In the Boom Boom Room
Encyclopedia
In the Boom Boom Room is a play by David Rabe. It focuses on a go-go dancer
whose difficult relationship with her parents has propelled her into a series of unfortunate affairs with both men and women.
Chrissy is a naive young woman who arrives in 1960s Philadelphia with dreams of achieving stardom as a dancer. Desperation leads her to take a job at a sleazy nightclub
called Big Tom's Boom Boom Room. While working there, she explores love and sex with a variety of unsuitable partners of both sexes, forms a friendship with a gay neighbor, and tries to resolve troubling issues in her life, including vague memories of sexual abuse at the hands of her father and a cold-hearted mother who had wanted to abort
her.
The play originally was written and performed in two acts at Villanova University
in 1972. Prior to its staging at Lincoln Center
the following year, Rabe added a scene and several speeches to the first act, expanding it considerably, and as a result it was divided into three acts, to the playwright's dissatisfaction. It was restored to its original two-act structure when it was revived off-Broadway
in 1985 and published by Grove Press
in 1994.
After 16 previews, the Broadway
production opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
on November 8, 1973 and ran for 37 performances. Directed by Joseph Papp
, the cast included Madeline Kahn
as Chrissy, Robert Loggia
as her abusive truck driver boyfriend/husband Al, Charles Durning
as her father Harold, and Mary Woronov
as a dancer named Susan. The creative team included Santo Loquasto
(scenic design
), Theoni V. Aldredge
(costume design
), and Martin Aronstein
(lighting design).
The play was nominated for the 1974 Tony Award for Best Play
but lost to The River Niger
by Joseph A. Walker
.
Papp presented the play at The Public Theater in a production directed by Robert Hedley and starring Ellen Greene
, Helen Hanft
, Christopher Lloyd
, Fred Grandy
, and Tom Quinn
. It opened November 20, 1974 and ran for 31 performances. Baayork Lee
served as choreographer. The play was nominated for the New York Drama Critics' Circle
Award for Best American Play.
In 1985, the play was revived at the off-Broadway
South Street Theater by the Australia
n Orange Tree Company. Reviewing this production for the New York Times, Herbert Mitgang said the play "comes encumbered with a history. But viewed for the first time on its own modest terms on a bandbox stage, it is full of dramatic fury."
Go-Go dancing
Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at a discotheque. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s when women at the Peppermint Lounge in New York City began to get up on tables and dance the twist...
whose difficult relationship with her parents has propelled her into a series of unfortunate affairs with both men and women.
Chrissy is a naive young woman who arrives in 1960s Philadelphia with dreams of achieving stardom as a dancer. Desperation leads her to take a job at a sleazy nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
called Big Tom's Boom Boom Room. While working there, she explores love and sex with a variety of unsuitable partners of both sexes, forms a friendship with a gay neighbor, and tries to resolve troubling issues in her life, including vague memories of sexual abuse at the hands of her father and a cold-hearted mother who had wanted to abort
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
her.
The play originally was written and performed in two acts at Villanova University
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
in 1972. Prior to its staging at Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of New York City's Upper West Side. Reynold Levy has been its president since 2002.-History and facilities:...
the following year, Rabe added a scene and several speeches to the first act, expanding it considerably, and as a result it was divided into three acts, to the playwright's dissatisfaction. It was restored to its original two-act structure when it was revived off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
in 1985 and published by Grove Press
Grove Press
Grove Press is an American publishing imprint that was founded in 1951. Imprints include: Black Cat, Evergreen, Venus Library, Zebra. Barney Rosset purchased the company in 1951 and turned it into an alternative book press in the United States. The Atlantic Monthly Press, under the aegis of its...
in 1994.
After 16 previews, the 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...
production opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre
Vivian Beaumont Theatre
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a theatre located in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The structure was designed by Finnish American architect Eero Saarinen, and Jo Mielziner was responsible for the design of the stage and interior.The Vivian...
on November 8, 1973 and ran for 37 performances. Directed by Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp
Joseph Papp was an American theatrical producer and director. Papp established The Public Theater in what had been the Astor Library Building in downtown New York . "The Public," as it is known, has many small theatres within it...
