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| F. Murray Abraham, Cynthia Harris. |
"In Lieu of Reviews"
For background on how this previously
unpublished series—introducing all mainstream New York shows between 1970 and
1975—came to be and its relationship to my three The Encyclopedia of the New York Stage volumes (covering every New
York play, musical, revue, and revival between 1920 and 1950), please check the
prefaces to any of the earlier entries beginning with the letter “A.” See the
list at the end of the current entry.
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| Henry Sutton, Doris Roberts. |
BAD HABITS [Comedy/Hospital/Homosexuality/Marriage/Mental Illness] A:
Terrence McNally; D: Robert Drivas; DS: Michael H. Yeargan and Lawrence King;
P: Adela Holzer; T: Astor Place Theatre (OB); 2/4/74-4/28/74 (96); Booth
Theatre; 5/5/74-10/5/74 (176; otal: 273)
Bad Habits, consisting of two one-act comedies, “Ravenswood” and “Dunelawn,”
named after the mental homes at which they are set, proved a hilarious satire
on contemporary society and psychological therapy. It made the move from Off
Broadway to on, with the original company intact.
“Ravenswood”
placed a cross-section of married comic characters—a suburban couple always
trying to kill each other (Michael Lombard and Doris Roberts); a theatrical
couple who rival each other in the enormity of their egos (Cynthia Harris and
F. Murray Abraham); and a pair of bitchy, middle-aged homosexuals (J. Frank Lucas
and Emory Bass)—at an institution run by a Dr. Strangelove-like psychiatrist.
His name is Dr. Pepper (used for a gag, of course) and he is confined to a
wheelchair.
Dr.
Pepper (Paul Benedict) believes in curing his patients’ conjugal problems by a
philosophy of total permissiveness. He encourages them to indulge in every vice
that they enjoy, no matter how harmful. He himself keeps downing dry martinis
served by a Gestapo-like German attendant (Henry Sutton).
The
chief doctor at “Dunelawn” has another solution to his patients’ difficulties—dope.
The moment they begin to fret he subdues them with his all-purpose, feel-good
serum, thus keeping them in a state of perpetual, but happy, vegetation. The three
straitjacketed Dunelawn patients of the ever-smiling Dr. Toynbee (J. Frank
Lucas) are an alcoholic (Paul Benedict), a Japanese sadist (Michael Lombard),
and a transvestite (F. Murray Abraham). There are also two wacky nurses
(Cynthia Harris and Doris Roberts), and a woman-hungry groundskeeper (Henry
Sutton) who chases after one of the nurses in a frantic farce scene. On
Broadway, the chase went through the auditorium and ended in a box.
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| Michael Lombard, Doris Roberts, Henry Sutton. |
The
entire company appeared in both plays but in strikingly different zany
characterizations. Each received superlative notices for their comical
cavorting.
Clive
Barnes laughed constantly at this “really funny” show, despite its dearth of
plotting. John Simon thought this was McNally “at his sick, mean, absurd yet
purposive best, vicious crack topping vicious crack. . . . It is a hopeless
view of all therapy, moral as well as psychic, and a hideous estimate of
mankind, but one that shoulders hideousness cheerfully and even with some pride
in its magnitude.” Walter Kerr liked Robert Drivas’s production but had
reservations about the plays, detecting some straining for effect in an attempt
at wit.
Bad Habits won a Distinguished Play OBIE, and Drivas got one for
Distinguished Production.
Previous entries:
Abelard and
Heloise
Absurd Person
Singular
AC/DC
“Acrobats”
and “Line”
The Advertisement/
All My Sons
All Over
All Over Town
All the Girls Came
Out to Play
Alpha Beta
L’Amante Anglais
Ambassador
American Gothics
Amphitryon
And Miss Reardon
Drinks a Little
And They Put
Handcuffs on the Flowers
And Whose Little
Boy Are You?
Anna K.
Anne of Green
Gables
Antigone
Antiques
Any Resemblance to Persons Living or Dead
Applause
Ari
As You Like It
Augusta
The
Au Pair Man
Baba
Goya [Nourish the Beast]