The original production opened on July 24, 1968 at the
Berkshire Theatre Festival in
Stockbridge,
Massachusetts. The show was directed by
Gene Frankel. The show transferred to Broadway to the
Repertory Theatre,
Lincoln Center and premiered on November 14, 1968. The crew was made up by set design David Hays, costume design Patricia Quinn Stewart, and lighting design John Gleason. Frankel would also direct. Understudies were
Ruth Attaway (Meg), Frank Bayer (Arthur), James Cook (Kemp),
Leslie Graves (Susanna), Douglas Hayle (Heming), Robert Levine (Richards, Gilbert, Berry),
Marilyn Lightstone (Anne), Robert Molock (Pope), William Myers (Hodges, Roche, Old John),
Robert Phalen (Will), Robert Stattel (Sandells), and Barbette Tweed (Jenny). The show played in repertoire with
William Shakespeare's
King Lear.
Original production casts ==Plot==