The Exercise is a 1968 American two-hander play about an acting exercise.
| The Exercise | |
|---|---|
 1968 Broadway production playbill | |
| Written by | Lewis John Carlino |
| Date premiered | 15 April 1968 |
| Place premiered | John Golden Theatre |
| Original language | English |
Plot
editThere were two roles in the play: The Actress, played by Anne Jackson, and The Actor, played by Stephen Joyce (though this role originally was to be performed by Lou Antonio[1]).[2] The characters, who had a two-year affair which ended two years before the start of the play, sought to hurt one another through improv acting exercises. In one improvisational exercise, the actress pretended to be in childbirth and the actor, her fetus, an exercise intended to be cruel as the actress revealed that she had had an abortion.[3][4]
Production history
editThe Exercise was written by Lewis John Carlino and was his first Broadway production.[2] It was directed by Alfred Ryder with lighting by Jean Rosenthal, setting by Oliver Smith, and sound by Teiji Ito.[2] It was produced by Lyn Austin, Oliver Smith, Jay C. Cohen, and Leslie J. Stark, in association with Ann McIntosh. The production, housed at the John Golden Theatre, had ten preview performances and opened on April 24, 1968. After five regular performances, the show closed on April 27, 1968.[5]
As of 2026, the licensing of the play is owned by Concord Theatricals.[6]
Critical reception
editThe play was profiled in the William Goldman book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway, where it was described as boring.[3] The Central New Jersey Home News panned it as "drab and dreary"[7] and The New York Daily News called it a "limp backstage drama" and claimed that the characters were uninteresting.[4] In contrast, the Long Island Press described it as "a gripping and completely fascinating portrait of a man and woman."[6]
References
edit- ↑ "Season's 2nd Half Promises Good Tidings". The Journal News. 1968-01-02. p. 21. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 3 "The Exercise". Playbill. Retrieved 2026-05-01.
- 1 2 Goldman, William (1984). The season : a candid look at Broadway. Internet Archive. Limelight Editions. p. 356. ISBN 978-0-87910-023-0.
- 1 2 "'The Exercise' Is Limp Backstage Drama of Two Mixed-Up Actors". Daily News. 1968-04-25. p. 65. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "The Exercise – Broadway Show – Play". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- 1 2 "The Exercise". Concord Theatricals. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
- ↑ "'Exercise' Drab and Dreary". The Central New Jersey Home News. 1968-04-26. p. 23. Retrieved 2026-05-02.