Picnic (play)

Picnic
2001 Picnic production at Jacksonville University: Millie in foreground; Madge and Hal in background
Written by	William Inge
Characters	Hal Carter Madge Owens Alan Seymour Millie Owens Flo Owens
Date premiered	February 19, 1953
Place premiered	Music Box Theatre New York City, New York
Original language	English
Genre	Drama
Setting	A small town in Kansas

Picnic is a 1953 play by William Inge. The play was premiered at the Music Box Theatre, Broadway, on 19 February 1953 in a Theatre Guild production, directed by Joshua Logan, which ran for 477 performances.

The original cast featured Ralph Meeker, Eileen Heckart, Arthur O'Connell, Janice Rule, Reta Shaw, Kim Stanley and Paul Newman. Inge won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work, and Logan received a Tony Award for Best Director. The play also won the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play of the season.

Picnic was Paul Newman's Broadway debut. An unknown at the time, Newman campaigned heavily for the leading role of Hal, but director Joshua Logan did not think Newman was physically large enough to convey the lead character's athletic attributes. As a result, Ralph Meeker was given the role of Hal opposite Janice Rule as Madge. Newman played Hal's former college roommate Alan Seymour while understudying the role of Hal. Newman eventually took over the lead role.

Synopsis

It is Labor Day, and everyone is preparing for a neighborhood picnic. Hal Carter, a drifter, arrives in town looking for work and visits his college friend Alan, who is dating Madge Owens with the intent to marry her. Hal does odd jobs for the welcoming Helen Potts. Her neighbor, Flo Owens, distrusts Hal, especially around her daughters, Madge and Millie. Since shy Millie does not have a date, neighbor Mrs. Potts suggests that Hal accompany her, much to the chagrin of Flo. Hal agrees, but he is much more interested in Madge. There is an undeniable attraction between the two, as much as they try to fight it. While getting ready for the picnic, the family and friends dance in Flo’s backyard to music playing nearby. Hal grows on both Millie and Madge, and they both vie for his attention. As Madge and Hal dance passionately, Millie gets sick from drinking too much whiskey while no one is paying attention. Hal accidentally offends Rosemary, the schoolteacher, who then screams at him, and Flo joins in criticizing him.

Hal sits in the shadows by himself while everyone leaves for the picnic. Rosemary and her boyfriend Howard decide to skip the picnic and go for a drive. Madge stays behind to change her dress. When she comes back outside and tries to console Hal, they kiss after a deep and revealing conversation. They run off together and spend the night in the car.

Howard brings Rosemary back to the house. As he leaves, Rosemary begs him to marry her. When Madge and Hal return, Madge is ashamed of what they did. Hal asks for one more kiss, and their “passion is revived”.^[1]

In the morning, Flo is frantic because she sees Madge crying hysterically. Rosemary leaves with Howard to get married, and everyone goes to the street to see her off. When Madge is left alone in the backyard, Hal shows up to talk to her. He has spent the night in hiding after Alan falsely reported to the police that Hal stole his car in order to drive him out of town for "stealing" Madge. The others come back into the yard, and Hal is forced to leave. Madge finally admits that she loves him after he’s gone, and she enters the house crying. Alan leaves, and it is obviously over between him and Madge. A little while later, Madge comes out of the house with a suitcase and tells her mother that she’s going after Hal. The play ends with Flo watching her daughter leave.

Character guide

The original cast for the 1953 Music Box Theatre production (in order of appearance):

• Ruth McDevitt – Helen Potts – Flo's neighbor
• Ralph Meeker – Hal Carter – Hired by Helen, an old college friend of Alan
• Kim Stanley – Millie Owens – Younger daughter of Flo
• Morris Miller – Bomber – Neighborhood kid
• Janice Rule – Madge Owens – Elder daughter of Flo
• Peggy Concklin – Flo Owens – Madge and Millie’s mother
• Eileen Heckart – Rosemary Sydney – Schoolteacher renting a room in Flo’s house
• Paul Newman – Alan Seymour – Madge’s boyfriend, an old college friend of Hal
• Reta Shaw – Irma Kronkite – Schoolteacher, a friend of Rosemary
• Elizabeth Wilson – Christine Schoenwalder – Schoolteacher, a friend of Rosemary
• Arthur O'Connell – Howard Bevans – Rosemary's boyfriend

