SherbyNet - /page/wikibook/entry.mu

Micron Document

<!DOCTYPE html>

<title>The Adding Machine</title>

</head>

<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><i>The Adding Machine</i></span>

</h1>

</header>

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">For other uses, see <a href="Adding_machine_(disambiguation)" class="mw-disambig" title="Adding machine (disambiguation)">Adding machine (disambiguation)</a>.</div>

<p>

<i><b>The Adding Machine</b></i> is a 1923 <a href="Play_(theatre)" title="Play (theatre)">play</a> by <a href="Elmer_Rice" title="Elmer Rice">Elmer Rice</a>; it has been called "... a landmark of American <a href="Expressionism" title="Expressionism">Expressionism</a>, reflecting the growing interest in this highly subjective and nonrealistic form of modern drama."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p>

<p>The author of this play takes us through Mr. Zero’s trial, execution, excursion, and arrest going into the afterlife. During the whole series of this episodic journey, Mr. Zero is surprisingly oblivious to his deepest needs, wants, and desires. The story focuses on Mr. Zero, an accountant at a large, faceless company. After 25 years at his job, he discovers that he will be replaced by an adding machine. In anger and pain, he snaps and kills his boss. Mr. Zero is then tried for murder, found guilty, and hanged. He wakes up in a heaven-like setting known as the "<a href="Elysium" title="Elysium">Elysian Fields</a>." Mr. Zero meets a man named Shrdlu, then begins to operate an adding machine until Lieutenant Charles, the boss of the Elysian Fields, comes to tell Zero that he is a waste of space and his soul is going to be sent back to Earth to be reused. The play ends with Zero following a very attractive girl named Hope off-stage.

</p>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Success">Success</h2></div>

<p>Though the play has been critically regarded as a classic, it ran for just two months on Broadway for 72 performances in 1923. It has never been revived.

</p><p>The play was an influence on the <a href="Tennessee_Williams" title="Tennessee Williams">Tennessee Williams</a> play <i><a href="Stairs_to_the_Roof" title="Stairs to the Roof">Stairs to the Roof</a></i>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Years later, it was adapted into a <a href="The_Adding_Machine_(film)" title="The Adding Machine (film)">1969 film</a> of the same name, written and directed by Jerome Epstein and starring <a href="Milo_O'Shea" title="Milo O'Shea">Milo O'Shea</a>, <a href="Phyllis_Diller" title="Phyllis Diller">Phyllis Diller</a>, <a href="Billie_Whitelaw" title="Billie Whitelaw">Billie Whitelaw</a> and <a href="Sydney_Chaplin_(American_actor)" title="Sydney Chaplin (American actor)">Sydney Chaplin</a>.

</p><p>In 1989, Chicago's Hystopolis Productions adapted Rice's play for puppets;<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> the production was hailed for its visual design.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In September 1992, this production went on to be featured at the First International Festival of Puppet Theater presented at <a href="The_Public_Theater" title="The Public Theater">The Public Theater</a> in New York which was a co-production of <a href="Joseph_Papp" title="Joseph Papp">Joseph Papp</a> and the <a href="Jim_Henson_Foundation" title="Jim Henson Foundation">Jim Henson Foundation</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <i>The Adding Machine</i> remains part of Hystopolis' professional repertoire.

</p>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Musical_adaptation">Musical adaptation</h2></div>

<div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main article: <a href="Adding_Machine_(musical)" title="Adding Machine (musical)">Adding Machine (musical)</a></div>

<p>In 2007, the play was adapted into a musical entitled <i><a href="Adding_Machine_(musical)" title="Adding Machine (musical)">Adding Machine</a></i> with a score by Joshua Schmidt and a book by Jason Loewith and Schmidt. The musical debuted in <a href="Illinois" title="Illinois">Illinois</a> at the Next Theatre Company in 2007. It then opened <a href="Off-Broadway" title="Off-Broadway">Off-Broadway</a> at the Minetta Lane Theatre on February 25, 2008, after previews that started on February 8. In September 2016 the musical was produced at the Finborough Theatre in London England.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style><div class="reflist">

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("./mw/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("./mw/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("./mw/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("./mw/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style><cite id="CITEREFBeard2007" class="citation book cs1">Beard, M. Toten (2007). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=aQqOKWmjdQUC&pg=PA1137">"Elmer Rice"</a>. In Cody, Gabrielle H.; Sprinchorn, Evert (eds.). <i>The Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama, Volume 2</i>. Columbia University. <a href="ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <bdi>978-0-231-14424-7</bdi>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFBillington2001" class="citation web cs1">Billington, Michael (October 11, 2001). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2001/oct/12/theatre.artsfeatures1">"Theatre review: Stairs to the Roof"</a>. <i>The Guardian</i>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFBowen2003" class="citation web cs1">Bowen, Joseph (July 19, 2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://centerstage.net/theatre/articles/addingmachhys.html">"The Adding Machine: American business and the advent of technology"</a>. <i>Centerstage</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">February 6,</span> 2011</span>.</cite> Review of the Hystopolis production.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFHelbig2003" class="citation web cs1">Helbig, Jack (July 10, 2003). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/chicagos-other-puppet-theater/Content?oid=912567">"Chicago's Other Puppet Theater"</a>. <i>Chicago Reader</i>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFGussow1992" class="citation news cs1">Gussow, Mel (September 16, 1992). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1992/09/16/theater/theater-in-review-660092.html">"Theater in Review"</a>. <i>The New York Times</i>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFJones2008" class="citation news cs1">Jones, Kenneth (February 8, 2008). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080417181858/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114906.html">"<i>Adding Machine</i>, a Hit Musical in Chicago, Bows in NYC Feb. 8"</a>. <i>Playbill</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114906.html">the original</a> on April 17, 2008.</cite></span>

</li>

</ol></div></div>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2></div>

<ul><li><cite id="CITEREFManus1999" class="citation journal cs1">Manus, Willard (July 28, 1999). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.playbill.com/news/article/46911.html">"'Adding Machine' Marks 76th Birthday at Heliotrope, July 29"</a>. <i>Playbill</i>.</cite></li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2></div>

<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-production/9220"><i>The Adding Machine</i></a> at the <a href="Internet_Broadway_Database" title="Internet Broadway Database">Internet Broadway Database</a></li></ul></div><div><div class="zim-footer">

This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2025-06-01" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=The_Adding_Machine&oldid=1293329491">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

</div>

</div></div>

</div>

</main>

</div>

</body></html>