The Archbishop's Ceiling
The Archbishop's Ceiling is a drama written in the 1970s by Arthur Miller. It was originally produced at the John F. Kennedy Center, with forty performances in April and May 1977,[1] but failed to attract the attention of Broadway.[2] Miller subsequently re-worked the play, with a revised script premiering at Cleveland Play House in 1984 under the direction of Jonathan Bolt.[3]
The setting is an ornate room in a former Archbishop's palace in an Eastern European capital, a room which has probably been bugged by the secret police. The central character is a middle-aged author, Sigmund, who, having embarrassed the current regime, is faced with the choice of detention and punishment or defection to the West. He is encouraged in the latter by two of his former friends, also writers, his compatriot Marcus, an ex-political prisoner now in favor with the regime, and Adrian, a visiting American with strongly liberal ideals. The situation is complicated by the presence of Maya, a poet and actress, who has been the mistress of all three. It is the complexity of the relationship of these four, the inextricable interweaving of politics, art and sex, and the constant uncertainty as to whether what they say may be overheard that makes for a rich and deeply intriguing play - and one which raises questions not only about morality but individual responsibility.
Characters
Adrian; Maya; Marcus; Irina; Sigmund
References
- ^ Meersman, Rogers (1980). "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: The Early Years of Operation". Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 50: 637. JSTOR 40067837.
- ^ [1], Rizzo, Frank. "Review: 'The Archbishop's Ceiling'" 28 August 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ [2], Pg. 3: Miller, Arthur. "The Archbishop's Ceiling." Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- v
- t
- e
- No Villain
- They Too Arise
- Honors at Dawn
- The Golden Years (radio play)
- That They May Win
- The Man Who Had All the Luck
- All My Sons
- Death of a Salesman
- An Enemy of the People (adapted)
- The Crucible
- A View from the Bridge
- A Memory of Two Mondays
- After the Fall
- Incident at Vichy
- The Price
- The Creation of the World and Other Business
- The Archbishop's Ceiling
- The American Clock
- Up from Paradise
- Elegy for a Lady
- Some Kind of Love Story
- The Ride Down Mt. Morgan
- The Last Yankee
- Broken Glass
- Mr. Peters' Connections
- Resurrection Blues
- Finishing the Picture
- Focus
- Homely Girl: A Life
- The Hook (1947)
- Let's Make Love (1960)
- The Misfits (1961)
- Death of a Salesman (1985)
- Everybody Wins (1990)
- The Crucible (1996)
- Marilyn Monroe (second wife)
- Inge Morath (third wife)
- Rebecca Miller (daughter)
- Joan Copeland (sister)
- Arthur Miller: Writer (2017 documentary)
- Willy Loman (character)
This article on a play from the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- v
- t
- e