Character analysis

Flo Owens – Flo is a woman who has worked hard to keep her family alive. The father to her children is long gone, so she has to be both mother and father to her two girls. She raises them cautiously, almost overbearingly, as she tries to lead them on the right path and make sure they are more successful in life than she turned out to be. Flo has big dreams for her daughters, and seems to live vicariously through them. She is hesitant about accepting outsiders, because she is very comfortable with the way she leads her life.

Madge Owens – Madge is a beautiful girl growing gracefully into adulthood. Some call her materialistic and conceited because she spends quite a bit of time with makeup and beauty products. She is not as naive as she may seem; she definitely has some hidden knowledge about the world. Madge may not open herself to many people, but she is able to relate to others if she tries. On the outside, she wants to be wealthy and gorgeous all her life. But on the inside, she is sick of always being the pretty one, and she just wants to find her place in the world. Madge desperately wants to be loved, and at first she thinks that Alan is enough for her. But getting to know Hal changes her completely.

Millie Owens – Throughout most of the play, Millie is wild and tomboyish, yet she has a softer, more artsy side to her. Millie shows herself to the world as a tough kid, but she is really nervous about what other people think of her. She wants to be noticed, but in the right way. Millie wants to be somebody. She wants to experience city life and make a difference in the world.

Helen Potts – A bit past her prime, Helen longs for the days when she was a wild young girl. She used to love going against the conventions and challenging authority, which has given her much wisdom in her older years. She is easygoing, still loves fun and wants to share her knowledge with the young people around her.

Hal Carter – Hal is young, handsome, crazy, impulsive and has seen some harsh times. He has been to reform school, a few colleges, a part of a fraternity, been chased by the police and claims other things that may or may not be true. He is a confident fellow, and he loves attention. He is capable of crumbling though, as shown after Rosemary’s vicious words. Hal has a soft inner side that really wants to be accepted and fit in somewhere.

Alan Seymour – Alan is a rich young man looking to settle down with a beautiful girl. He loves Madge, whether their relationship is superficial or not. Alan is level-headed most of the time and tends to criticize those who make decisions without thinking them through.

Bomber – A small character in the play, he tends to reinforce Madge’s beauty as well as criticize Millie for being the oddball.

Rosemary Sydney – Rosemary is an aging schoolteacher who likes to call herself an independent. She brags about not having a man and doing whatever she wants. She tends to gossip with her friends and make eyes at Hal when he comes into the scene. She is rather unconventional for a schoolteacher, since she is not reserved and scholarly. She has a breakdown when she realizes that she is not as young as she’d like to be. Rosemary ends up begging Howard to marry her.

Howard Bevans – Howard is a businessman who is rather set in his way of life. He has accepted that this is all he can be and even decided that he may not get married and have a happy ending. He has been seeing Rosemary, but is not sure what she wants from him or where their relationship is going. He is easy to get along with but not extremely assertive of what he wants. Howard is a reasonable guy who does what he can to live each day. When Rosemary begs him to marry her, he is unsure what to say at first. He tries to tell her she is just drunk, but Rosemary is very persistent. He finally agrees to marry her and does his best to be happy about it even though he is unsure.

Irma Kronkite and Christine Schoenwalder – These two ladies are schoolteachers with Rosemary. They are slightly younger than Rosemary and definitely like gossip. Irma has known Rosemary for a bit longer, since Christine just moved to the town and started teaching there.

