Luv (play)

Luv (play). *Luv* is a three-character absurdist comedy written by American playwright Murray Schisgal. It premiered on Broadway in 1964 at the Booth Theatre, directed by Mike Nichols and starring Alan Arkin, Eli Wallach, and Anne Jackson. The play is a farcical and darkly comic exploration of modern relationships, existential despair, and the elusive pursuit of happiness, satirizing the intellectual fads and marital disillusionment of the 1960s.

Background and development

Murray Schisgal wrote *Luv* following his earlier success with the Off-Broadway play *The Typists*. The work emerged during a period of significant cultural shift in the United States, influenced by the burgeoning counterculture of the 1960s and the popularity of European Theatre of the Absurd playwrights like Samuel Beckett and Eugène Ionesco. Schisgal’s script blends the existential angst found in works like Sartre's *No Exit* with the rapid-fire comedic style of American vaudeville. The play was developed with the involvement of director Mike Nichols, who was then rising to prominence following his success with the comedy duo Elaine May. The production was brought to the Booth Theatre by producers Claire Nichtern and Arthur Cantor.

Plot summary

The action takes place on a bridge in New York City, where the despondent and suicidal Harry Berlin is contemplating jumping. He is encountered by his old college acquaintance, Milt Manville, who is ostensibly successful but equally unhappy in his marriage to Ellen Manville. In a series of farcical maneuvers, Milt convinces Harry to marry Ellen so that Milt can be free to pursue his own lover, a woman named Linda. The ensuing complications involve swapped partners, failed suicide attempts with various props like a noose and cyanide pills, and a great deal of physical comedy. The play concludes with all three characters trapped in a cyclical, hopeless arrangement on the bridge, having achieved no resolution or genuine connection.

Characters

* Harry Berlin: A profoundly depressed and neurotic man, once a promising student, now clad in tattered clothes and consumed by existential crisis. He is the catalyst for the play's chaotic events. * Milt Manville: A superficially successful but deeply cynical and manipulative businessman. He represents hollow material success and uses intellectual jargon to justify his selfish actions. * Ellen Manville: Milt’s dissatisfied and emotionally neglected wife. She is passed between the two men like property, yet demonstrates her own capacity for manipulation and disillusionment with conventional marriage.

Production history

The original Broadway production opened on November 11, 1964, at the Booth Theatre. Directed by Mike Nichols, it featured Alan Arkin as Harry, Eli Wallach as Milt, and Anne Jackson as Ellen. The production was a major commercial hit, running for 901 performances and winning three Tony Awards in 1965, including Best Director for Nichols. It spawned numerous national tours and international productions, including a successful run in the West End at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. A Columbia Pictures film adaptation, directed by Clive Donner and starring Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk, and Elaine May, was released in 1967. The play continues to be revived by regional theaters and Off-Broadway companies.

Critical reception and legacy

Upon its premiere, *Luv* received mixed but largely positive reviews, with critics praising the sharp performances and Nichols’ inventive direction, while some found its cynicism excessive. It was celebrated for capturing the anxious, satirical spirit of the mid-1960s, sitting alongside works like Albee's *Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?* in its dissection of marital strife. The play’s success cemented Murray Schisgal’s reputation and contributed to the rise of Mike Nichols as a major directorial force in American theatre. While not as frequently revived as some classics of the era, *Luv* is remembered as a defining black comedy of its time, influencing later playwrights interested in existential farce, such as Jules Feiffer and Christopher Durang. Its themes of alienation and the absurdity of social conventions remain resonant. Category:1964 plays Category:American plays Category:Broadway plays