A Teaspoon Every Four Hours
Encyclopedia
A Teaspoon Every Four Hours is a comedy play
written by Jackie Mason
and Mike Mortman which was produced on Broadway
in 1969. The play set a Broadway record by having 97 previews
before its official opening. After its official opening, A Teaspoon Every Four Hours closed after only one performance.
The play became the subject of public attention once again in 2011, when the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
announced a delay to its official opening, which eventually resulted in its breaking A Teaspoon Every Four Hours′ record for the most previews ever by a Broadway show which officially opened. (In 1976, the sexually themed musical revue Let My People Come
played 128 performances but never officially opened.)
widower who learns that his son is in love with a black
woman. Eventually Nat himself falls in love with the woman's mother. The play's title is not explained in the play itself.
as the son, Vera Moore as the son's girlfriend, Billie Allen as her mother, Bernie West
, Marilyn Cooper
, Lee Wallace
, and Lee Meredith
.
The play received several particularly unfavorable reviews. Clive Barnes
, the critic for The New York Times
, wrote, "Unfortunately the only nice thing I can say about the play is that the press representative is a close friend of mine. This, I sadly recognize, is not a commendation of much universal appeal. ... Mr. Mason may have certain talents; on the evidence before me I would hardly have suspected that writing was one of them." John Chapman of the New York Daily News was quoted as writing, "If I were the author I'd throw it away and start a new play -- or contemplate not writing anything." Jack Gaver, of United Press International
, wrote, "It consists of all-too-familiar Jewish humor routines, sexual innuendo of the most basic sort endlessly repeated and what probably is intended to be a friendly treatment of the white-black racial situation that is cheapened by the other ingredients."
Steven Suskin, writing in Broadway Yearbook, 1999-2000: A Relevant and Irreverent Record, described the play as "the Moose Murders
of its day, which is to say a play so inane that it remains memorable through the years."
Thomas S. Hischak, in American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1969-2000, wrote that the Broadway "season could not have started worse than with A Teaspoon Every Four Hours .... The comedy was unanimously panned ('an overdose of vulgarity'), critics arguing over whether it was more offensive to Jews or African-Americans."
Mason was interviewed in 2011 about the prospects of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark breaking his play's record for most previews. "The longest preview period, I don't see as an honor," he said. "Running a show after it opens, I see as an honor." Mason said that when the record is broken, "I won't cry a tear, because there's nothing to be excited about."
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
written by Jackie Mason
Jackie Mason
Jackie Mason is an American stand-up comedian and movie actor.-Early life:Born Yacov Moshe Maza in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, he grew up on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City....
and Mike Mortman which was produced on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1969. The play set a Broadway record by having 97 previews
Preview (theatre)
Previews are a set of public performances of a theatrical presentation that precede its official opening. The purpose of previews is to allow the director and crew to identify problems and opportunities for improvement that weren't found during rehearsals and to make adjustments before critics are...
before its official opening. After its official opening, A Teaspoon Every Four Hours closed after only one performance.
The play became the subject of public attention once again in 2011, when the musical Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark is a rock musical with music and lyrics by U2's Bono and The Edge and a book by Julie Taymor, Glen Berger, and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa. The musical is based on the Spider-Man comics created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, published by Marvel Comics, as well as the 2002...
announced a delay to its official opening, which eventually resulted in its breaking A Teaspoon Every Four Hours′ record for the most previews ever by a Broadway show which officially opened. (In 1976, the sexually themed musical revue Let My People Come
Let My People Come
Let My People Come is the title of a pornographic musical which ran from January 8, 1974 to July 5, 1976 in New York City, at The Village Gate in Greenwich Village. Its run was continued in Los Angeles, in Philadelphia, at the Grendel's Lair Cabaret Theatre, and, in the 1980s, at the Basin Street...
played 128 performances but never officially opened.)
Plot
Nat Weiss (played by Mason himself in the Broadway production) is a JewishAmerican Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
widower who learns that his son is in love with a black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
woman. Eventually Nat himself falls in love with the woman's mother. The play's title is not explained in the play itself.
Cast
Besides Mason in the lead role, the Broadway cast also included Barry PearlBarry Pearl
Barry Pearl is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Doody, one of the three supporting T-Birds, in the 1978 film version of Grease. He never starred in movies again, but found some fame as a children's theatre/TV actor...
as the son, Vera Moore as the son's girlfriend, Billie Allen as her mother, Bernie West
Bernie West
Bernie West was an American television writer best known for his work in sitcoms such as All in the Family, its spinoff The Jeffersons and Three's Company.-Biography:...
, Marilyn Cooper
Marilyn Cooper
Marilyn Cooper was an American actress, known primarily for her work on the Broadway stage.-Biography:Born in New York City, Cooper made her Broadway debut in 1956 in the chorus of Mr. Wonderful...
, Lee Wallace
Lee Wallace (actor)
Lee Wallace is an American actor of film, stage, and television.Wallace was born as Leo Melis in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Celia and Eddie Melis. His movie roles include more than a dozen productions big and small, among which are Used People , Batman as Gotham City's mayor William Borg,...
, and Lee Meredith
Lee Meredith
Lee Meredith is an American actress. She was born Judith Lee Sauls and grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. She is married to Burt Stratford....
.
Response
Years later, Mason commented on the show and reactions to it: "It must have had the longest preview run in Broadway history -- ninety-seven performances. After every performance, I came out and asked for opinions from the audience. They loved that. It made them feel like philosophers. I also promoted the play on every TV show I did. All this convinced me I had a big hit. The show opened and closed in one day. The critics said it was the worst crap they ever saw. Where does this schlemiel get the idea he's an actor and a playwright? He should go into a different business. And so on. It didn't make me feel too good. But I told myself that life is too short, that you have to keep moving, that you're lucky to be on earth in the position you're in."The play received several particularly unfavorable reviews. Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes (critic)
Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...
, the critic for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, wrote, "Unfortunately the only nice thing I can say about the play is that the press representative is a close friend of mine. This, I sadly recognize, is not a commendation of much universal appeal. ... Mr. Mason may have certain talents; on the evidence before me I would hardly have suspected that writing was one of them." John Chapman of the New York Daily News was quoted as writing, "If I were the author I'd throw it away and start a new play -- or contemplate not writing anything." Jack Gaver, of United Press International
United Press International
United Press International is a once-major international news agency, whose newswires, photo, news film and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations for most of the twentieth century...
, wrote, "It consists of all-too-familiar Jewish humor routines, sexual innuendo of the most basic sort endlessly repeated and what probably is intended to be a friendly treatment of the white-black racial situation that is cheapened by the other ingredients."
Steven Suskin, writing in Broadway Yearbook, 1999-2000: A Relevant and Irreverent Record, described the play as "the Moose Murders
Moose Murders
Moose Murders is a play by Arthur Bicknell, self-described as a mystery farce.An immediate flop, it is now widely considered the standard of awfulness against which all Broadway failures are judged, and its name has become synonymous with those distinctively bad Broadway plays which open and close...
of its day, which is to say a play so inane that it remains memorable through the years."
Thomas S. Hischak, in American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama, 1969-2000, wrote that the Broadway "season could not have started worse than with A Teaspoon Every Four Hours .... The comedy was unanimously panned ('an overdose of vulgarity'), critics arguing over whether it was more offensive to Jews or African-Americans."
Mason was interviewed in 2011 about the prospects of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark breaking his play's record for most previews. "The longest preview period, I don't see as an honor," he said. "Running a show after it opens, I see as an honor." Mason said that when the record is broken, "I won't cry a tear, because there's nothing to be excited about."