Hellman v. McCarthy
by Brian Richard Mori
HELLMAN v. McCARTHY is based on the greatest literary feud in modern American history. On January 24, 1980, Mary McCarthy, famed novelist, critic, and memoirist, appeared on The Dick Cavett Show and declared that “every word [Lillian Hellman] writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the.’” Hellman went ballistic and sued McCarthy, Dick Cavett, Cavett’s production company, and PBS for libel. The lawsuit, which spanned more than four years, was the talk of the literary community. Dick Cavett played himself in the critically acclaimed world premiere at the Abingdon Theatre Company.
- Cast Size: 4M 2W
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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About the Playwright
Brian Richard Mori’s plays have been produced in dozens of venues across the US, as well as in the UK. They include ADULT FICTION (Geva Theatre, New Jersey Repertory Company), BEDTIME STORIES (American Renegade Theatre), COFFEE TALK (Impact Theatre), COUPLES (New Vic Theatre), DREAMS OF FLIGHT (Victory Gardens Theatre), EVE IN THE HOT SEAT (New Jersey Repertory Company), FIRST DATE (Nat Horne Theatre), LAST CALL AT MAX’S TAVERN (Coronavirus Plays Project), MEMORIES (Theatre 22), “OUR TOWN” IN MANDARIN(Planet Connections), PLAYERS (American Renaissance Theatre), SLOW FADE TO BLACK (Neighborhood Playhouse), and WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BEARS? (Staten Island Shakespearian Theatre).
The television adaptation of the Abingdon Theatre Company’s off-Broadway production of HELLMAN v. McCARTHY, winner of the HRC Showcase W. Keith Hedrick Playwrighting Award, starring Dick Cavett (playing himself), Roberta Maxwell, and Marcia Rodd, was taped and aired on PBS; Cavett and Rodd also starred in the West Coast premiere at Theatre 40.
ADULT FICTION, winner of the Davie Prize, and BEDTIME STORIES are anthologized in Smith & Kraus’s Best Play series (NEW PLAYWRIGHTS: THE BEST PLAYS OF 2000 and THE BEST TEN MINUTE PLAYS OF 2005. 2 ACTORS, respectively); EVE IN THE HOT SEAT is published by Smith & Kraus in its 2017 BRUT THEATRE ANTHOLOGY; and DREAMS OF FLIGHT is published by Dramatists Play Service.
He has had 15 screenplay options, including FADE IN magazine winner OBSCURA, which is currently in development.
He is represented by Elaine Devlin at Elaine Devlin Literary.
(brianrichardmori.com)
“The distillation necessary to fit two such extraordinary lifetimes into one evening — in fact 90 minutes — gives Hellman v. McCarthy something of the quality of a popular novel made into a film…. These would be thankless roles, depicting yet another odd couple locked in self-destructive legal squabbles, were their parts not so juicy and, thanks to Mori’s meticulous editing of their copiously-documented verbal skills, exquisitely funny.”
“… scathingly funny…. [The play] lays out its wares and allows the audience to examine [Hellman and McCarthy] as closely as they like. It works just as well as a light comedy where Hellman gets off mean zingers at everyone else’s expense as it does as a unique look at women of a colorful epoch.”
“… sassy and funny…. the talk is consistently clever, and Mori’s portraits of the two women are entertaining and larger than life. He keeps the action moving by cutting cinematically back and forth between Hellman and McCarthy as they state their case and react to each other….. What emerges from the mix is a sad and funny portrait of two fascinating women who were too much alike to ever see eye-to-eye.”
“It is a real coup for Theatre 40 to present the West Coast Premiere of Mori’s play…. Mori’s play was fascinating on many levels. [He] captured the dowager, dragon that Hellman was beautifully…. this is an insightful, well-written and well-acted play not to be missed.”
“… fascinating…. Mori’s script cleverly uses the PBS edition of Cavett’s show and its inciting, 1980 interview with McCarthy…. What may be most astonishing about Hellman v. McCarthy, however, is that somehow its crazy, postmodernist blend of fact, speculative fiction, live reenactment and intimate celebrity evening ultimately turns out to be so satisfying.”
“A fun nite at the Theatre 40 opening of Hellman v. McCarthy…. The interesting & very entertaining play based on true facts includes what if fantasy scenes & is well written by Brian Richard Mori…. fast moving 90 minute play….”
“… a wonderful play…”
“the play… proves to be an absorbing cautionary tale about the dangers of taking oneself too seriously…. There’s bile to spare in the dialogue, much of it acidly funny…. Mr. Mori has given each woman a few moments of surcease from the fight, and the actresses make the most of them….”
“… smart and humorous play…. Although the play is set in the early 1980s, its material is accessible to today’s viewers who are sure to enjoy the humor [and] compelling storyline…. not to be missed…. Wonderfully entertaining.”
