Fourposter, The

The Oxford Companion to American Theatre | 2004 | 700+ words | Copyright

Fourposter, The (1951), a play by Jan de Hartog. [Ethel Barrymore Theatre, 632 perf.; Tony Award.] The warm comedy‐drama follows the marriage of Michael ( Hume Cronyn) and Agnes ( Jessica Tandy) from their wedding night in 1890 to the day in 1925 when they move out of the house and leave their four‐poster bed behind. Some critics carped about the two‐character script's sentimentality, but audiences made the Playwrights' Company production the longest‐running play of the season. A musical version titled I DO! I DO! opened at the 46th Street Theatre in 1966, and with Broadway favorites Mary Martin and Robert Preston playing Agnes and Michael, the show ran 560 performances. Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt wrote the felicitous score. Notable songs: My Cup Runneth Over; Nobody's Perfect; I Love My Wife; What Is a Woman?

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Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Fourposter, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Fourposter, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-FourposterThe.html

Gerald Bordman and Thomas S. Hischak. "Fourposter, The." The Oxford Companion to American Theatre. 2004. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O149-FourposterThe.html

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