- The West Side Waltz
.
The play focuses on Margaret Mary Elderdice, an aging, widowed
pianist living in a drearyUpper West Side apartment, and her relationships with a prim, virginalviolinist neighbor and the young companion who moves in for an extended stay.Thompson was prompted to write the piece when
screenwriter George Seaton offered him a grant to write a new play following the success of his previous work, "On Golden Pond".The play originally was presented
off-Broadway in 1978. After three previews, the Broadway production, directed byNoel William , opened onNovember 19 ,1981 at theEthel Barrymore Theatre . Despite the presence of screen legendKatharine Hepburn , supported byDorothy Loudon ,Regina Baff , andDavid Margulies , it ran for only 126 performances. Hepburn was nominated for aTony Award for Best Actress in a Play, but lost toZoe Caldwell ("Medea ").Thompson wrote the teleplay for and directed a
CBS production that originally aired onThanksgiving night in 1995. The cast includedShirley Maclaine ,Liza Minnelli ,Kathy Bates ,Jennifer Grey ,Estelle Harris , andRobert Pastorelli .External links
* [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?id=4147/ Internet Broadway Database listing]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114910/ Internet Movie Database listing]
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