“The construction of Mori’s play… is worth the 90-minute production.”
“… cleverly written play…. Hellman v. McCarthy is a wonderfully charming, funny and provocative piece to see for all.”
“… the trek to Theatre 40 or the Saban should not be missed by any theatre and/or history aficionado in Los Angeles. *****”
“Brian Richard Mori has written a very well-structured and engrossing play…. Mori’s meticulous portraits of all the characters, especially the women, are right on target and he builds the storyline with tremendous suspense throughout the 100 minute one-act…. Don’t miss Hellman v. McCarthy! It is a riveting piece that will keep you on the edge of your seats. It is simultaneously intelligent and thoroughly enjoyable theatre.”
“… sheer enjoyment…. There is something wonderful about watching a literary figure inspired play in a small theatre…. The ninety-nine seat venue added greatly to the feeling of intimacy that makes the play work so well on yet another level….”
“Mori manages to incorporate a lot of biographical detail into his script… and he has persuasively reconstructed a one-on-one meeting between the two furious ladies.”
“Brian Richard Mori’s vivid, fast moving account of the clash of the literary titans… is exceptionally well constructed and acted…. Playwright Mori does a superb job delineating these characters, and it’s sheer brilliance to introduce Hellman while she’s playing Scrabble…. Absolutely ideal for those interested in the characters and subjects depicted…. Mori and company have managed to cut the content of fit this year’s fashion.”
“… sizzles as much as it informs. This is smart writing requiring a smart audience. Expertly staged to illuminate character as well as depicts literally side by side reactions, it also specifies political issues which may lose you if not well informed…. Brava!”
“Mori must be commended for making what is, after all of necessity fiction, blend in so smoothly with the not that copious fact…. [A] play juggling drama and comedy, with perspicacity and a marvelous sense of the absurd.”
“Brian Richard Mori’s Hellman v. McCarthy is a forthright representation of the calamitous conflict between playwright Lillian Hellman and novelist and critic Mary McCarthy who were locked in mortal legal combat from 1979 until Hellman’s death in 1984.”
“The 90 minutes moves swiftly…. If you’re interested in a backward glimpse into this historical (and sometimes hysterical) moment in time, set your sights on Hellman v. McCarthy.”
“Perhaps the most meta experience onstage this season.”
“Best Bet. A brilliantly-written, fasted-paced, and somewhat fictionalized account of the literary feud between playwright/memoirist Lillian Hellman and critic/novelist Mary McCarthy…. compelling drama…. Mori’s crisp writing and the cast’s pitch-perfect delivery makes for an exceptionally entertaining and provocative night of theatre.”
“… the pathos is mixed with a good deal of biting humor.”
“Mori’s script is up to the juicy story.”
“A literary catfight, with context by [Dick] Cavett. Mr. Mori has research this play diligently. He does a credible and creditable job of both bringing these figures to theatrical life, and sketching in the background to their conflict.”
“The play by Brian Richard Mori is alternatively funny and bitchy…. I couldn’t help but contrast what a good time [Dick Cavett] and we were having with the misery the play’s two protagonists wreaked on each other and their beleaguered lawyers, and how ultimately they both died bitter, rancorous — lonely and stubborn to the end.”
“highbrow/brilliant”
“The battle harkening back to the clawing against one another by two literary lions is captured dramatically in Hellman v. McCarthy’s excellent theatre.”
“… excellent…. tinged with humor. Hellman v. McCarthy holds added value to those who remember the feud but there are lessons to learn from this part-intellectual, part-legal drama even for those unfamiliar with the play’s history.”
“It is a stimulating and amusing experience, thanks to fine performances and some stellar displays of bad behavior.”
“The incident, which delighted literati everywhere, titillated Brian Richard Mori so much that he’s concocted a brisk and pithy 90-minutes.”
“This is an historical play that is both clever and engaging.”
“The production reads as both a historic document and a cautionary tale. It was pride that paved the fall of Hellman and McCarthy. It’s a story that even the humorist in Cavett doesn’t find funny at all and a less he would rather we not forget.”
“… top-notch…. [T]he content of Hellman v. McCarthy is sure to interest those who are intrigued by both the period in question as well as its spicy, aggressive participants.”
“… a brisk, entertaining 90 minutes.”
“… playwright Brian Richard Mori creates a lively theatrical imagining of how the two women, especially Hellman, might have behaved behind the scene while the libel lawsuit ran its course until Hellman’s death in June 1984…. 90 fast-flying minutes.”
“Playwright Brian Richard Mori and Director Jan Buttram bring a cheerful exuberance to Hellman v. McCarthy…. [T]he ride is a good one filled with entertaining dialogue, humor and clowning that doesn’t miss, and attention-grabbing drama throughout a well-paced 90 minutes, with no intermission…. The split screen [effect between Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy] is cogently weaved.”
Review Hellman v. McCarthy.