To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday (play)

To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday is an American play by Michael Brady, in 1984.[1] It was developed through the literary department of the Ensemble Studio Theatre and M Square Entertainment and moved to Circle-In-The-Square.[2]

Plot

To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday is a play in two acts. The time is the present. The place is the back deck and beach of David's island home. The action traces the final weekend of August.

Characters
  • David - age 37, college professor temporarily retired.
  • Rachel - age 16, David's daughter
  • Cindy - age 16, Rachel's friend
  • Paul - age 38, David's brother-in-law, married to Esther
  • Esther - age 39, David's sister-in-law, a psychologist, married to Paul
  • Kevin - age 28, female, friend of Paul and Esther, recently divorced
  • Gillian - age 35, David's former wife who died in a sailing accident two years prior to the events of the play, Esther's sister, Rachel's mom

Plot

David loves his wife, Gillian. Unfortunately, she died two years ago. David deals with his grief by continuing his romance with Gillian during walks with her "ghost" on the beach at night. While David lives in the past, other family problems crop up in the present in the real world. Esther and Paul come for a visit to try to help Rachel. She has lost her mother and needs her father to snap back into the real world and help her.

Adaptations

In 1996, it was produced as a film by Sony Pictures and starred Peter Gallagher, Claire Danes, Kathy Baker, and Wendy Crewson.[3]

Awards

It was awarded the Oppenheimer Award for best play of 1983.[4]

Publication

References
  1. Beaufort, John (March 29, 1984). "'Gillian' explores family tragedy with care and compassion; To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday. Play by Michael Brady, Directed by Pamala Berlin". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  2. Plunka, Gene A. (2012). Staging Holocaust Resistance. Springer p. 195. ISBN 978-1-1370-0061-3.
  3. Macor, Alison (October 25, 1996). "To Gillian On Her Thirty-Seventh Birthday". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  4. "Showtimers Community Theatre to present 'To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday' June 3-14". The Roanoke Times. May 29, 2015. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
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