Strawhead

Infobox Play
name=Strawhead


image_size=
caption=
writer=Norman Mailer
Richard Hannum
chorus=
characters=Marilyn
Mr. Charles
mute=
setting=New York City, August 1962
premiere=1986
place=Actors Studio, New York, USA
orig_lang=English
subject=Fictional account of the last few days of Marilyn Monroe's life
genre=Drama
web=

"Strawhead" is a 1982 play by American writer Norman Mailer and Richard G. Hannum about Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.Lawson, Carol. (January 30, 1981) New York Times " [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10F17FB395F0C738FDDA80894D9484D81 Broadway; Leach to direct musical on orphans going west by rail.] " Section: C; Page C2.] The play is a stage adaptation of Mailer's 1980 book, "Of Women and Their Elegance", an imaginary memoir in which Monroe was murdered by agents of the FBI and CIA who resented her supposed affair with Robert F. Kennedy.

"Strawhead" takes place in New York City during the last few days of Monroe's life in August 1962, a period in which she is alone with her memories, most of which revolve around the days when she lived in New York.Nemy, Enid. (December 20, 1985) New York Times " [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70E1FF93E5F0C738EDDAB0994DD484D81 Broadway.] " Section: C2.] The play largely is composed of a fanciful collection of interviews that never took place between Monroe and Mailer during Marilyn Monroe's last hours.Engstrom, John. (March 9, 1983) The Boston Globe "Norman wasn't stormin'. No thunderbolts from Mailer or his audience during a reading of his new play." Section: Living.] The play made its Off Broadway debut in January 1986, which included Mailer's wife Norris Church in the cast and subsequently his daughter Kate Mailer in the Monroe role. Kate Mailer additionally appeared on the April 1986 Vanity Fair cover as the Marilyn Monroe character in "Strawhead."Burns, Diane Hubbard. (April 3, 1986) Orlando Sentinel "Luring covers promise a lot, deliver little." Section: Style; Page E1.]

Development

In 1967, Norman Mailer had adapted his 1955 novel "The Deer Park" for an Off Broadway production. Thirteen years later, in 1980, Norman Mailer's agent informed Mailer that thirty year old writer Richard Hannum, then a Manhattan roommate of Godspell creator John-Michael Tebelak, [Castillo, Angel. (May 12, 1981) New York Times " [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F3091FF83C5C0C718DDDAC0894D9484D81 Frampton suit puts focus on cohabitation law.] " Section: B; Page 1.] American Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Stephen Hunter, and film director and composer Tom O'Horgan were interested in a stage adaptation of Mailer's 1980 book, "Of Women and Their Elegance". Mailer agreed to work on the play since it would be a pleasant diversion: "Novel writing is a lonely business. Lonely business quickly becomes grim. In theater you're working with people. The climate is a lot warmer."

The stage adaptation was Mailer's second into the theater behind the "The Deer Park" adaptation. The play takes its title from an FBI code name for Monroe. [People (magazine) (October 19, 1992) " [http://www.people.com/people/archive/issue/0,,7566921019,00.html Lorenzo Carcaterra, Carol Peace, Jill Rachlin, Ralph Novak, Eric Levin.] " Section: Picks & Pans. Page 36. (writing, " The uninitiated -- for whom the line between fact and fiction will be all but blurred -- may simply tire of repetitive accounts of Marilyn popping pills and the FBI's bugging every room that Strawhead (Monroe's code name) visited.")] According to Mailer, Strawhead represents "(Marilyn's) ironic, whimsical, tortured way of thinking." Mailer sees the fictional Monroe character in the play as "having an immensely dialectical mind; no sooner does she have a thought, than she comes on its opposite. That's the way life presents itself to her - in contrasts and sudden shifts."

In January 1981, Hannum and Hunter were listed as the producers of the play and O'Horgan was listed as the director. At that time, Mailer had hoped that the play would open on Broadway in the spring 1981 or the fall 1981, but had not yet cast the Monroe character. In addition, Hannum still was working on the play construction and Mailer was working on the play dialogue from his writing desk in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn. [Time (magazine) (January 5, 1987) " [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963169,00.html Most of '86,] " Section: Show Business; Page 74.]

