Summary
Wealthy, middle-aged couple Agnes and Tobias have their complacency shattered when Harry and Edna, longtime friends, appear at their doorstep. Claiming an encroaching, nameless “fear” has forced them from their own home, these neighbors bring a firestorm of doubt, recrimination and ultimately solace, upsetting the “delicate balance” of Agnes and Tobias’ household.
History
A Delicate Balance opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on September 22, 1966, starring Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Rosemary Murphy, Henderson Forsythe and Marian Seldes, under the direction of Alan Schneider. The play was revived on Broadway at the Plymouth Theatre on April 21, 1996, directed by Gerard Gutierrez and starring John Carter, George Grizzard, Rosemary Harris, Mary Beth Hurt, Elaine Stritch and Elizabeth Wilson. A third Broadway production opened on Nov 20, 2014 at the John Golden Theatre, starring Bob Balaban, Glenn Close, Lindsay Duncan, Clare Higgins, John Lithgow and Martha Plimpton, under the direction of Pam MacKinnon.