Style

According to David Rush, there are nine different aspects of style to consider.^[2]

1. The Concerns of the Author: In his play Picnic, Inge focuses on the society and what it does to his characters. This is an important aspect of Expressionism, where the characters are pitted against this inhuman force that is culture and social expectations. This could also be seen as sociopolitical concerns, which is an aspect of Realism. The play is very character driven, which shows Inge’s love of analyzing people and how they react to different situations.
2. The Point of View of the Author: This aspect refers to where the author places the audience in the action.^[2] If the audience is watching from a distance, that means they are objective. If they are in the middle of everything that is going on, seeing the action from one person’s point of view, then they are subjective. In Picnic, the audience is outside the events, merely observing them. This means that the point of view of the author is objective. This is where the play falls closer to Realism. In Realistic plays, the audience is purely objective, whereas in Expressionistic plays, the audience is seeing a particular person’s inner state.
3. The Comprehensibility of the World: Inge shows us a world that is relatively normal for its time period. Most of the characters behave as the audience would expect them to, with a few exceptions. The world is logical – outlandish and abnormal things do not happen. This makes for a Realistic play.
4. The Construction of the Plot: As discussed above, the events in this play are in chronological order, which leans decidedly toward Realism. One thing leads to another, and the audience is able to follow along relatively easily.
5. The Substance/Texture of the Characters: Most of Inge’s characters in Picnic are what Rush calls “three-dimensional” because they are “fully textured human beings, with ideas, feelings, personalities, passions, and foibles that are very similar to ours”.^[3] They pursue certain things, avoid certain things, and have many different tactics in order to do both of these. They are relatable and real, hence this play seems to be more Realistic.
6. The Setting: What the audience sees onstage in this play could be an actual place – it is not distorted or dreamlike, but rather a typical backyard of a house in a small town in the Midwest. Inge meant for the setting to be something tangible and real. It stays constant, so the audience can focus more on what is happening with the characters. This is even more evidence that Picnic falls under the category of Realism.
7. Language: As will be discussed below, the language of this play is natural and easy to understand. This signifies a Realistic piece.
8. Form – Presentational/Representational: Rush discusses form in that it is “the relationship between the people on the stage (actors/characters) and the people watching (audience)”.^[4] A presentational play might have some of the characters speak directly to the audience, and help them on their way through the story. A representational play, like Picnic, leaves the “fourth wall” intact and simply ignores the audience while the events are played out.^[4] Realistic plays are often representational.
9. The Playwright’s Definition of the World: By using a certain style, the playwright is able to show the audience just how he or she feels about the world. Inge uses Realism to show that society’s rules are not always the best, and that people will live happier, more fulfilling lives if they are able to break out of the restraints.

Language

As mentioned above, the language in this play is realistic and easy to understand. Like setting, it is not distorted and does not try to misguide or confuse the audience. It stays constant and serves to facilitate understanding. The language of this play, when performed, would also reflect the setting with dialects and accents. There are colloquial phrases and slang involved, which make the language feel more real.

Theme/idea

Some themes in the play are explained below.

-Loneliness: The women in Picnic are all looking for that perfect relationship. Several of them see their desires personified in Hal, which causes a bit of conflict. Each of the women is alone in her own way. Flo’s husband is gone, which is not explained in the play, so she is without a man to help her run the house. Mrs. Potts’ mother forced her to annul her marriage when the old woman did not approve of her daughter’s choice in men. Madge, though she is with Alan, secretly wants more and is not able to be her true self around him. Millie is hidden in the shadow of Madge’s beauty and does not have a beau.

-Gender roles: According to Jeff Johnson, Inge experiments with gender roles in this play. Women of the time were typically quiet, modest, and submissive, but what about the domineering side of Flo or Rosemary? Men were typically dominant, strong, and straightforward, but what about the weak and self-conscious side of Hal?

-Beauty: Different ideas of beauty are tossed around in the play, but the term is mostly defined within Madge. She is so beautiful that some people only see her for her looks. This worries Madge throughout the play, especially since her mother lectures her on marrying the rich man now since her beauty will not last forever. Flo says that she may not have anything left after it is gone. Millie and Rosemary are jealous of Madge’s beauty; Alan is in awe of it, and it is what originally attracts Hal to Madge. Hal is another type of beauty. He has his shirt off for a bit of the play, and the women fawn over him. But his handsomeness is also seen as a danger, especially by Flo. Different characters in the play see beauty as good and bad.

