A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Harold and Maude

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  6w, 6m

Colin Higgins

In this hit stage adaptation of the quirky and heartbreaking cult film, a lonely 19-year-old boy with a fixation on death meets a delightfully wacky octogenarian who inspires him to truly live.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 6m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary
Writer Colin Higgins adapted his beloved screenplay into this hit stage play about a lonely 19-year-old boy who finally learns how to truly live when he meets a delightfully wacky octogenarian. Harold is the proverbial poor little rich kid. Alienated and fixated upon death, he repeatedly stages his own suicide in a cry for attention from his self-obsessed mother. While attending a funeral, he encounters Maude, who shares his love for memorial services, but for different reasons. Harold soon develops a peculiar attachment to Maude and her eccentric philosophy, and their quirky relationship deepens, eventually opening a pathway for Harold to embrace life. This stage version, a hit in France directed by the internationally renowned Jean Louis Barrault, will delight both aficionados of the film and newcomers to the story.
History
Harold and Maude premiered on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on February 7, 1980. Directed by Robert Lewis, the production starred Janet Gaynor as Maude and Keith McDermott as Harold.

HAROLD
MRS. CHASEN
MAID
DR. MATTHEWS
MAUDE
PRIEST
GARDENER
CHIEF GARDENER
SYLVIE GAZEL
INSPECTOR BERNARD
SERGEANT DOPPEL
NANCY MERSCH
SUNSHINE DORE

REMOVAL MEN

  • Time Period 1970s
  • Setting Harold’s house and other locations. 1971.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes
    • Suicide

Media

★★★★★ “A genial, funny, uplifting and rejuvenating show.” – Peter Yates, LondonTheatre1

“Captivating... there is still something irresistibly sweet and charming about this story about a young man, prone to staging suicide attempts to shock his mother into noticing his existence, who finds himself falling in love with a free-spirited, willfully eccentric woman, who is nearly 80, when they meet at a funeral.” – London Theatre, 2018

“Off-the-wall macabre comedy.” – The Guardian

“A genial, funny, uplifting and rejuvenating show that warms the cockles of our hearts and sends us on our way to face the world with a spring in our step and just a little extra love in our souls.” – Peter Yates, LondonTheatre1

“Offbeat upbeat comedy.” – Christian Science Monitor

★★★★★ “Affectionately and sympathetically written... a rare gem – a play about death that makes you smile.” – Peter Yates, LondonTheatre1

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Author

Colin Higgins

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