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Long Day's Journey Into Night

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 3m

O’Neill’s autobiographical masterwork, winner of the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of addiction in a dysfunctional Connecticut family.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Winner! 1957 Pulitzer Prize in Drama
    Winner! 1957 Tony Award, Best Play
    Winner! 2003 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play
    Winner! 2013 Olivier Award, Best Revival
    Nominee: 2016 Tony Award, Best Revival of a Play

Details

Summary

At their summer home in Connecticut, each member of the Tyrone family harbors a personal tragedy while maintaining a complicated balance of love and resentment for the others. Father James’s alcoholism, mother Mary’s morphine addiction, younger son Edmund’s advancing illness and elder son Jamie’s bitterness at being a lesser version of his father... these are all just aspects of their daily lives that they must face despite their deep desire to bury and ignore them.

Eugene O’Neill’s autobiographical play is widely regarded as his finest work. First published by Yale University Press in 1956, his powerful exploration of addiction and familial dysfunction won the Pulitzer Prize in 1957, sold more than one million copies, and became a template for many other notable playwrights.

History
Long Day’s Journey into Night premiered on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theatre on November 7, 1956. Directed by José Quintero, the production starred Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Jason Robards Jr., Bradford Dillman and Katherine Ross. The play has been revived on Broadway five times: in 1958, 1962, 1986, 2003 and 2016.
JAMES TYRONE – 65.
MARY CAVAN TYRONE – 54. His wife.
JAMIE – 33. Their elder son.
EDMUND – 23. His younger brother.
CATHLEEN – Early 20s. The summer maid.
  • Time Period 1910s / WWI
  • Setting The Tyrones’ summer home in Connecticut. August 1912.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Drugs
    • Intense Adult Themes

Media

“A magnificent and shattering play.” – New York Post

“O’Neill’s masterpiece... What never ceases to astonish is the dizzying emotional contradiction of O’Neill’s characters. Within a tight classical structure, they bounce around like pinballs between reality and illusion.” – The Guardian

“A stunning theatrical experience.” – New York Herald-Tribune

“O’Neill’s most beautiful play.” – New York Daily News

Videos

  • Long Day's Journey Into Night: Apollo Theatre Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Long Day's Journey Into Night: Apollo Theatre Trailer

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance
    Licensing available for professional groups only. Some restrictions apply.

Scripts

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Authors

Eugene O'Neill

Eugene O’Neill, born in New York City on October 16, 1888, was the first great American playwright. His father was James O’Neill, the famous dramatic actor, and during his early years, O’Neill often traveled with his parents. Beyond the Horizon (1920), the first of his plays ...

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