One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest April 3, 2009

On Friday, April 3, 2009 at 8:00 p.m., the Hilberry Theatre will open the performance run of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Dale Wasserman. Dale Wasserman adapted One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest from the novel by Ken Kesey; the play opened on Broadway in 1963. The original Broadway cast included Kirk Douglas as McMurphy, Ed Ames as the Chief and Gene Wilder as Billy. After opening on Broadway, The New York Times called the play "scarifying and powerful," while The New York Daily News called it "funny, touching, and exciting." In 1975, a film version was released and it won Oscars for Jack Nicholson as McMurphy and Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched. It was also the first film to win Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay since It Happened One Night in 1934. It can be gleaned from the information above that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is more than an outstanding human drama. It is considered one of the most influential works of its time in that it cleverly conveys the popular sense of alienation that became prevalent within post-World War II American society.

The play is set in the ward of a State Mental Hospital somewhere in the Pacific Northwest in 1967. It tells the story of a group of mental patients striving for dignity in the face of a tyrannical nurse, Ratched. The group includes an array of colorful characters, including Randle Patrick McMurphy, an unconventional individual who attempts to provide basic human freedoms for his fellow facility patients. Knowing little about mental illness, McMurphy is shocked by the passive lifestyle of the hospital residents and he begins to work to spice up their monotonous lifestyle. For example, much to the dismay of the hospital staff, he organizes a basketball game in the living quarters.

According to the Director, Lavinia Hart, "The Hilberry Company has undertaken a contemporary-classic play that pits two purely American archetypes against one another in a fabled struggle for freedom against oppressive force-the greatest anti-hero of the 20th century. This clash is personified in the power struggle between Randle Patrick McMurphy and Mildred Ratched, a former army nurse who now heads the ward of the asylum and whose acts of war evoke a literal ‘shock and awe' for our times."

During the rehearsal process for the production Mrs. Hart "asked each actor to prepare a picture file that represents the back story and inner emotional state of their character. Each cast member was also asked to find music to underscore a particular picture or to underscore his or her entire picture file. Following the presentation, they performed a backstory improvisation. The cast met this challenge with the creation of several brief works of art that contained stunning images of lost innocence, bereavement, inner torment, outrage, and, yes, thankfully at times humor. The picture file work helped the actors deepen the transformational character work demanded by the play." With the combination of an outstanding script, innovative character development and excellent direction, the Hilberry Theatre's production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest should prove to be a delight for any theatregoer.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is directed by Lavinia Hart, assisted by Caroline L. Price. The cast includes Alan Ball* (Dale Harding), Jason Cabral (Scanlon), Christina Flynn (Aide Turkle), Kate Gustin (Sandra), Safiya Johnson (Nurse Ratched), Erman Jones (Chief Bromden), Aaron Kirby (Ruckly), James Kuhl (Randle P. McMurphy), Rob Pantano (Martini), Caroline L. Price (Candy Starr), Peter C. Prouty (Cheswick), Samantha Rosentrater (Nurse Flinn), Brian P. Sage (Dr. Spivey), Dylan Stuckey (Billy Bibbitt), Justin Vanden Heuvel (Aide Williams), Jordan Whalen (Aide Warren), Joe Hamid (Chronic 1), Alex Hill (Chronic 2).

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest plays in rotating repertory with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard, Born Yesterday by Garson Kanin, and All My Sons by Arthur Miller. Group discounts and corporate packages are available. For ticket information, please call (313) 577-2972 or visit the Wayne State University Box Office at 4743 Cass Avenue on the corner of Cass Avenue and Hancock. Performance information and tickets may also be obtained by visiting the Theatre's websites at www.hilberry.com and www.wsushows.com.

Official Website: http://media.wayne.edu/2009/03/06/dont-miss-the-american-classic-one-flew