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Produced by Edward Albee's Playwrights Unit at Village
South Theater, NY - November 23, 1964.
Revived: Triple bill at Cherry Lane Theater, NY -
February 10, 1965: directed by Charles Gyns with Harvey
Keitel and Joyce Aaron. |
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Richard F. Shepard, NY Times,
2/11/65:
["Up to Thursday"] centered on a young man lying in
bed under an American flag and four handsome, very young
people sitting on straight-back chairs. The examination
of drama not being altogether a police case, it is not
necessary to pin down motive. The author draws
brightness from the banalities of conversation. Some of
his devices are theater of the absurd à la Abbott and
Costello, but he cuts deeper. He delineates the initial
shyness of a relationship and the unreserved candor of
an intimacy. In so doing, he uses vulgarities to
establish his franchise as a freeborn playwright, but no
matter, he demonstrates stagecraft. |
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The title comes from Sam's reaction
to being drafted and feeling a deadline on freedom. He
explains, "The play is a series of reactions that become
combustible, but I really don't consider it a 'play' at
all." He was also quoted as saying this play was
"a bad exercise in absurdity". [Note the Cherry
Theater sign in this 1965 photo]
The manuscript is held at the Howard
Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.
The 1965 revived play featured Harvey
Keitel's stage debut. |
