Sal Mineo "FORTUNE and MEN'S EYES" Tommy Lee Jones 1969 Off-Broadway Playbill

Description

This is a rare playbill from the Off-Broadway revival of the controversial gay-themed prison drama "FORTUNE and MEN'S EYES" at Stage 73 in New York City. (
The production opened February 23rd, 1967
at the Actors Playhouse in New York City
and ran for 382 performances.
The West Coast production premiered in December 1968 with an official opening date of January 9th, 1969 and ran until July 1969. The play was revived on October 22nd, 1969 at the Off-Broadway Stage 73 in New York City where it ran for 231 performances
.) ..... The play starred TOM LEE JONES (former Harvard roommate of Vice President Al Gore) as "Rocky", BARTHOLOMEW MIRO, Jr. as "Smitty", JEREMY STOCKWELL as "Mona", JOE DORSEY as "The Guard" and ROBERT REDDING as the street-wise drag queen "Queenie" ..... Historical note: Directed by SAL MINEO, this groundbreaking play was the first stage production to include a simulated rape scene (full nudity) between two men. Up until this time, there had never been a nude sex scene portrayed on stage even by members of the opposite sex, so one can imagine the public uproar evoked in the late 60's by a man being raped by another man. The two actors originally involved in the scene in Los Angeles were SAL MINEO as "Rocky" and nineteen year-old DON JOHNSON as "Smitty" ... The future "Miami Vice" star, after two years at the University of Kansas, had joined San Francisco's American Conservatory Theatre where he caught the eye of Sal Mineo, who cast him in "Fortune and Men's Eyes", his first major role. Johnson finished the Los Angeles run, but declined to recreate his role in the New York production, instead signing to do his first film, the forgettable "Magic Garden of Stanley Sweetheart" (1970). Other members of the Los Angeles cast included ROGER GARRETT as "Mona", TOM REESE as "The Guard" and MICHAEL GREER as "Queenie", a role that he did recreate in New York ..... CREDITS: Book by JOHN HERBERT; Sets and Costumes designed by ALAN KIMMEL; Directed by SAL MINEO (Directorial Debut); Produced by KENNETH WAISSMAN and MAXINE FOX ..... DETAILS: The four page playbill measures 6" X 9" inches and includes full production credits, cast list, synopsis of scenes and bios of each of the actors, but no cast photos ..... CONDITION: With the exception of a light vertical fold, this rare playbill is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective, carded sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
Pay me securely with any major credit card through PayPal!