A Delicate Balance (play)

A Delicate Balance
Broadway revival poster by James McMullan
Written by	Edward Albee
Characters	Agnes Tobias Claire Edna Harry Julia
Date premiered	September 22, 1966
Place premiered	Martin Beck Theatre New York City
Original language	English
Subject	Dysfunction in suburbia
Genre	Drama
Setting	An upper-middle-class home

A Delicate Balance is a play by Edward Albee. It premiered in 1966 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1967, the first of three he received for his work.

The uneasy existence of upper-middle-class suburbanites Agnes and Tobias and their permanent houseguest, Agnes' witty alcoholic sister Claire, is disrupted by the sudden appearance of lifelong family friends Harry and Edna, fellow empty nesters with free-floating anxiety, who ask to stay with them to escape an unnamed terror. They soon are followed by Agnes and Tobias's bitter 36-year-old daughter Julia, who returns home following the collapse of her fourth marriage.

The original Broadway production, directed by Alan Schneider, opened at the Martin Beck Theatre on September 22, 1966 and closed on January 14, 1967 after 132 performances and 12 previews. The cast included Hume Cronyn as Tobias, Jessica Tandy as Agnes, Rosemary Murphy as Claire, Henderson Forsythe as Harry, Carmen Mathews as Edna, and Marian Seldes as Julia. The Scenic design was by William Ritman, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge, and lighting by Tharon Musser.

A revival produced by Lincoln Center Theater at the Plymouth Theatre opened on April 21, 1996 and ran for 185 performances and 27 previews. It was directed by Gerald Gutierrez and starred Rosemary Harris as Agnes, George Grizzard as Tobias, John Carter as Harry, Elizabeth Wilson as Edna, Elaine Stritch as Claire, and Mary Beth Hurt as Julia. The production won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play as well as Tony Awards for Grizzard and Gutierrez, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Play.