The Speed of Darkness is a play written by Steve Tesich

Steve Tesich

Stojan Steve Tesich was a Serbian-American screenwriter, playwright and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1979 for the movie Breaking Away.-Career:...

.

Productions

The play received its world premiere at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, with Bill Raymond

Bill Raymond

Bill Raymond is an actor who has appeared in film, television and theatre since the 1960s.-Life and career:He featured in the second and fifth seasons of the HBO drama The Wire as "The Greek", the mysterious head of an international criminal organization. Other TV appearances include Miami Vice,...

 as Joe, Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang may refer to:* Stephen Lang * Stephen Lang , a fictional character in Marvel Comics* Steven Lang...

 as Lou, and Lee Guthrie as Anne.

It made its Broadway premiere two years later at the Belasco Theatre

Belasco Theatre

The Belasco Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 111 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architect George Keister for impresario David Belasco, the interior featured Tiffany lighting and ceiling panels, rich woodwork and expansive murals by American artist...

 on February 28, 1991, where it ran for 36 performances. Stephen Lang reprised his role as Lou, appearing along with Len Cariou

Len Cariou

Leonard Joseph “Len” Cariou is a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street...

 as Joe, Lisa Eichhorn

Lisa Eichhorn

Lisa Eichhorn is an American actress, writer and producer. She made her film debut in 1979 in the John Schlesinger film Yanks for which she received two Golden Globe nominations...

 as Joe's wife Anne, Kathryn Erbe

Kathryn Erbe

Kathryn Elsbeth Erbe is an American actress known for her role as Det. Alexandra Eames in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, a spin-off of Law & Order, and death row inmate Shirley Bellinger in the HBO series Oz.-Personal life:...

 as Joe's daughter Mary, and Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard

Robert Sean Leonard is an American actor, who has regularly starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions. Since 2004 he has played the role of Dr. James Wilson on the TV series House...

 as Mary's friend Eddie. Both Lang and Erbe received Tony Award

Tony Award

The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...

 nominations as Best Featured Actor and Actress (respectively) in a Play.

External links

• "The Speed of Darkness and 'Crazed Vets on the Doorstep'" by David J. DeRose, Theater Studies, Yale University
  Yale University
  Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
  
  , examining the play and the history of previous plays on the same theme.
• Review of the world premiere production from the Chicago Reader by Lawrence Bommer; May 4, 1989.
• Review of the world premiere production from the New York Times by Frank Rich
  Frank Rich
  Frank Rich is an American essayist and op-ed columnist who wrote for The New York Times from 1980, when he was appointed its chief theatre critic, until 2011...
  
  ; May 9, 1989
• Review of the Broadway premiere from the New York Times by Frank Rich, March 1, 1991