-Youth: This theme is in some ways connected with the theme of beauty. The characters that have youth do not appreciate it, and the older characters wish they had it. The cause of Rosemary’s breakdown before the picnic is her desire to be young again and the realization that she never will be. Helen loves telling wild stories about her youth and making sure the young people in the play appreciate what they have.

Spectacle

The setting for Picnic was argued over by Inge and director Joshua Logan, so the play is typically presented with the original scenery of the two back porches.^[5] This allows for little to no set changes and is a bit ironic in the fact that the play is called Picnic, but there are no picnic scenes.^[6] The houses are typically shown as a bit rundown and as naturalistic as possible.

Music

In this play, there are several instances where the characters reference piano music somewhere nearby. It is especially important in the dancing scene, where different characters dance together, get to know each other better, and some major conflict begins. Millie is the one that usually mentions the music when it is present in the play, and it seems to have some importance to her. She is a lover of art and changing the world, which can be done with music. Millie explains that the music is coming from a band called “Ernie Higgins and his Happiness Boys.^[7] The name suggests happiness, and brings with it a sense of freedom.

Production history

Picnic opened on Broadway at The Music Box Theatre in New York City on February 19, 1953. It was produced by The Theatre Guild and directed by Joshua Logan. The play’s original cast included Ralph Meeker as Hal, Janice Rule as Madge, Kim Stanley as Millie, Peggy Concklin as Flo, and Paul Newman as Alan.^[8] After that, the play toured throughout 1954 and 1955.^[9] In 1955, Picnic was produced in several different states, including Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pennsylvania on May 30, the Pasadena Playhouse in Pasadena, California on July 28, and the Cape Playhouse in Dennis, Massachusetts in August. Picnic opened in England at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry on April 14, 1958, with scenery and costumes designed by Barry Kay.^[9]

Adaptations

Paul Osborne was chosen to turn Picnic into a musical in the 1960s. It was called Hot September and instead of going to the Alvin Theatre on Broadway in October 1965, the musical premiered in Boston and closed within a few weeks. Another rewrite of Picnic, undertaken by Inge himself in the early 1970s, was titled Summer Brave. It opened at the Equity Library Theatre in New York in 1973, two months before Inge committed suicide.^[10] The play only lasted 14 performances, but it was revived two years later at the ANTA Theatre. This time it lasted 18 performances.^[11]

Picnic was made into a film by Columbia Pictures, and was released in December 1955. It was directed by Joshua Logan.^[11] and nominated for six Academy Awards of which it won two. There was also a television special called Picnic – Broadway on Showtime that aired on November 10, 1986. It was produced by Catalina Production Group, Ltd.^[12]

The University of Kansas' operatic version of the play premiered April 8, 2008. Librettist and stage director Tim Ocel recalled, "When Forrest Pierce knocked on my door during the fall of 2006 and said he’d like to compose something for KU Opera, I jumped at the chance. The voice/opera division was just beginning to consider what our contribution to the 50th Murphy Hall celebration would be. I thought maybe we should create something; William Inge is the playwright and dramatic storyteller of 1950s Kansas, so why not explore the possibility of turning one of his plays into an opera? We both agreed that Picnic was the play that lent itself best to an operatic treatment. The libretto formed over the next six months, and by June 2007 Forrest was composing. The opera is a domestic comedy of sorts. Inge calls the play "A Summer Romance." It’s about everyday people... you and I... who have to figure out what it means to be alive and connected and useful in this world. It attempts to show the truth and the possibility of our everyday lives." ^[13]

Most recently, Inge's Picnic was used as the basis for an opera with the name, composed by Libby Larsen on a commission from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro's School of Music, Theatre and Dance. Larsen's Picnic premiered on Thursday, April 2, 2009 by UNCG, in Aycock Auditorium.^[14]

References

External links

• Picnic at the Internet Broadway Database
• Picnic at the Internet Broadway Database
• Picnic at the Internet Movie Database
• Barry Kay Archive / Picnic - detailed performance data, Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, 1958