Summary
This is an evocative drama of American idealism and the tragic fallout from the euphoria of the 1960s. Five lost souls are gathered in a bar, Valentine’s Day, 1974: Wanda, a secretary-turned-schoolteacher, keeping John Kennedy’s memory alive despite the inevitable slurs; Sparger, an actor grown bitter and cynical as New York’s vital underground theatre movement becomes a commercial wasteland; Rona, a political activist who sees the movement collapsing from self-indulgence and apathy; Mark, a Vietnam veteran, now a confused, dissipated drug addict; and Carla, a dipsomaniacal actress channeling Marilyn Monroe. Through distinctive, compelling monologues, the author limns both the birth and the end of an era and its dreams.
History
Kennedy's Children premiered on Broadway at the John Golden Theatre on November 3, 1975. Directed by Clive Donner, the production featured Shirley Knight, Kaiulani Lee, Barbara Montgomery, Don Parker, Michael Sacks and Douglas Travis. Knight won the 1976 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. A 1982 TV film adaptation starred Jane Alexander, Lindsay Crouse, Brad Dourif and Charles Harper, with Shirley Knight reprising her Tony Award-winning performance as Carla.