To move the script along, Mailer presented the beginnings of "Strawhead" for critique to the Actors Studio Playwright And Directors Unit, an exclusive group to which Mailer belonged.Greer, Bonnie. (November 12, 2007) The Independent " [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20071112/ai_n21103404 Farewell to a feisty, fearless keeper of the flame.] " Section: Comment; Page 36.] The early draft had a clichéd Monroe giving a blowjob to the Mailer-interviewer character. In response to former Marilyn Monroe roommate and Academy Award winning actress Shelley Winters blasting Mailer's effort, Mailer rewrote the part to be a burly Maileresque feminist who burst into the play from the audience.

Production

With the script finished, Mailer and the others set out to find the lead actress for the play. In October 1982, Mailer was attending a Park Avenue dinner party given by Claus von Bülow, who at that time was on trial for the attempted murder of von Bülow's wife, Sunny, and had been out of jail only two days on US$1 million bail.Writer, Larry. (September 2, 2006) Australian Magazine (News Limited pubs.) "Dream Dates - The food Issue 2006." Section: Magazine 1; Page 37. (Tagline: "Kate Fitzpatrick and other well-known Australians tell Larry Writer about their most memorable dinner companions.")] Also attending the party was Australian-based theatre actress Kate Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was introduce to Mailer and spoke with Mailer during dinner after Mailer swapped the place cards to seat Fitzpatrick beside him. After deciding that Fitzpatrick was perfect to play Marilyn Monroe in "Strawhead," Mailer, Hunter, and Hannum met with Fitzpatrick to give her the script. [The Canberra Times (April 11, 2004) " [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20971270_ITM A few good stories and some.] "] Fitzpatrick turned down the part, since she already was committed to playing Marilyn Monroe in Terry Johnson's 1982 play, "Insignificance."

The producers made additional efforts to find a noted actor to play the lead role. Prior to 1983, Mailer, Hunter, and Hannum also courted American actress Susan Sarandon to play the Marilyn Monroe character. Sarandon declined the lead role with the query, "Why should I perpetuate someone else's legend when I should be creating my own?"

On March 7, 1983, the American Repertory Theatre at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Mailer is an alumni, presented a staged reading of "Strawhead."McKinnon, George. (February 27, 1983) The Boston Globe "Marquee Dancin' in the street!' to reopen as cabaret." Section: Arts/Films.] The presentation was part of the theaters noted Monday night series at the Loeb Drama Center. ART actor Karen MacDonald played the lead role. At this point, the play was an unproduced spec script, Mailer thought the play needed trimming, and there were no immediate plans to produce "Strawhead."

In June 1983, it was announced that "Strawhead" would be produced by Marshall Oglesby at Provincetown Playhouse in Manhattan. [Kelly, Kevin. (June 26, 1983) The Boston Globe "Boston getting into the summer theater act." Section: Arts/Films.] At Mailer's recommendation, Oglesby selected ART actor Karen MacDonald to play the Monroe character.Kelly, Kevin. (June 13, 1984) The Boston Globe "Lives in the arts. If it's a part, Karen MacDonald can play it." Section Arts/Films.] [Engstrom, John. (July 28, 1983) The Boston Globe "There's more to cape code than the beach theater." Section: Calendar.] In late August 1983, "Strawhead" was presented at Provincetown Playhouse.

In November 1985, Mailer brought his play to the Actors Studio, an Off Broadway theater and school that gained worldwide recognition under the leadership of Lee Strasberg. The scenes presented were workshop scenesKing, Larry L.; Holland, Richard. (October 1999) " [http://books.google.com/books?id=DPgmoPTnn78C&pg=PA296&dq=Strawhead&num=100&sig=ACfU3U05-eIMAKgSmhdv1c4XMtejkF270A#PPA296,M1 A Writer's Life in Letters, Or, Reflections in a Bloodshot Eye.] " Page 296. Publisher: Texas Christian University Press ISBN 0875652034] and Mailer put himself in position of director of the two-act production. In addition to the cast including Robert Heller, Mickey Knox and Patrick Sullivan, Mailer added his wife Norris Church to the cast. There was no admission charge to the workshop.

