebears, it dares to ask whether the past hasn’t also sold the present up short."[2]

The Guardian reviewer wrote: "While Lopez’s play has a literary framework, it teems with life and incident...Lopez is also unafraid to periodically stop the plot and clear the stage for an impassioned debate: one of the most intense is about the status of gay culture which, having fought so long against oppression, now finds itself in danger of being co-opted."[14]

The show received mixed to negative reviews on Broadway. As Ben Brantley wrote in The New York Times: "Its breadth doesn't always translate into depth."[15]

Michael Billington praised Paul Hilton's performance in the Young Vic Theatre production in a list by The Guardian writers of the 50 greatest theatre shows since 2000, in which The Inheritance placed 15th.[16]

Awards and nominations[]

Original London production[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2018 Evening Standard Theatre Award[17][5] Best Play Matthew Lopez Won
Best Actor Kyle Soller Nominated
Best Director Stephen Daldry Nominated
Critics' Circle Theatre Award[6] Best New Play Matthew Lopez Won
Best Actor Kyle Soller Won
Best Director Stephen Daldry Won
2019 Laurence Olivier Award[18] Best New Play Won
Best Actor Kyle Soller Won
Best Actress in a Supporting Role Vanessa Redgrave Nominated
Best Director Stephen Daldry Won
Best Set Design Bob Crowley Nominated
Best Lighting Design Jon Clark Won
Best Sound Design Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Music Paul Englishby Nominated
South Bank Sky Arts Award[19] Theatre Won

Original Broadway production[]

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2020 Tony Award[20] Best Play Won
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play Andrew Burnap Won
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play John Benjamin Hickey Nominated
Paul Hilton Nominated
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play Lois Smith Won
Best Direction of a Play Stephen Daldry Won
Best Original Score Paul Englishby Nominated
Best Scenic Design of a Play Bob Crowley Nominated
Best Costume Design of a Play Nominated
Best Lighting Design of a Play Jon Clark Nominated
Best Sound Design of a Play Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid Nominated
Drama Desk Award[21] Outstanding Play Won
Outstanding Actor in a Play Kyle Soller Nominated
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play Paul Hilton Won
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Lois Smith Won
Outstanding Director of a Play Stephen Daldry Won
Outstanding Sound Design of a Play Paul Arditti and Christopher Reid Won
Drama League Award[22][23] Outstanding Production of a Play Won
Distinguished Performance Paul Hilton Nominated
New York Drama Critics' Circle Award[24] Best Play Matthew Lopez Finalist
Outer Critics Circle Award[25] Outstanding New Broadway Play Honoree
Outstanding Director of a Play Stephen Daldry Honoree
Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play John Benjamin Hickey Honoree
Paul Hilton Honoree
Samuel H. Levine Honoree
Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play Lois Smith Honoree
GLAAD Media Award[26] Outstanding Broadway Production Won

References[]

  1. ^ Serratore, Nicole (June 2018). ""A Gay 'Inheritance' That's Generations in the Making"". www.americantheatre.org. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b Trueman, Matt (2018-03-29). "London Theater Review: 'The Inheritance'". Variety. Retrieved 2019-04-21.
  3. ^ Collins-Hughes, Laura; Deb, Sopan; Trueman, Matt (2018-02-20). "3 Young People to Watch in Theater This Spring". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-03-24.
  4. ^ "The Inheritance (West End)". Young Vic. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
  5. ^ a b Thompson, Jessie (2018-11-19). "Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018 - The Winners". Standard. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  6. ^ a b Wiegand, Chris (2019-01-29). "The Inheritance wins best new play at UK Critics' Circle awards". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  7. ^ McPhee, Ryan. "Two-Part, Gay-Themed 'The Inheritance Will Play Broadway" Playbill, June 6, 2019
  8. ^ Hetrick, Adam. "Kyle Soller and John Benjamin Hickey to Reprise Performances in The Inheritance on Broadway; Full Cast Set" Playbill, August 15, 2019
  9. ^ Evans, Greg (December 9, 2019). "Tony Goldwyn Joining Broadway's 'The Inheritance' For Four-Month Stint". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Lang, Brent (February 20, 2020). "'The Inheritance' Closing in March After Box Office Struggles". Variety. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  11. ^ "Supersized play 'The Inheritance' sets Broadway closing date". EW.com. Retrieved 2020-02-22.
  12. ^ Keller, Ilana (March 12, 2020). "Coronavirus: Broadway shuts down all shows immediately". app.com. USA Today. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  13. ^ Cavendish, Dominic. " 'The Inheritance', Young Vic review: perhaps the most important American play of the century so far" The Telegraph, 29 March 2018
  14. ^ Billington, Michael." 'The Inheritance review' – Angels in America meets Howards End The Guardiaan, 28 March 2018
  15. ^ Brantley, Ben (November 18, 2019). "'The Inheritance' Review: So Many Men, So Much Time". The New York Times.
  16. ^ Billington, Michael; Soloski, Alexis; Love, Catherine; Fisher, Mark; Wiegand, Chris (2019-09-17). "The 50 best theatre shows of the 21st century". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-02-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "Read the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018 shortlist in full". www.standard.co.uk. 2018-11-16. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  18. ^ "Winners list for the Olivier Awards 2019 with Mastercard | Official Website". Olivier Awards. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  19. ^ "The Inheritance, Lenny Henry and Jessie Buckley win South Bank Sky Arts awards | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  20. ^ "The Tony Award Nominations". www.tonyawards.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  21. ^ "'The Inheritance,' 'Strange Loop,' 'Moulin Rouge' Among Drama Desk Award Winners". Variety. 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  22. ^ "Nominations Announced for 86th Annual Drama League Awards". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  23. ^ "Awards History - The Drama League". dramaleague.org. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  24. ^ "2019-2020 Awards". www.dramacritics.org. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  25. ^ Clement, Olivia (May 11, 2020). "Moulin Rouge! Leads 2020 Outer Critics Circle Award Honorees". Playbill.
  26. ^ "The Nominations for the 31st Annual GLAAD Awards". glaad.com. Retrieved June 10, 2020.

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