Wings is a 1978 play by American playwright Arthur Kopit. Originating as a radio play, it was later adapted for stage and screen.
In 1976, Kopit was commissioned to write an original radio play by the NPR drama project Earplay. Just prior, his father had suffered a debilitating stroke, which inspired Kopit to write the play about the language disorder and psychological perspective of a stroke victim. The female character of the play is an amalgam of two women who were both patients at the rehab center that cared for his father.
Production history The first professional stage production of Wings opened at the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut on March 3, 1978, with Constance Cummings as Emily Stilson, and Marianne Owen as Amy.Kopit, Arthur (1978). Wings: a play. New York: Hill and Wang. Eder, Richard. "Theater: 'Wings,' By Kopit, at Yale" The New York Times, March 8, 1978
The Yale Rep Theatre cast and crew was as follows: Emily Stilson - Constance Cummings Amy - Marianne Owen Doctors - Geoffrey Pierson, Roy Steinberg Nurses - Caris Corfman, Carol Ostrow Billy - Richard Grusin Mr. Brownstein - Ira Bernstein Mrs. Timmins - Betty Pelzer Directed by John Madden Designed by Andrew Jackness Costumes by Jeanne Button Lighting by Tom Schraeder Sound by Tom Voegeli Music by Herb Pilhofer
Wings opened at the Off-Broadway New York Shakespeare Festival Public/ Newman Theater, presented by Joseph Papp, on June 21, 1978 for a limited run to July 2, 1978. This was the Yale Rep production with the same cast and creatives.Eder, Richard. "Theater: ‘Wings’ By the Yale Rep" The New York Times, June 22, 1978" 'Wings' 1978" lortel.org, retrieved January 1, 2018
Wings opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on January 28, 1979 and closed on May 5, 1979 after 113 performances and 6 previews." 'Wings' Broadway" Playbill, retrieved January 1, 2018 The cast and crew was as follows: Emily Stilson - Constance Cummings Amy - Mary-Joan Negro Doctors - Roy Steinberg, Ross Petty Nurses - Gina Franz, Mary Michele Rutherfurd Billy - James Tolkan Mr. Brownstein - Carl Don Mrs. Timmins - Betty Pelzer Directed by John Madden Designed by Andrew Jackness Costumes by Jeanne Button Lighting by Tom Schraeder Sound by Tom Voegeli Music by Herb Pilhofer
It was filmed for U.S. television in 1983, starring Constance Cummings and Mary-Joan Negro.
Themes Richard Eder wrote in The New York Times: "Wings is a remarkable attempt to dramatize the agony of a stroke victim. It presents [a] mind whose language has been knocked out from under it; one that struggles blindly, with alternating grace and terror, to regain its footing."
Michael Billington wrote: "...this is a play about language – about Emily’s progress from a jumbled, disordered speech to one that achieves a wondrous coherence."Billington, Michael. " 'Wings' review – Juliet Stevenson soars in stroke recovery tale" The Guardian, September 21, 2017
Awards and recognition 1979 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actress in a Play, Cummings, winner 1979 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Director of a Play, nominee 1979 Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Play, nominee 1979 Obie Award, Performance, Cummings, winner 1979 Tony Award Play, nominee 1979 Tony Award Actress in a Play, Cummings, winner 1979 Tony Award Featured Actress in a Play, Mary-Joan Negro, nominee 1979 Selection, The Burns Mantle Theater Yearbook, The Best Plays of 1978-1979
Adaptations
The play was adapted into a musical of the same name with music by Jeffrey Lunden and book and lyrics by Arthur Perlman, which premiered at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in October 1992.
References