Debut and aftermath

In January 1986, "Strawhead" was debuted in full at the Actors Studio, with actor and playwright John Jiler playing Mr. Charles. [Jiler, John. (1995) " [http://books.google.com/books?id=cynzIuUCn_IC&pg=PP2&dq=strawhead&as_brr=3&sig=OYRD8QeqqdZFKMlZ3RAyrA9M2nE#PPP2,M1 Avenue X: The a Capella Musical.] " Page i. Publisher: Samuel French, Inc. ISBN 057369561X.] American playwright and critic Bonnie Greer, who shared a close relationship to Mailer and reviewed an initial version of the play, stated that what Mailer put on stage ultimately was not Monroe. Rather, the play was more about "chronicling all Mailer's life as The Great, White, Male Heterosexual, "Big Daddy", "The Man.""

In April 1986, it was first reported that Mailer's daughter Kate Mailer was added to the cast in the lead role. The choice was in interesting one since the play characterizes a fictional interaction between Monroe and Mailer and an early draft had a clichéd Monroe giving a blowjob to the Mailer-interviewer character. In explaining Mailer's choice of casting his 23-year-old, unknown actress daughter in his play, Mailer stated, "She was the best prep-school actress I'd ever seen." To bring publicity to the play and to sell the Vanity Fair magazine, Kate Mailer appeared on the April 1986 Vanity Fair cover as the Marilyn Monroe character in "Strawhead". In October 1987, the New York Times describe Kate Mailer's portrayal of Monroe as teenage punk rocker who is "less identified with her role." [Klein, Alvin. (October 4, 1987) New York Times " [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DEEDA143BF937A35753C1A961948260 Guild hall opens '2D season'.] " Section: 11LI; Page 20.]

After the 1986 performances, the commercial performance of "Strawhead" all but disappeared.Churchwell, Sarah. (December 27, 2005) " [http://books.google.com/books?id=vxx8QUeHHsUC&pg=PA264&dq=strawhead&as_brr=3&sig=CVt9FyabGBK02hK2_-HNRT0qRiY#PPA73,M1 The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe.] " Page 73. Publisher: Picador. ISBN 0312425651] In her 2005 book "The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe," author Sarah Churchwell notes that "Strawhead" was a commercial failure.

In April 2008, Harvard University received the papers of the co-author of the play, Richard G. Hannum,houghtonmodern. (April 24, 2008) Houghton Library " [http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/houghtonmodern/2008/04/24/mailer-at-harvard/ Mailer at Harvard.] " Accessed June 22, 2008.] formerly a resident of Sebastian, Florida. [Vero Beach Press Journal (June 19, 2005) "Real Estate Sales." Section: Business; Page D8.] Included with those papers were correspondence with Mailer and drafts and final script for "Strawhead". The drafts and final script evidence the literary techniques used in "Strawhead" and Mailer's efforts to continually improve his own writing for "Strawhead" and that of Hannums. Importantly, they convey research and teaching about how the style and substance of "Strawhead" was developed through layers of revision.

ee also

* "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" - A 1955 play in which the Rita Marlowe character was an exaggerated lampoon of Marilyn Monroe.American Theatre (July 1, 2006) " [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-148289544.html To Norma Jean, with Love.] " Volume 23; Issue 6; Page 13.]
* "Maggie in After the Fall" - A 1964 play by Monroe's former husband Arthur Miller that use the Monroe persona as a character.
* "Insignificance" - A 1982 play by Terry Johnson where Monroe's persona served as the unnamed Actress.
* "Kitty in Finishing the Picture - A 2004 by Monroe's former husband Arthur Miller that use the Monroe persona as a character.

References