Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright
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| Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Peter Feibleman |
| Date premiered | 1962 |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | New Orleans, Mama's house, early 1950s. |
Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright is a dramatic stage play written by American playwright Peter Feibleman. The play premiered on Broadway at the Booth Theatre in 1962. Claudia McNeil was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in the production. Critically acclaimed, the play closed after only 33 performances, which was blamed on the 1962–1963 New York City newspaper strike.[1] The play is a stage adaptation of Feibleman's novel A Place Without Twilight, first published in 1958. The title is taken from the poem by William Blake first published in 1794, titled The Tyger.[2]
- Mama Morris: the family matriarch, a widow
- Clarence Morris: her son, aged 23
- Dan Morris: her younger son, aged 19
- Lucille Morris: her daughter, aged 18
- Adelaide Smith: a friend of the family, aged 23
- Sittre Morris: uncle, and deacon of the Riverview Baptist Church, late forties
- Celeste Chipley: the girl who lives next door, aged 19
- Dewey Chipley: Celeste's brother, aged 21
- Mr. Keres: a white man, late thirties
- Sergeant Jameson: a soldier
- First Neighbor : neighbor of the Morris family
- Second Neighbor : neighbor of the Morris family
Original casts
| Character | Original Broadway cast (1962) |
|---|---|
| Mama Morris | Claudia McNeil |
| Clarence Morris | Alvin Ailey |
| Dan Morris | Al Freeman Jr. |
| Lucille Morris | Ellen Holly |
| Adelaide Smith | Diana Sands |
| Sittre Morris | Roscoe Lee Browne |
| Celeste Chipley | Cicely Tyson |
| Dewey Chipley | Robert Hooks |
| Mr. Keres | Paul Barry |
| Sergeant Jameson | Robert Macbeth |
| First Neighbor | Janet MacLachlan |
| Second Neighbor | Rudy Challenger |