, the cast included Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn
Madeline Kahn was an American actress. Kahn was known primarily for her comedic roles in films such as Paper Moon, Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, What's Up, Doc?, and Clue.-Early life:...
as Chrissy, Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia
Robert Loggia is an American film and television actor and director.- Early life :Loggia, an Italian American, was born on Staten Island, the son of Elena Blandino, a homemaker, and Benjamin Loggia, a shoemaker, both of whom were born in Sicily, Italy...
as her abusive truck driver boyfriend/husband Al, Charles Durning
Charles Durning
Charles Durning is an American actor. With appearances in over 100 films, Durning's memorable roles include police officers in the Oscar-winning The Sting and crime drama Dog Day Afternoon , along with the comedies Tootsie, To Be Or Not To Be and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the last two...
as her father Harold, and Mary Woronov
Mary Woronov
Mary Woronov is an American actress and writer. She is primarily known for her roles in independent and cult films. Woronov has appeared in over 80 movies, as well as numerous appearances in mainstream television series, such as Charlie's Angels and Knight Rider.-Early life:Woronov was born in the...
as a dancer named Susan. The creative team included Santo Loquasto
Santo Loquasto
Santo Richard Loquasto is a Sicilian-Italian-American production designer, scenic designer and costume designer for stage, film, and dance. He is a descendant of Libertino lo Guasto of Serradifalco, Caltanissetta, Sicily. Indy race car driver Al Loquasto was his first cousin...
(scenic design
Scenic design
Scenic design is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers have traditionally come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but nowadays, generally speaking, they are trained professionals, often with M.F.A...
), Theoni V. Aldredge
Theoni V. Aldredge
Theoni V. Aldredge was a Greek-American stage and screen costume designer.Born Theoni Athanasiou Vachlioti in Thessaloniki in 1922, Aldredge received her training at the American School in Athens. She emigrated to the United States in 1949 and attended the Goodman Theatre at DePaul University,...
(costume design
Costume design
Costume design is the fabrication of apparel for the overall appearance of a character or performer. This usually involves researching, designing and building the actual items from conception. Costumes may be for a theater or cinema performance but may not be limited to such...
), and Martin Aronstein
Martin Aronstein
Martin Aronstein was an American lighting designer whose Broadway career spanned thirty-six years.Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Aronstein attended Queens College in Flushing, New York. In 1957, following a performance sponsored by the New York Shakespeare Festival, he approached a backstage...
(lighting design).
The play was nominated for the 1974 Tony Award for Best Play
Tony Award for Best Play
The Tony Award for Best Play is an annual award celebrating achievements in live American theatre, including musical theatre, honoring productions on Broadway in New York. It currently takes place in mid-June each year.There was no award in the Tony's first year...
but lost to The River Niger
The River Niger
The River Niger is a play by American playwright, Joseph A. Walker, first performed by New York City's Negro Ensemble Company off-Broadway in 1972. The production made its Broadway debut with a transfer to the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on 27 March 1973 for a run of 162 performances.-Characters :*...
by Joseph A. Walker
Joseph A. Walker (playwright)
Joseph Alexander Walker was an African American playwright and screenwriter, theater director, actor and professor. He is best known for writing the play The River Niger, a three-act play that was originally produced Off-Broadway in 1972 by the Negro Ensemble Company before being transferred to...
.
Papp presented the play at The Public Theater in a production directed by Robert Hedley and starring Ellen Greene
Ellen Greene
Ellen Greene is an American singer and actress. Greene has had a long and varied career as a singer, particularly in cabaret, as an actor and singer in numerous stage productions, particularly musical theatre, as well as having performed in many films – notably Little Shop of Horrors...
, Helen Hanft
Helen Hanft
-Biography:Hanft was born in New York City. She started her theatrical career in the early 1960 during the Golden Age of experimental theater at such venues as La Mama ETC and Caffe Cino and in a few years she became known as "the Helen Hayes of off-off Broadway." Not a great beauty, she...
, Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Allen Lloyd is an American actor. He is best known for playing Emmett Brown in the Back to the Future trilogy, Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Addams Family Values, and Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He played Reverend Jim Ignatowski in the television series Taxi and more...
, Fred Grandy
Fred Grandy
Fredrick Lawrence "Fred" Grandy is a former actor best known for his role as 'Gopher' on the sitcom The Love Boat and who later became a member of the United States House of Representatives from the state of Iowa...
, and Tom Quinn
Tom Quinn (actor)
Tom Quinn is an American actor who has appeared in numerous small roles on television and in various films, including a stint as Detective Patrick Mahon on HBO's The Wire.-External links:...
. It opened November 20, 1974 and ran for 31 performances. Baayork Lee
Baayork Lee
Baayork Lee is an Asian-American actress, singer, dancer, choreographer, theatre director, and author.-Early life and career:Lee was born in New York City's Chinatown to an Indian mother and Chinese father...
served as choreographer. The play was nominated for the New York Drama Critics' Circle
New York Drama Critics' Circle
The New York Drama Critics' Circle is made up of 24 drama critics from daily newspapers, magazines and wire services based in the New York City metropolitan area. The organization was founded in 1935 at the Algonquin Hotel by a group that included Brooks Atkinson, Walter Winchell, and Robert Benchley...
Award for Best American Play.
In 1985, the play was revived at the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
South Street Theater by the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Orange Tree Company. Reviewing this production for the New York Times, Herbert Mitgang said the play "comes encumbered with a history. But viewed for the first time on its own modest terms on a bandbox stage, it is full of dramatic fury."